The three things I’ve learned

If there is one skill that stands out above all the others in the information and learning societies in which we live, it is learning to learn. Thanks to the ease with which knowledge is generated and shared, especially in the context of technological tools, social networks, etc., we live in a permanent beta state of almost automatic and subconscious learning at every moment of our lives.

Learning to learn is not only advice for pupils. The best teachers are also the best learners. It is not so much a matter of qualifications or rigorous standards or educational policies... It is about the need to teach teachers to be learners; learners who have the capacity to adapt to tomorrow’s scenarios, technologies and languages, to guide pupils in their enthusiasm to grow, and to grow alongside them.

This must be the nucleus of educational systems: the teacher and his or her desire to continue learning. This focus can be supported by communities, appropriate human resource policies, awareness-raising campaigns to improve the general public’s evaluation of teachers, teacher training itself and the culture of Continuous learning.

I would add an idea inspired by a conversation with a scientist aged over 80 who was still working: you only get old when you are no longer in touch with the world of today and when you lose the desire to learn.