A few years ago, I chanced upon the book, Thank You For Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide To Thriving In The Age Of Accelerations, by Thomas Friedman, a New York Times best-selling author. I also attended his talk, where he spoke about his greatest wish for his children growing up in a developed world: to survive in a competitive environment without feeling entitled and spoiled. His advice was to have a migrant mindset – a desire to learn, demonstrate resourcefulness, and overcome challenges. Essentially, he emphasised the hunger to learn. Do we possess that same hunger?
Singapore will soon celebrate its 60th birthday, and we have been blessed with steady governance that has planned and implemented an excellent education system. Starting from education in schools to continuous learning through SkillsFuture Singapore – which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary – our country offers great resources and incentives to learn, upskill, and reskill. However, the growth mindset and hunger to learn must come from individuals themselves. We cannot expect those to be engineered for us.
Reading for pleasure
Conversations about food come easily to Singaporeans. But try asking, “What was the last good book you read?” or “What was the last webinar you enjoyed?” Chances are, you will receive puzzled looks as though you have asked strange questions.
Last year, one of the questions asked in the PSLE Chinese oral exam was about reading for pleasure. Many children, despite being well prepared, were thrown off by this. They couldn’t answer the simple question, “Tell me about the last nice book you read.” Many were too busy working through practice papers and textbooks. When was the last time they picked up a book simply for the joy of learning?
When asked by your boss to attend a training course, are you excited or resistant?
In Singapore, millions are poured into upskilling and reskilling efforts, yet many are reluctant to take up training unless absolutely necessary or if their jobs are threatened. Had they cultivated a genuine interest in learning, and to constantly apply the new skills and knowledge to improve and to pivot, perhaps such threats might not be as real.
The longstanding narrative of studying hard to get into university and secure a good job was very real for me. My father attended less than three years of school, and my mother had to leave school to work at 16. Not being able to speak English was always a disadvantage for her.
Studying hard and learning for the pragmatic reason of breaking the poverty cycle still remains real for many families today. And perhaps the choice to learn what you enjoy is not a privilege given to everyone. My sister loved music, but we could never afford piano lessons, let alone buy a piano.
However, we must not let difficult circumstances kill our joy of learning. That joy and curiosity come from within. Recently, I was pleased to see my 72-year-old mother sign up for and attend a month-long course on artificial intelligence tools. She learnt alongside a course mate who helped translate instructions into Mandarin, simply because she was curious.
My recent time spent as a visiting researcher at the Unesco Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) revealed a broader definition of learning. Lifelong learning is rooted in the integration of learning and living, covering learning activities for people of all ages, in all life-wide contexts and through a variety of modalities, which, together, meet a wide range of learning needs and demands.
The concept of “learning cities” and “learning neighbourhoods”, exemplified by Cork’s Lifelong Learning Festival, showcases this diversity. Free, diverse learning events are offered across Cork City, Ireland, and its distinct communities, fostering a culture of accessible lifelong learning for all ages and interests.
While some activities are related to specific skills and jobs, many are designed to drive curiosity, from learning about bats to exploring the history of a place.
My international colleague once asked if Singapore is listed as a Learning City. Upon checking, it turns out that Singapore is not a member of the Unesco Global Network of Learning Cities. To be listed, a city must meet specific Unesco criteria, such as mobilising resources across all sectors to promote inclusive learning, revitalising learning in families and communities, and facilitating workplace learning. Although Singapore likely meets many of these criteria, it has not formally applied for or received the designation.
With ongoing debate about work-life balance, often framed around Singapore’s focus on productivity, we risk falling into the illusion that enjoyment can come only when we are not working or studying. The Singapore Institute of Technology recently conducted a longitudinal study with 521 students on the reciprocal effects between grade point average (GPA) and burnout in university students, exploring grit, self-efficacy, and resilience as moderators. Of all the potential moderating factors, only grit-passion was found to moderate the relationship between GPA and burnout. What this means is that cultivating true passion and enjoyment for academic activities can serve as a protective factor against burnout. Some people seem to have the capacity to do so much work yet remain energetic and enjoy what they are doing. Can the common denominator be the passion for learning?
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As parents, if we want our children to enjoy learning, we must model it ourselves. That means showing curiosity even when learning is difficult and treating training sessions as opportunities to grow.
For those of us who are educators, we need to embody a growth mindset ourselves, rather than just advocating it. While it is easy to blame institutions, parents, or the curriculum, we must reflect on the extent to which we are pragmatic learners, in contrast to those who genuinely embrace and demonstrate the joy of learning.
According to the UIL, adopting a lifelong learning approach necessitates a fundamental change in educators’ mindsets. They must abandon conventional teacher-centred and cognitive methods. Just like our students, we, too, must become lifelong learners.
Even in our later years, the options for learning are vast and need not always be job-related. And surely, learning can be beyond travelling to a new holiday destination or exploring a new hawker centre that sells good food.
Learning never stops. Learning has no boundary. Learning cannot be outsourced. To truly embrace the joy of learning, we need to move from the necessity of learning to a genuine desire and hunger for knowledge. Let’s develop a love for learning, driven not only by survival or job security, but also by pure curiosity and joy.
May Lim is an associate professor and the assistant provost for applied learning at the Singapore Institute of Technology. She also served as a visiting researcher at the Unesco Institute for Lifelong Learning.
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