Contents
Personal and Learning to Learn Competence
In order to be able to take responsibility for oneself and for others and to be able to confront a new situation or challenge, people need self-confidence and motivation. A meta-cognitive ability helps them to check whether the path taken is (still) the right one, or to decide which of the many paths opening up should be taken. Hensge, Lorig and Schreiber (2006)[1] describe these aspects as the personal competence dimension (in distinction to the methodological, social and topical/professional dimensions). Other authors come to similar conclusions, some refer to the term self-competence, some to learning to learn, while accentuating differently.
Self-organised lifelong learning supports such development of personal abilities. Personal competence needs to be trained and cannot be taken for granted. Your seminar room is the perfect training field for this task, and personal competence should be addressed as a transversal competence – explicitly or implicitly by methodology addressing the self-learning ability, independent problem-solving or self-organization. Already the decision for a learning arrangement influences how much a process can later address autonomy and self-organisation.
Learning Arrangements
|
Autodidactic |
Externally Controlled |
|
|
Learning Orientation |
Focuses on the person learning |
Focuses on the person teaching |
|
What the person learning does |
Learning by acting |
Consuming learning person |
|
Time and space restrictions for the person learning |
Flexible |
Fixed times and learning places |
|
Defining objectives and content |
Freely determined by the person learning |
Defined for the person learning |
After Siebert (2006)[2]
In consequence, educators have to find strategies how to align learning orientation, activities, time and spatial conditions and content. For instance to balance their desire for expected outcome and for control with the goal of strengthening learners' autonomy.
Thus it becomes clear that learning to learn has both a personal dimension and specifically addresses personal competences, as well as describing a methodological and organisational competence that stimulates and promotes learning to learn in learners.
Encouraging self-directed Learning
- Learners reflect on their learning styles, needs and preferences
- They become familiar with planning approaches and skills: learning plans, assessment, checklist work...
- Training an orientation toward opportunities and solutions
- Practising goal-setting methods
- Using learning diaries or portfolios for self-documentation
- Using self-assessment tools
- Training to deal with ambiguity and unexpected situations
Learning-to-Learn Competence of Facilitators
The learning competences of professionals are a basic prerequisite for emancipatory educational processes aimed at strengthening individual autonomy.
Competence development through learning depends in particular on the motivation to learn (wanting to learn) and the learning conditions (being able to learn). Organising this learning process in a self-directed manner means harmonising motivation, possibilities or opportunities and learning time of learners.
Instruments for the targeted development of learning skills range from self-directed learning (e.g. reading, digital learning tools) to guided learning processes (e.g. further education and training, mentoring, supervision) and collegial networked learning (e.g. collegial counselling, team reflection).
It should always be recognised that things can be continuously learned, unlearned, relearned or relearned again.
As learning and (further) qualification for democracy-related education professionals regularly takes place in a social context (especially with groups and colleagues), there is an overlap with social and communicative competences.
Learning-to-Learn Competence of Facilitators
Self-reflective learning
Means the ability to recognise, evaluate and, if necessary, revise acquired knowledge and experience. This includes the willingness to analyse oneself, one's own role, attitude, privileges, emotions and one's own limits.
Process-based learning
Encompasses the ability to practise one's own learning biography as a non-linear process of learning, unlearning and relearning and to integrate acquired knowledge into professional action.
Curiosity
Curiosity is characterised by perceiving new things as a positive impulse that can enrich one's own experience and knowledge. Curiosity creates opportunities for intentional, but often also unintentional learning.
Targeted learning
The competence to recognise one's own knowledge gaps and learning potential and to derive, organise and pursue one's own learning processes on the basis of learning conditions, needs and resources.
Systematising and linking knowledge
Means relating different bodies of knowledge to each other in a structured way, recognising or making connections and drawing conclusions.
Competence-to-consider-non-competence
Summarises the willingness and ability to understand ignorance, uncertainties and contradictions as productive learning moments (according to Paul Mecheril).
Source: Arbeitskreis deutscher Bildungsstätten e. V. (AdB) (2025). kompetent.politisch.bilden. Kompetenzprofil für Fachkräfte der politischen Jugendbildung. Pp. 34-35. Published under CC-BY-SA.
Learning-to-Learn Competence of Learners
LifeComp: Personal, Social, Learning-to-Learn Competence
LifeComp is the EU Commission's proposal how to understand learning to learn and self-organised lifelong learning as a key competence. Published in 2020, it describes learning to learn as a “positive attitude towards one’s personal, social, and physical wellbeing and learning throughout one’s life” (p. 12) and more concretely as the “ability to pursue and persist in learning, and to organise one’s learning” (p. 57). The LifeComp framework includes three dimensions:
Personal Dimension
This area is dealing with issues of self-regulation, gaining flexibility, and also physical and psychological well-being.
- P1 Self-regulation - Awareness and management of emotions, thoughts and behaviour
- P2 Flexibility - Ability to manage transitions and uncertainty, and to face challenges
- P3 Wellbeing - Pursuit of life satisfaction, care of physical, mental and social health; and adoption of a sustainable lifestyle
Social Dimension
This area relates to the ability to be empathic towards others, to communicate, and to collaborate.
- S1 Empathy - The understanding of another person’s emotions, experiences and values, and the provision of appropriate responses
- S2 Communication - Use of relevant communication strategies, domain-specific codes and tools, depending on the context and content
- S3 Collaboration - Engagement in group activity and teamwork acknowledging and respecting others
Learning-to-learn Dimension
Positive attitude towards continuously learning, critical thinking, and managing the own learning steps.
- L1 Growth mindset - Belief in one’s and others’ potential to continuously learn and progress
- L2 Critical thinking - Assessment of information and arguments to support reasoned conclusions and develop innovative solutions
- L3 Managing learning - The planning, organising, monitoring and reviewing of one’s own learning
Source: LifeComp[3] & Literature Review & Analysis of Frameworks[4]
Self-responsibility under digital conditions
Digital tools and platforms have built-in assumptions about moderation. Although in different ways and intensities, they give power to the moderator or represent an implicit idea of what collaboration should look like. For example, in some platforms it is not possible to give every user the role of administrator. It is not possible to leave a breakout room. Most try to limit side conversations. While in an analog setting a facilitator may notice that participants begin to lose attention as background noise increases, these and similar signals are often not present in digital spaces. While digital spaces represent a new opportunity, we must also remember that they present challenges to presenters. We mention this primarily because they are often not developed in a way that reinforces learners' sense of ownership.
Revision: July 2025, September 2023
Nils-Eyk Zimmermann
Editor of Competendo. He writes and works on the topics: competences, active citizenship, civil society, digital transformation, non-formal and lifelong learning. Coordinator of European projects, in example DIYW-ROAD or DIGIT-AL Digital Transformation in Adult Learning for Active Citizenship, DARE network.
Blogs here: Blog: Civil Resilience.
Email: nz.at.dare-network.eu
Elke Heublein
References
- ↑ Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB): K. Hensge, B. Lorig, D. Schreiber: Kompetenzstandards in der Berufsausbildung; Abschlussbericht Forschungsprojekt 4.3.201 (JFP 2006)
- ↑ H. Siebert: Selbstgesteuertes Lernen und Lernbegleitung - Konstruktivistische Perspektiven; Augsburg 2006
- ↑ European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Sala, A., Punie, Y., Garkov, V. (2020). LifeComp : the European Framework for personal, social and learning to learn key competence, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/302967
- ↑ Caena, F., Developing a European Framework for the Personal, Social & Learning to Learn Key Competence (LifEComp). Literature Review & Analysis of Frameworks, Punie, Y. (ed), EUR 29855 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2019, ISBN 978-92-76-11225-9, https://doi.org/10.2760/172528, JRC117987.
Holistic Learning
E. Heublein (ed.), N. Zimmermann (ed.) (2017). Holistic learning. Planning experiential, inspirational and participatory learning processes. Competendo Handbook for Facilitators. Berlin.
Steps toward Action
M. Gawinek-Dagargulia (ed.), N. Zimmermann (ed.), E. Skowron (ed.) (2016). Steps toward action. Empowerment for self-responsible initiative. Competendo Handbook for Facilitators.
