Take the #IWillLearn Pledge

For each and every person to truly flourish in life, they must commit to L3 Learning, or learning that is life-long, life-wide and life-deep. With this week’s launch of 9 Billion Schools: Why the World Needs Personalized, Lifelong Learning for All, we’ve presented a roadmap to engage L3 Learning. We’ve shared arguments and examples on a variety of topics such as:

• How large organizations can successfully implement L3 Learning;
• Why L3 Learning is vital for the future growth of society;
• The role of technology in the future of learning;
• Unique ways in which L3 learning can be implemented;
• The interconnectedness of learning and human dignity.

We’ve outlined our mission and are in the process of pooling resources to help it come to life, but ultimately the biggest resource we have in this mission to redefine learning for the future is you.

The 9 Billion Schools mission is huge, and a goal to make learning as individual and unique as every person on the planet must start and end with… every person on the planet.

The #IWillLearn Pledge

Starting today, we’re calling on each and every supporter of life-long, life-wide and life-deep learning to publicly commit to the cause by sharing what they will learn next. We’re not asking you to drop your daily activities to enroll in a doctoral program, but we are asking that you share something that you want to learn. Tell us something you’ll learn that will enrich your life, teach you a valuable new skill or satisfy a hobby or curiosity.

Learning serves many purposes and takes many forms—so, learn something that feels good to you. To help get you started, we’ve shared some ideas below, but don’t let it stop there! There’s no limit to the things we can learn. Once you’ve decided what you will learn next, share it with the world! Download and print this sign , fill in the blank, take a picture and share it on social media using #IWillLearn to inspire others to join you in your learning journey.

Learn a new perspective

Learning involves both hard and soft skills. In fact, it’s the soft skills—those that contribute to our emotional intelligence—that help us smoothly navigate and excel in social situations. Learning a new perspective helps to build empathy, compassion and understanding. This helps us to become better negotiators and dealmakers—or even just help us make better small talk as we wait for everyone to join a conference call.

Beginning to learn a new perspective requires listening and being open to ideas and thoughts you might not have considered before. Here are some ways you can start:

• Read a book about a person, topic, place or culture you’re unfamiliar with.
• Take a free, online class on the history of a different country than where you grew up. (See the next section for more details!)
• Talk and listen. Make it a point to learn from others and understand where they’re coming from—especially those who may hold different beliefs than you or have experienced different life circumstances.
• Get out of echo chambers. Social media is great, but it can tend to reinforce perspectives we already have. Be mindful of this and consider purposefully expanding your digital network to let in diverse voices.

Explore new subjects through free, online courses

If your goal is simply to learn—not earn college credits or degrees—there are virtually limitless opportunities to take part in classroom learning developed and moderated by college professors at some of the world’s top institutions of higher learning.

They’re called Massive Online Open Classrooms—or MOOCs for short—and you can find one on almost any subject you’d expect a typical college or university to teach. Ready to learn anatomy and physiology? There’s a MOOC for that. Or, if you’ve got your eyes on something a little farther from your own body, consider taking part in a MOOC for astronomy!

Finding a specific course is as easy as using your preferred search engine to enter your desired subject followed by “MOOC.”

Discover outdoor learning activities

With the increasing availability of technology, it can be easy (and tempting) to confine learning to an activity in front of some kind of screen. Don’t let that happen! Life-wide learning—a critical part of the L3 Learning triad—relies on learning for every part of life. Learning that ignores the outside world and all the valuable lessons nature can teach us can never be entirely complete.

Explore a new nature trail, spend an afternoon bird watching, or learn how to build some outdoor furniture that makes an outdoor space all that much more enjoyable! Even something as simple as taking a trip to a state or national park can help you learn about local flora and fauna, while exposing you to new perspectives—that’s an L3 Learning double-dip!

For other unique ways you can commit to L3 Learning, explore the 9 Billion Schools Blog or, if you haven’t yet, pick up a copy of 9 Billion Schools: Why the World Needs Personalized, Lifelong Learning for All. Do you have an L3 Learning idea that you want to share with us directly? We’d love to hear it; send it to us by email at myturn@9billionschools.org.