They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but current research disagrees. Research in lifelong learning has, for almost half a century, studied and examined learning throughout life. One researcher who’s studied the subject in greater detail is Professor Cecilia Bjursell of Jönköping University.
– Lifelong learning is a holistic approach to education and learning which recognises learning in several different environments, Bjursell explains. The idea of lifelong learning is based on two principles: on the one hand that an individual continues learning throughout life, and on the other that learning doesn’t only take place within the bounds of formal education. Learning is just as likely to take place at work and in everyday life. School comprises extremely important preparation for lifelong learning. This is where we’re given the tools which enable us to continue our personal development in later life.
Lifelong learning is also a hot topic internationally. Lifelong learning is included in the EU strategy for education and training until 2020, which “focuses on lifelong learning and mobility, the quality and efficiency of education, equality, and innovation”. The UN also underlines the importance of not neglecting our personal development. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a decision on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in connection with its work on Agenda 2030. Goal 4 has a clear focus on education, wherein society shall “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
NEW TECHNOLOGY – NEW DEMANDS
Historically, we have acquired our education at an early age, and we have then relied on that education throughout our working lives, perhaps with the odd course now and then. Today, we need to change this static view of learning. To develop, and remain a fully fledged member of contemporary society, we need to integrate continuous learning with everyday life.
The technological developments seen in society drive our needs, and we need to update our skills to keep up. Consider, for example, learning how to use Zoom or a digital ID. We need to embrace new technologies and learn new things at all ages.
– What’s new is that today lifelong learning is so clearly associated with higher education, says Bjursell. Interest in vocational courses is also increasing, a result of the increasing need for education across the board. Furthermore, research has shown that the higher your level of education, the easier it is to benefit from new courses.
"Lifelong learning is the concept of developing and learning, throughout your life. Not only in school." Cecilia Bjursell, professor pedagogy, Jönköping University
EXAMPLES OF EVERYDAY LEARNING
The school system already has processes and goals for pupils to follow and fulfil. Those of us who work, however, do not always have the same frames of reference to orient ourselves. Digitalisation and automation are changing all aspects of society in very noticeable ways. Almost all professions, regardless of industry, are undergoing rapid change – as are the expectations on skill sets. Parallel to this, we’re all living longer, and are expected to work longer. Unfortunately, the time we spend on skills development tends to decrease with age.
How, then, are we to encourage lifelong learning? Is there anything we can do as individuals to enhance our personal development?
You can start by reflecting on how you learn and embrace new knowledge. Is it, for example, by watching videos/tutorials, listening to lectures/podcasts or reading books? Once you’ve identified how you learn best, there are different methods for developing your learning, both at work and in life. You could start by learning about a subject you find interesting, and then build on that. Learning can take place anywhere, but first it must be enabled.
– Mentoring and custom courses at the workplace are effective ways of encouraging learning at work, Bjursell explains. However, the person who is most knowledgeable about, say, LEDs, might not be best suited to be a mentor, although this is a skill which can be learned. We shouldn’t be blinkered and focus on just one skill – we need to see the entire breadth of skills which are needed. There’s a need to create an open learning environment at the company which can be developed. One thing you always need to keep in mind when planning a course is to adapt it to those who are taking it. Many of the participants might not have their own office or even their own email, they might have to take the course on their smartphone.
EXAMPLES OF LIFELONG LEARNING
As with all development and change work, it’s a good idea to have both a plan and an objective. Write down what you want to learn, how you want to learn it and the aim of your new knowledge. Then, start on a small scale, expanding things as you go along. Examples of learning at work:
- GET A MENTOR
Someone at your/another workplace who can reflect on the circumstances and events of your working life and profession. - SHADOW A COLLEAGUE AT YOUR WORKPLACE
An easy way to learn more about other professions/other departments at your work, offering greater insight into the entire business. - FEEDBACK FROM A COACH (COLLEAGUE/MANAGER)
Ask one of your colleagues/managers for regular and honest feedback on your performance. - JOB SWAP WITH ANOTHER WORKPLACE
Speak to colleagues at other workplaces about the possibility of a job swap week.
LEARNING IN THE RIGHT LIGHT
Lighting and ergonomics are central to making a learning environment suited to everyone – from the very youngest at preschool, through the nearly 240,000 teachers at Swedish preschools, primary schools and secondary schools, to older students studying evening courses at university. All of them have their schools as a workplace, and they need to be able to adjust the lighting to best suit different learning situations. This includes, for example, being able to dim, control and change the colour temperature of the lighting, all of which aim to enhance and facilitate learning.
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Every era creates its own version of the ideal shop. In Victorian Britain, abundance mattered. Shop windows were packed tightly with goods, projecting prosperity and variety onto busy high streets. By the interwar years, modernity had become the aspiration: cleaner lines, brighter interiors, electric lighting and carefully staged displays signalled that a retailer was progressive and in touch with contemporary life. The pressures facing retail today – new technologies, changing customer habits, shifting expectations around experience and convenience – are not entirely new. Retail has always evolved in response to social, cultural and technological change. Long before the arrival of online shopping, retailers were experimenting with how architecture, display, atmosphere and service could influence behaviour. We spoke with Professor Laura Ugolini, Director of the University of Wolverhampton’s Centre for the History of Retailing and Distribution (CHORD), to chart this history of retail stores and the role of lighting with in it. The Theatre of the Early Shopfront The instinct to attract attention is far older than the modern high street. Retailers in medieval markets and Georgian streets already understood the importance of presentation, spectacle and visibility. Yet the nineteenth century transformed what shops could physically become. Advances in manufacturing made large plate-glass windows more affordable and widely available, allowing retailers to create bigger and more ambitious displays. According to Laura, Victorian window displays often appear cluttered to modern eyes, with goods “almost crammed into the shop to give an impression of abundance.” When Lighting Became Part of Modern Retail Lighting has long shaped the retail experience, even before electricity became widespread. Gas lighting illuminated nineteenth-century shopfronts and allowed stores to extend trading hours, particularly in winter. Yet the interwar period marked a significant shift in how lighting was discussed and marketed. “Modernity was very much associated with lighting. The cinemas, dance halls, and the city centre were all portrayed as being very bright in that period.” Electric lighting became a visible symbol of progress. Retailers used brightness to communicate cleanliness, efficiency and fashionability. Stores that embraced electric lighting presented themselves as contemporary businesses aligned with changing tastes and lifestyles. “There seems to be this association with being modern, with being up to date. They make comparisons with dark and dingy interiors.” Trade publications of the interwar period increasingly discussed lighting as part of the wider modernisation of retail interiors, alongside shop fittings, display design and window presentation. One interwar menswear article argued that “the modern man’s shop must be bright”, contrasting contemporary retail environments with the “gloomy” and poorly organised outfitter shops of earlier decades. At Walter Scott’s menswear premises in Regent Street, “dust proof fixtures and tubular lighting” were promoted as signs of a modern retail design. While display had long been key to retail, interwar department stores increasingly integrated it throughout the entire shopping environment. One article describing the Simpson store in Piccadilly states that space was devoted to “selling through display”, with furniture, fittings and lighting all contributing to the overall customer experience. Even then, retailers balanced aesthetics with practicality. Electricity remained relatively expensive during the interwar years, meaning natural light still played an important role. Skylights, large windows and glazed façades were often combined with electric lighting to reduce costs while maintaining bright interiors. Markets, Spectacle and Entertainment While department stores projected refinement and sophistication, Britain’s markets developed their own highly theatrical retail culture. Laura points to photographs of 1930s markets, where traders used electric lighting to illuminate stalls and attract crowds. The Saturday night market became both a commercial and social event. “It was often a spectacle as well as just somewhere you went to buy your items. People went for entertainment as well as just to buy things.” The Bolton Worktown photograph, shown below, of a brightly lit shoe stall captures this atmosphere particularly well. Electric lamps flood the stall with light while customers gather closely around the display, demonstrating how illumination could help to create drama, visibility and energy within crowded public spaces. These markets reveal an important point about retail history: experiential retail is not a recent invention. Long before contemporary flagship stores and immersive brand environments, retailers were already using atmosphere, performance and sensory appeal to attract visitors. Shoe Stall, 1937. Humphrey Spender. © Bolton Museum The Department Store Revolution If markets brought energy and spectacle, department stores introduced a new kind of controlled retail environment. By the late nineteenth century, stores such as Harrods, Selfridges and John Lewis allowed customers to browse freely without the pressure to purchase immediately. Cafeterias, reading rooms, hairdressers and rest facilities encouraged visitors to spend extended periods inside. “I would suggest that that kind of experience of actually just browsing, shopping, wandering around and just looking is probably something we associate with department stores in the nineteenth century,” This represented a major cultural shift. Earlier forms of shopping were often highly transactional, involving direct interaction between customer and shopkeeper. Department stores softened this exchange and made browsing itself a leisure activity. The development of customer amenities also changed who retail spaces were designed for. Many department stores actively targeted female shoppers, presenting themselves as respectable and relatively safe urban environments. “Department stores often marketed themselves as a shop aimed specifically at female customers. Somewhere where women could actually wander around in relative safety.” The design of these interiors reinforced that sense of reassurance and comfort. Bright, ordered environments, visible circulation routes and carefully controlled displays all contributed to a more welcoming retail experience. Standardisation and Aspiration As the twentieth century progressed, chain retailers began refining another retail strategy: consistency. Brands such as Marks & Spencer created standardised interiors and displays across multiple locations, helping customers recognise the brand experience wherever they shopped. Laura points to menswear chains, such as Burton, that used fittings and fixtures designed to resemble bespoke tailoring establishments, despite selling mass-produced suits at accessible prices. “It actually felt as if you were entering a bespoke tailor,” This blending of aspiration and accessibility became central to twentieth-century retailing. The environment itself communicated value, trust and identity. An article on Elliotts of Reading described a modernised shopfront as possessing “quiet but compelling attraction”, suggesting retailers increasingly understood that atmosphere and identity could influence customer perception before any interaction took place. That connection between atmosphere and perception continues today. Whether through lighting, materials, layout or display, retail environments still shape how customers interpret brands long before a purchase is made. The Foundations of Modern Retail By the interwar period, retailers were already thinking carefully about how lighting, display, materials and layout influenced perception and behaviour. Many of the themes shaping retail design today – atmosphere, identity, experience and customer comfort – were already emerging nearly a century ago. In part two, we will look at how retail continued to evolve through the twentieth century – from department stores and chain stores to self-service, convenience shopping, and the modern question of what physical stores can offer that digital retail cannot
Melanopic lux: lighting for education influenced by human biology
Light is essential in our daily lives, influencing our ability to see, overall well-being and performance. In educational environments, lighting quality can significantly impact students' focus, mood, and energy levels. So, how do we know what is the right amount and quality of light for this setting? Traditionally, light has been measured in lux, a unit of measurement for the intensity of light. It's used to measure how much light falls on a surface or the amount of light in a given space. One lux is the amount of light that falls on a surface that is one square meter in area when one lumen of light is spread out evenly. Recent advancements in research have unveiled the importance of melanopic lux, which goes beyond mere visibility. This measures how effectively light stimulates specific eye cells that regulate crucial non-visual functions such as sleep and alertness. In classrooms and lecture theatres, the melanopic ratio has become vital in lighting design, enabling educators to create spaces that support visual tasks and align with students' biological rhythms. In this article, we explore how lighting solutions can align with our biology, and how this helps to create optimum conditions for educational environments. The science of vision and light The human eye is a remarkable organ designed for high-resolution colour vision within a small area (approximately 2 degrees of the visual field) while relying on peripheral vision for motion detection. This dual-function system, shaped by evolution for survival, continues to influence how we perceive and interact with our surroundings. Our eyes are particularly susceptible to green and yellow light, reflecting our evolutionary adaptation to naturally lit environments. In contrast, blue light, which is chief in modern LED lighting, requires higher intensity to be perceived at the same level. Effective lighting design carefully considers brightness, timing, and distribution to support visual clarity and biological functions like mood and alertness. For example, exposure to bright light in the morning helps regulate circadian rhythms, boosting alertness and mitigating the effects of seasonal darkness. This is particularly important in educational environments, such as schools and universities, where lighting impacts mood, focus, and overall performance. Our Organic Response system provides an innovative solution tailored for these spaces. This smart lighting technology automatically optimises light levels, featuring daylight-responsive sensors and advanced occupancy detection, maintaining a balance between natural and artificial light. Doing so supports visual comfort and reduces energy consumption, making it an ideal choice for creating dynamic, efficient, and student-friendly learning environments. To further support students, well-lit spaces with minimal glare are essential for reducing eye strain and maintaining focus during extended study sessions. Adjusting light intensity and colour temperature for different tasks—such as reading, group discussions, or creative activities—enhances light's visual and non-visual effects. By integrating thoughtful lighting strategies like those offered by Organic Response, educational environments can promote healthier, more productive, and engaging learning experiences. Integrative lighting: Supporting health and well-being. Integrative lighting (also referred to as human-centred lighting) combines visual and non-visual benefits (such as emotional effects) to support biological rhythms and psychological well-being. This approach goes beyond traditional lighting solutions by considering how light impacts circadian rhythms and hormonal balance. Light exposure in the morning is critical for suppressing melatonin (the sleep hormone) and increasing cortisol (the alertness hormone). Proper timing helps align students' natural rhythms with school schedules, which often require a lot of focus. Consistent exposure to bright, cool light early in the day can enhance energy levels and cognitive performance. The melanopic ratio compares the spectral composition of a light source with daylight. Using this information, you can determine its melanopic lighting intensity. This enables the design of lighting setups that precisely meet both visual and biological lighting needs. Lighting recommendations for educational spaces Each learning environment has unique lighting needs. Libraries benefit from direct lighting on the floor, paired with ambient lighting on walls and ceilings. Vertical shelf lighting (200-300 lx) makes it easier to browse titles. 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