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Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualised Cognition (CLIC)
About CLIC
The Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualized Cognition (CLIC) was launched in October 2020 as a flagship research programme under the Science of Learning initiative which aims to improve support for lifelong flexible learning and cognitive agility. The project is a research collaboration between the University of Cambridge and Nanyang Technological University, and supported by the National Research Foundation, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme. CLIC is housed within the Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore Ltd (CARES), which was established in 2013 to support large-scale research collaborations between the University of Cambridge and Singapore-based academics. This is a strategic global initiative for the University of Cambridge and NTU that brings together multi-disciplinary expertise from over 30 investigators in the areas of neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, and education across the two universities.
Programme Vision
Singapore’s SkillsFuture programme promoted by the Ministries of Education, Manpower and Trade & Industry recognises the need for workers with a capacity for flexible behaviour; that is, the ability to adapt to change, problem-solve in new situations based on previous experience and achieve in emerging jobs over the next few decades. This capacity for cognitive flexibility is central to the modern digital age with rapidly changing settings at home and work. As we recognise the need for flexible behaviour and transferable skills in the work force, our education systems need to ensure that citizens are equipped with the cognitive flexibility they need to develop these skills for the future. However, there is currently a gap in evidence-based training programmes that can effectively support and promote cognitive flexibility across the life course.
CLIC’s vision for the next generation of flexible learners in a social world
The CLIC programme aims to address this societal change by developing innovative research in the science of learning and translating it to educational and real-life applications across the life course. We will adopt an integrated interdisciplinary approach that marries cross-disciplinary expertise and methodologies to target three life periods (early years, adolescence, middle age) when flexible behaviour is critical for coping with highly changing circumstances.
The CLIC programme has three main objectives:
1. Understanding flexible learning
We aim to develop a general neurocognitive model of flexible learning that promotes cognitive flexibility. We will use established experimental protocols to measure cognitive flexibility and test the hypothesis that a generative learning style (i.e., linking old and new ideas) promotes cognitive flexibility and may also show beneficial transfer to other cognitive skills such as reading, mathematics, creativity and socio-emotional skills. We will further investigate, at the individual level, the neurobiological mechanisms that play a role in enhancing flexible behaviour.
2. Examining social factors
We aim to identify whether and how social factors (e.g. multilingualism, competition versus cooperation, tolerance of uncertainty) interact with learning to maintain and promote flexible behaviour across the lifespan.
3. Translating knowledge to application
We aim to translate knowledge derived from basic research into practical application and real-life interventions that may easily be used in schools and homes to optimise learning that promotes flexible behaviour (e.g. app-based training interventions). A combination of full-scale randomised control trials at schools (for adolescents) and smaller home-based pilot interventions (for infants and middle-aged adults) will be carried out to lay the groundwork for future large-scale translation work with these age groups.
The Singapore government, alongside stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, will engage in collaborative planning from inception to ensure the feasibility of the programme and its significance to the local community. We hope to equip Singaporeans with a competitive edge in the Science of Learning through groundbreaking theories, innovative methodology and high-impact practical outcomes.
Publication
Contact Us
Mailing Address:
Nanyang Technological University, Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualized Cognition, Academic Building North, 61 Nanyang Drive, ABN-01c-20 Singapore 637459
Contact us: [email protected]