The LTWS Credential - Learner Thinker Writer Speaker

Introducing LTWS
Official LTWS Description
Why LTWS?
A More Complete Description of LTWS
Guidelines for Presenting LTWS

Introducing LTWS

I like the idea of creating my own credential that actually means something to me. In this world where so many folks have initials after their names, I figured that since I've never really wanted to pursue specific education or credentials that put letters after my name, why not create my own. While at first appearance it might seem frivolous to assign myself an official credential, it actually truly does mean something important to me. Take a look at the official LTWS description and you'll find a description of how I view myself.

And if others want to adopt the LTWS credential, great! I consider it an open source credential with an honor system to provide validation for the credential. Why? Because in an open source world individuals rise or fall in their profession(s) or areas of interest based solely on their performance, their reputation, their business practices, their attention to their clients and customers, or their attained level of expertise. In the web vernacular, I call this The Competency 2.0 Model (I'll be writing more about this in the future).

Race Bannon, LTWS

Official LTWS Description

The LTWS credential designation after a person's name indicates they are self-professing qualification as someone who (1) pursues lifelong learning in one or more subject areas, (2) thoughtfully analyzes and considers what's learned against the backdrop of their life and society as a whole, (3) writes (writing meaning any communication medium, published or not published) about their own areas of learning and their related thoughts or creations (nonfiction, fiction or other genre) in any media format desired, and (4) speaks to others (one-on-one, in groups or to audiences, live or recorded) about their information, knowledge, thoughts, ideas and skills to improve the lives of others. The credential was created by Race Bannon, but there is no official credentialing body. Race Bannon specifically hopes no one will attempt to own the LTWS designation as it is to always be considered an open source credential available to all free of charge from the date of its creation, November 22, 2008, forward. Race Bannon opens this credential designation to everyone in the hopes that honor and integrity will prevail when others apply this designation to themselves. There is an assumption when LTWS is seen that the person using it, with honor and integrity, truly believes they fit the description of an LTWS.

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Why LTWS?

Some people's variety of interests defy categorization. Often these people are generalists, autodidacts, scanners as Barbara Sher defines them in Refuse To Choose: A Revolutionary Program for Doing Everything That You Love, or Renaissance Souls as Margaret Lobenstine defines them in The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One. Their organic path to learning, development and experience is not easy to quantify using traditional certification models. Thus, LTWS was born. The official definition resides here on this site, but it is expected that its application can be broad. In other words, its application is as much art as it is science. A situation of it being what "the eye of the beholder" believes it to mean. However, the one thing Race Bannon hopes it will always be is a credential that those assigning it to themselves take seriously and with respect.

You might think LTWS is just a way to pretend to be certified? I disagree. I hope that in all applications of the credential designation that the holder of the designation understands that the heart and soul of this designation is that the holder truly believes they fit the description of an LTWS. Honor and integrity should always apply here.

Standardized and quantified qualifications might be longed for by some, but what you read in the official LTWS description is the only final arbiter in what the qualifications are.

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A More Complete Description of LTWS

While the official, concise definition of LTWS is the final arbiter regarding the meaning and application of LTWS, this more complete description may prove helpful. The LTWS designation is meant to self-define a person as a serious learner, thinker, writer and speaker. Here is a more robust explanation for each of the four word categories in LTWS.

Learner

An LTWS person is a lifelong and self-motivated learner. They enjoy learning and tend to direct their own learning. In other words, they draw in learning rather than rely solely on external institutions or formal educational programs to push the learning to them. Such a learner may or may not hold any higher educational degrees, but they must consider themselves someone who pursues information, knowledge, wisdom, skills and experience from all avenues available. Not all learning takes place in schools. In fact, most learning takes place outside of educational institutions and the Learner component of LTWS respects and honors all means by which we educate ourselves.

Thinker

An LTWS thinks. You might say everyone thinks, but an LTWS person thinks deep, absorbs learning and experience into his thinking in order to arrive at unique and useful ideas and concepts. A simple regurgitation of learned material isn't consider thinking. Something deeper and more meaningful is required.

Writer

An LTWS person writes to express himself, to educate others, to motivate and to inspire others, all with the purpose of making people's lives better. The writing endeavor means more than just the writing of words into prose or fiction. It also means creating communications content for all communication mediums such as the internet, photographs, graphics, animation, movies, voice recordings, and any other means by which we communicate. Music, art and other non-language mediums are also considered writing in this sense.

Speaker

An LTWS person might be a speaker in the classic sense of speaking to audiences, but they might also speak one-on-one with clients, or facilitate a group, or teach a class or workshop. As long as someone takes their learning, thinking and writing and shares them with one or more people, they are a speaker as far as LTWS is concerned. The important aspect is the sharing, not necessarily the ways in which it is shared. Someone can speak through the written or spoken word or through visual images and sound.

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Guidelines for Presenting LTWS

LTWS should appear after a person's name, preceded by a comma and a space, with LTWS in all capital letters, no periods and no spaces. If LTWS is spelled out, it should always be spelled out with each initial letter of each word capitalized. Bolding or having each initial letter in a subtly contrasting font is also an option. A full spelling of the credential should be printed below the person's name with the LTWS designation supplementing and not replacing the LTWS acronym after the person's name.

Ideally, the LTWS credential designation should follow any other credentialing acronyms that might follow a persons's name, but if it is more appropriate for it to not be in that order, it's OK.

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Copyright © 2009 Race Bannon