Learning Later

Lifelong learning is an incredibly important tool for finding satisfaction in the after-50 years. Authors Nancy Nordstrom, former director of the Elderhostel Institute Network--the largest educational organization for older adults in the world--and her son Jon are experts on the subject. They give the how-to details on maintaining an active, fulfilling lifestyle after leaving the workforce, through educational travel, volunteerism, civic action, and more.

With life expectancy increasing, there is growing emphasis on encouraging older people to continue learning. This comes as part of a strategy to allow them to remain healthy, independent and vitally engaged in society for as long as possible. All the same, policymakers have barely begun to address the issues involved and the perspectives of these learners. This book presents insightful research that will help shift the focus of debate onto the learning experiences of older people themselves. It offers a critical overview of the development of theoretical and philosophical approaches to later life learning that have developed over the last three decades, drawing on published work from the USA, the UK, Australia and other countries. It documents the individual experiences of older people through a variety of methods, including: Focus group discussions Learning diaries kept by older people Questionnaires considering, among other issues, older people’s definition on what learning is Interviews and commentary This material gives a sense of the breadth and diversity of older people’s experiences, as well as the enormous range of learning activities, both informal and formal, in which they are engaged in retirement. In a climate of debate and change concerning the provision and funding of non-vocational learning opportunities for adults of any age, this study’s findings will be of particular importance. It will appeal to researchers and students of education as well as those directly involved in the implementation of courses and classes involving older learners.

This first truly comprehensive interdisciplinary, international critique of theory and practice in lifelong learning as it relates to later life is an absolute tour de force. Alexandra Withnall, Universities of Warwick and Leicester, UK. This is a book that needed to be written: it provides a most thorough and skilful analysis of a comprehensive range of contemporary literature about learning in later life from many localities and countries of the world. Peter Jarvis, Professor Emeritus, University of Surrey Impressive in its scope this handbook seeks to describe older learning critically within the lifelong learning literature at the same time that it makes a strong and persuasive case for taking older learning seriously in our postmodern world. Kenneth Wain, University of Malta Lifelong learning in later life is an essential handbook for a wide range of people who work alongside older adults in varied contexts. This handbook brings together both orthodox approaches to educational gerontology and fresh perspectives on important emerging issues faced by seniors around the globe. Issues discussed include the social construction of ageing, the importance of lifelong learning policy and practice, participation in later life learning, education of marginalised groups within older communities, inter-generational learning, volunteering and ‘active ageing’, the political economy of older adulthood, learning for better health and well-being, and the place of seniors in a learning society. Brian Findsen is a professor of adult education, Faculty of Education, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. His writings are usually constructed within a social justice framework such as The Fourth Sector: Adult and Community Education in Aotearoa New Zealand (edited with John Benseman and Miriama Scott in 1996) and Learning later (2005). Marvin Formosa is a lecturer in the European Centre for Gerontology, University of Malta, Msida, Malta. In addition to various articles focusing on critical educational gerontology, recent and forthcoming books include Social Class Dynamics in Later Life (2009) and Social Class in Later Life: Power, Identity and Lifestyle (with Paul Higgs, 2012).

With life expectancy increasing, there is growing emphasis on encouraging older people to continue learning. This comes as part of a strategy to allow them to remain healthy, independent and vitally engaged in society for as long as possible. All the same, policymakers have barely begun to address the issues involved and the perspectives of these learners. This book presents insightful research that will help shift the focus of debate onto the learning experiences of older people themselves. It offers a critical overview of the development of theoretical and philosophical approaches to later life learning that have developed over the last three decades, drawing on published work from the USA, the UK, Australia and other countries. It documents the individual experiences of older people through a variety of methods, including: Focus group discussions Learning diaries kept by older people Questionnaires considering, among other issues, older people’s definition on what learning is Interviews and commentary This material gives a sense of the breadth and diversity of older people’s experiences, as well as the enormous range of learning activities, both informal and formal, in which they are engaged in retirement. In a climate of debate and change concerning the provision and funding of non-vocational learning opportunities for adults of any age, this study’s findings will be of particular importance. It will appeal to researchers and students of education as well as those directly involved in the implementation of courses and classes involving older learners.

Effective Learning After Acquired Brain Injury provides clear guidance on delivering productive educational programmes for adolescents and adults with acquired brain injury (ABI). Written for the non-specialist, the book provides an accessible overview of the neuropsychological deficits resulting from ABI and the ways in which these can affect an individual’s ability to learn and to benefit from educational programmes. This is the first book of its kind to focus on the adaptation of educational programmes for adults rather than children. The authors explain how to take the results of a neuropsychological assessment as a guide in order to construct a cognitive profile and to create individually tailored educational plans and rehabilitation programmes. They also describe specific strategies that can be taught or utilised, and ways in which they can be set out in a simple plan. The book includes an extensive collection of resources which can be reproduced for the reader’s own use. Effective Learning After Acquired Brain Injury will be an invaluable resource for general facilitators, clinicians and practitioners who provide educational opportunities in rehabilitation centres for individuals with a variety of neurological conditions, and also for those delivering education in forensic settings. It will maximise the quality of teaching, and the person’s potential to learn, and improve the success rate of rehabilitation programmes and those aimed at reducing offending.

"Subject Areas/Keywords: academic enrichment programs, academic skills, after school activities, after school programs, children, elementary schools, exercise, games, health promotion, high poverty schools, interventions, kinesiology, literacy, mathematics, obesity prevention, physical education, physical fitness, public health, reading, social studies, struggling learners, students DESCRIPTION Every school day, more than 10 million children attend after

"Subject Areas/Keywords: academic enrichment programs, academic skills, after school activities, after school programs, children, elementary schools, exercise, games, health promotion, high poverty schools, interventions, kinesiology, literacy, mathematics, obesity prevention, physical education, physical fitness, public health, reading, social studies, struggling learners, students DESCRIPTION Every school day, more than 10 million children attend after

Includes abstracts of magazine articles and "Book reviews".