Science 7 - LAND and SEA BREEZE and its Characteristics
Jo Watson What are 3rd age learners
1. What are 3rd Age Learners
and how should we teach
them?
Jo Watson
October 2016
Florence
www.eaquals.org
2. • To identify present thinking on this
subject and relate this to our own context
• To explore and share our own thoughts
and experiences
• To identify barriers and obstacles to
learning in this age group
• To create tips for working with the over
50s
www.eaquals.org
Aims
3. Definitions
• Oxford Dictionary - the period in
life of active retirement, following
middle age
• University of the 3rd
age - U3A is
for people no longer in full-time
employment. For this reason it
attracts a lot of members aged 50
and over.
www.eaquals.org
4. Characteristics
A very diverse group;
•Age
•Different previous educational
experience or lack of it
•Different financial circumstances
•Nationality
•Different family commitments
www.eaquals.org
5. What motivates older
learners?
• A change in direction – why?
• Improve qualifications
• Interest/curiosity
• Opportunity for personal
development
• Socialising
www.eaquals.org
6. Barriers to learning
• Fear of failure
• Thinking, ‘I’m too old’
• Lack of self-esteem
• Previous learning experiences
• The learning environment
to name a few. Any more?
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7. What do we need to
consider?
• Affective factors which may
impede learning
• Make the material relevant and
motivating
• Encourage the use of adult
learning strategies
• Maybe even doing some action
research?
www.eaquals.org
8. ERIC DIGESTS
• ‘there is no decline in the ability to
learn as people get older’
• ‘except for minor considerations such
as hearing and vision loss, the age of
the adult learner is not a major factor
on their ability to acquire a new
language’
• ‘the context in which adults learn is the
major influence on their ability to
acquire a new language’
www.eaquals.org
11. Eaquals International Conference, 21 – 23 April 2016
http://www.bia-net.org/en/eubia.html
https://www.coursehero.com
www.teaching English.org.uk
https://eric.ed.gov/
Walters, M. (2000). The mature students’
three Rs. British Journal of Guidance &
Counselling, Vol 28(2).
University of Surrey Report
‘Understanding the support
needs of mature students’
Carey Newson Dr Almuth
McDowall Professor Mark NK
Saunders
http://www.surrey.ac.uk
Notas del editor
We have 90 minutes – not all me talking. I will ask you to work in pairs/groups to discuss facts and feelings
First, the aims of the session (2 min)
I have searched high and low and discovered that present thinking is diverse. However, the fact that this is being looked into by many countries in Europe and round the world would seem to indicate that there are questions to be answered and more localised research to be done
This is our opportunity to share experiences and knowledge in this area – mention the EuBIA Eu Broadening peoples’ minds in ageing
These shared experiences should help us to identify barrier and obstacles
And finally, we should be able to create a ‘thought’ list which we can all use when working with this age group
So, on to definitions – in pairs/3s how would you define this - (show next slide)3 mins
In 3s/4s – how would you define 3rd Age? (2 mins) – Does your definition look anything like this? Allow time for feedback (2 mins)
The oxford dictionary definition is valid but I feel that it should also include ‘early retirement and voluntary redundancy
The U3A definition is probably more accurate today. This probably leading to a diverse group of people
So, what are the characteristics of this group? Show title of next slide and in pairs/groups – can you come up with some characteristics – 2 mins - show rest of slide
Age – in all I have read there is no definitive age group applied. It could be anything from 50 – 90 (add anecdote on 62 year old gaining an OUP degree at 70)
What we need to consider is what motivates the older learner
In groups or pairs – think of your older learners – what examples of motivation have you experienced?
Show slide and ask if there are others not on show
A change in direction, why? In small groups can you identify the why? – maybe has taken voluntary redundancy/early retirement/or just wants a change/promotion
Improve qualifications – maybe never managed to get any while at school and wants to prove that they can succeed/just fancies gaining a new skill or new knowledge
Walters applies the three Rs to the older learner, Redundancy, Recognition, Regeneration – explain
Interest/curiosity
See it as an opportunity for personal development and/or socialising
There has been a lot of research in this area mainly in the USA. In the UK the research has focussed on Lifelong learning and into mature students entering university. In all cases the research looks at barriers the older learners encounter.
Go through each one and give examples/anecdotes and additions – disability, cost, type of course, method of teaching, attitudes to learning, lack of information, transport
Talk to neighbour – any more? Make a note of additional contributions – these will be collated into one document
Thinking ‘I’m too old’ – an interesting piece of reading in ERIC DIGESTS from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics in Washington DC – show next slide
Affective factors – motivation and self-confidence/fear of failure/fear of looking and sounding stupid. Stressful situations such as’ fast paced learning’ increases the fear of failure
Provide reasons for learning specific elements in language learning and deliver these in context/try to build in real life experiences
Tap into their own learning strategies/provide learning strategies for those who may need to develop these further
Get marketing involved in some research
Divide into groups – divide by category if possible
Give out copies of slides only – 1 or 2 to each group – think carefully about each group
Nominate a scribe and a speaker
15 minutes to come up with a list
3 minutes to present to whole group
Collect all the lists to collate for the end of the conference