GOALS OF THE COURSE

1. Introduce educators/hrd professionals to the foundational literature in the field of educational gerontology.

2. Invite educators to think about how the aging of America is affecting education today and will influence educational practices in the future.

3. Examine barriers to learning, motivation, participation patterns, creativity, and other issues related to older learners.

4. Study the phenomena of later-life work and retirement and their implications for education.

5. Confront one’s own personal attitudes toward human aging including the question, “what is successful aging?”

6.  Make a contribution to educational gerontology by way of a service-learning project.
 

KEY QUESTIONS DRIVING THIS COURSE OF STUDY

1. What is the emerging field of educational gerontology? What issues does it address?

2. Why should teachers, educational administrators, adult educators, and HRD professionals concern themselves with gerontology? How might they serve or improve services to older audiences?

3. What are the specific attributes that characterize older adults as learners? What problems do elders encounter as students/clients/patients?

4. What opportunities exist for continued work in later life?

5. What is the future of retirement as an institution and “lifestyle?”

6. In what ways have educational institutions responded to the needs and interests of older learners? How might we evaluate these interventions?

7. What are my thoughts and feelings about growing older? Why? What images do I have for my own successful aging as a person and professional educator?

8.  What are the specific learning needs of older persons in my local community or workplace?  What program design(s) might respond effectively to these needs?

Fisher, J.C. and Wolf, M.A. (Eds). (1998). Using Learning to Meet the Challenges
     of Older Adulthood (New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 77).
    San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Hilton, James. (1935).  Goodbye, Mr. Chips.  New York:  Bantam.

HRD 557 "Course-Pak" of  selected chapters and articles
 

PERIODICALS AVAILABLE AT USM (PARTIAL LISTING)
* The Gerontologist (Portland)
* The Journals of Gerontology (Portland)
* The Journal of Gerontological Social Work (Portland)
* The Journal of Gerontological Nursing (Portland)
* The Journal of Aging and Human Development (Portland)
* Educational Gerontology: An International Bimonthly Journal (Gorham)
* Generations (Gorham)
* Research on Aging (Gorham)
* Geriatrics and Gerontology Education (Gorham)
* Adult Education Quarterly (Gorham)
* Adult Learning (Gorham)

CULTURE OF THE COURSE

1. Gerontology for Educators will be led as a seminar. The principal spirit guiding our experience will be that of collaboration among colleagues, shared inquiry, and working to establish a community of learners. Although this may be a special challenge using the compressed video format,  it will be our goal to strive for such a spirit of community and colleagueship.

2. Mike’s roles are to provide guidance and a degree of structure to the seminar, be a resource for content, present a modicum of ‘facts and foundations, ‘ and be an overall accompaniest in the learning process engaged by seminar members.

3. Participants’ roles are to read required and elective material thoughtfully, willingly share questions and points of view, take leadership of discussions of content modules in which they have a particular interest, and overall be enthusiastic and committed adult learners.

1. Read the three required books and course-pak as well as any additional materials which may be useful in pursuing #'s 2 and 3 below.  These additional readings will be unique to each member of the seminar.

2. Through the internet, telephone interview,  and/or personal site visit,  explore an existing educational program for older adult learners (eg., Elderhostel,  North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, U.S.M.'s "Senior College,"another university’s Institute for Learning in Retirement . . . ) and provide an overview of that program to the seminar.
    This exploration may be done alone or in small teams.  Findings will be presented in class (there is no written assignment related to this exploration).

3. Again working alone or in a small team,  engage a "service-learning" project in one's local community or place of employment.  This project will involve a basic assessment of learning needs or interests among people age 55 and older and the preliminary design of a programmatic response to those needs.  Prepare a brief (1000 - 1500 words) written summary of both the assessment and program design.

4. Write a brief letter (500 - 750 words) to an older person you know summarizing the “big ideas” about educational gerontology you have derived from this course. Send this letter to the older individual with a copy to Mike.

    The final grade for this course will be based upon the quality of the participants’ educational program exploration (#2 above),  service learning project (#3),  personal letter (#4), overall contribution to the discussions in the seminar, and one's self-evaluation.

FINAL NOTE
    The field of educational gerontology is an expanding galaxy in the ever-widening universe of aging studies. It is my hope that HRD 557 will be an engaging and enjoyable exploration into this field. Let’s all work to contribute to its success as an adult education experience.
 

SEMINAR OUTLINE

Sept. 8                 Introduction of members of the seminar
                            Review of syllabus
                            The demography of aging
                            Video: “How the Body Ages”

Sept. 22              Personal perspectives on aging
                           Review of major psychosocial theories of aging

Oct.  6                 An exploration of issues in later life learning
                           Best principles and practices in older adult education

Oct. 20                Student reports on older learner educational
                                programs

Nov. 3                   Discussion of "Ulyssean Adulthood"
                            Creativity in later life
                            Older workers: Problems and opportunities

Nov. 17                  Issues in retirement
                            Video:  "Work, Retirement, and Economic Status"
                            Reminiscence and life review
                            End-of-life concerns

Dec. 8                 Participants' presentations of their service-learning projects
                           Course summary and evaluation

Webpage by Veronica Delcourt-Branch    Special thanks to Free-Graphics.com for the cool background!