Dear Anita,

It is one of the frustrations of my life among the yeoman-peasantry that I 
can't search for such research. When I think how long the OU has been 
running, and that Strathclyde were celebrating the twentieth birthday of 
their SSI, I expect that some investigation has been done. But I couldn't 
even get a 'feel' of how many retiree postgraduate students there are 
worldwide.

When I was tackling some of Jim Dator's stuff, I used to wonder what his 
Hawaiian students were making of it and submitting, but had no way of 
getting even a glimmer.

I can't compare with myself, as I was an engineering undergraduate, and 
didn't touch Social Sciences till the age of 71, except to say that I felt 
that I was cross-checking my conclusions against a much wider and deeper 
body of knowledge than I could have done at a younger age.

There'll be lots of variations to research.
At Strathclyde, Ron Mannheimer pointed out that there is a great range of 
paradigms of aging.
He exampled 'sweet old dears' and 'greedy geezers', and by cartoons, alluded 
to 'mutton-dressed-as-lamb' (which was an old bloke wearing a toupee) and 
'dirty old woman' (which was the toupeed one's partner getting all excited 
because the toupeed one had sourced some Viagra).
I think my supervisor might have inserted 'cantankerous old git' and 
'argumentative old sod'.

I believe you are right that 'we are just starting on older learning'. The 
past twenty years has only seen a few forerunners of a great crowd of baby 
boomers to come.

Martin.



>From: ANITA PINCAS <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: "Discussion of  mature learning for leisure, health, or work"     
>          <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Mature non accredited learning - the older process?
>Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:00:11 +0100
>
>Dear Martin
>
>You've given us a very interesting approach to the topic, with which I 
>totally agree.  I wonder if you have come across any serious investigation 
>of how older people learn in these contexts?  Is it a different set of 
>processes from (a) how younger adults would be learning the same things and 
>from (b) learning something that is more formal and accredited?
>
>I know these questions may sound a bit naive when put like that, but it's 
>better to keep a simple formulation at the start of any investigation.  
>Because we are just starting on older learning.  I'd be interested to hear 
>from people just *what* factors in the learning could be/are likely to be 
>different, other than motivational goals which are fairly easy to 
>understand.
>
>Anita
>
>Anita Pincas, Senior Lecturer,
>Lifelong Education and International Development [LEID]
>Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way
>University of London, London WC1H 0AL, UK
>Tel +44 0207 612 6522
>Fax +44 0207-612 6467
>Personal Web page 
><http://www.ioe.ac.uk/english/Apincas.htm>http://www.ioe.ac.uk/english/Apincas.htm
>
>COURSES:
>
>Issues in Educating and Training Mature Adults (50+) - blended
>http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=882&882_1=830&var1=3&var2=MAMODIETMA
>
>
>Professional Diploma in Learning and Teaching - structured self-study
>http://www.ioe.ac.uk/schools/mst/LTU/PDLT/index.htm
>
>Online Education and Training - internet distance
>http://www.ioe.ac.uk/english/OET.htm
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