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American Association of Adult and Continuing Education 2007 Conference Norfolk, VA

American Association of Adult and Continuing Education 2007 Conference Norfolk, VA. James Brown, M.S. School of Education jhbrown@uwm.edu. Aging and Educational Gerontology. A Short Historical and Theoretical Perspective. Why Study Aging?. A Demographic Shift. Life expectancy:

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American Association of Adult and Continuing Education 2007 Conference Norfolk, VA

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  1. American Association of Adult and Continuing Education2007 ConferenceNorfolk, VA James Brown, M.S.School of Educationjhbrown@uwm.edu

  2. Aging and Educational Gerontology A Short Historical and Theoretical Perspective

  3. Why Study Aging?

  4. A Demographic Shift • Life expectancy: • 1900 = age 47 • 2000 = age 77 • Those age 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the population • Over half the people over age 65 are alive now (Moody, 2006)

  5. Gerontology

  6. Gerontologists • Study the aging process • Usually operates from a deficit or loss model • Often involves medical or health-related phenomena • Might not involve specific education beyond medical or health-related needs of older adult population

  7. Educational Gerontologists • Educational gerontologists look at educational issues related to aging • Three areas of practice: • Education for persons middle-aged or older; • Education for a general of specific public about aging and older people; • Educational preparation of persons who are working or intend to be employed in serving older people in professional or paraprofessional capacities. Peterson, 1976

  8. Early Views of Aging

  9. Stages of Aging in Early History • Universal: infancy to old age • Socrates: Riddle of the Sphinx (Oedipus Rex, 428 B.C.)

  10. Riddle of the Sphinx(Oedipus Rex, 428 B.C.) Answer: “Man” Infancy = 4 legsAdulthood = 2 legsOld age = 3 legs

  11. Stages of Aging in Early History • Hippocrates (370 B.C.)Four seasons and “humours” • Autumn (black bile) • Spring (blood) • Winter (phlegm) • Summer (yellow bile)

  12. Stages of Aging in Early History • Christians of the Middle Agesjourney of pilgrims had no stages • Post-Shakespeare staircase of life • Middle of stairs was highest point in life

  13. Later Historical Views of Aging • 1700s - childhood separated from adulthood • 20th century - older age associated with retirement • Today = three ages • Young-old (64-74) • Old-old (75-84) • Oldest-old (85+)

  14. A Modern View of Aging

  15. Today’s older adults • Live longer, healthier, better educated, and more active (AARP, 2002) • Five determinants for aging: • Health • Physical and social environment • Heredity (biological) • Individual behaviors • National productivity • Wealth(Beckingham & Watt, 1995)

  16. Ageism and Theories

  17. Ageism • “A systematic stereotyping and pervasive negative view of older persons” (Moody, 2006) • Ignores potential for experience and learning • Theory of Disengagement (Cumming, Dean, Newell, & McCaffrey, 1960) • Continuity Theory (Atchley, 1989) • Modernization Theory (Cockerham, 1997)

  18. Theory of Disengagement(Cumming, Dean, Newell, & McCaffrey, 1960) • Possibly the basis for much of ageism in Western cultures • Posits that there is a mutually agreed-upon separation between aging persons and society • Rose (1964) describes the separation process as “the gradual and inevitable withering of a leaf or a fruit long before frost totally kills it.”

  19. Continuity Theory(Atchley, 1989) • Older adults apply adaptive strategies to maintain continuity • Goal is to keep self-esteem and self-identity • Once this is threatened, there is no more change and they insulate their beliefs and selves from the environment

  20. Modernization Theory(Cockerham, 1997) • This theory posits that the status of older adults valued in society is inversely related to the state of technology of society • For example, older adults were more valued in America’s agricultural age than in the current information age • Moody (2006) finds no correlation between periods of history and treatment of older population

  21. A New Definition and Paradigm • World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) defines old age health: • “mental, physical, social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” • Signals a paradigm shift on aging as adults live and adapt to problems of disease but remain active

  22. Theoretical Roots of Educational Gerontology

  23. Educational Gerontology • Howard McClusky (1970), University of Michigan’s Graduate School of Education • Three areas of research and practice: • Endeavors designed for older adults; • Endeavors for those concerned with older adults; • Educational preparation and training for those working in professional jobs.

  24. Theory of Margin (1963) • Margin = f (load / power) • Power = abilities, resources, and allies to handle tasks • Goal: gain more margin to do tasks that are rewarding by gaining more power and knowledge over them

  25. Andragogy (1968) • Framework originally distinguishing pedagogy (childhood learning) from adult learning (andragogy) • Popularized by Malcolm Knowles (1968)

  26. Andragogy (1968) • Adults • Prefer self-direction; • Bring rich life experiences as resources to learning; • Want to learn relevant tasks; • Want learning to apply to immediate needs; • Are motivated internally, rather than externally.

  27. Categories of Need • McClusky (1971) lists five categories: • Coping (basic) • Expressive (internal) • Contributive (serving) • Influence (power) • Transcendental (wisdom and beyond limitations) • “Education can be a major force for achievement of this outcome”

  28. Societal Attitudes Toward Aging and Education (1976) • H. R. Moody (1976), sees four “modal patterns” of society toward aging: • Rejection • Social services • Participation • Self-actualization • Education can make available “the great ideas of the humanities and social sciences that can nourish this psychological development in old age”

  29. Communicating Results

  30. Educational Gerontology • Journal published ten times annually • Ranked by Institute of Scientific Information Journal Citations (2004) as • 21st of 24 on gerontology • 76th of 91 on education and education research • Contains 26 educational arenas for special interests and many conferences to support them

  31. Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) • Created by the Gerontology Society of America (GSA) • Split from the GSA in 1972 as its own association • Rejoined the GSA in 1998 as the practice of educational gerontology began to merge with other interests in general gerontology

  32. Illustrative Programming for Older Adults

  33. Adults Want to Learn • Adults over the age of 70 spend an average of over 300 hours annually engaged in learning activities (Hiemstra, 1975)

  34. Elderhostel (1974) • Has 8,000 programs in 90 countries • Programs tend to be explorative and include intergenerational, as well as travel, outdoor, and service programs • Approximately 170,000 adults age 55 or over participated in 2004 • Can have hefty price tags

  35. Learning in Retirement (LIR, 1998) • A formal program “predicated on the principle that adult learners are capable of developing, designing, and delivering high quality instructional programs” (Redding, Eisenman, Rugolo, 1998) • Ages of participants vary from 55 to 90 • Seniors do it all • Topics include music, arts, literature, political and social issues, retirement, health, etc. • Completed funded, run, and curriculum designed by its members • 150 institutes in America and Canada

  36. Gerontagogy • Lemieux and Martinez (2000) suggest the term Gerontagogy to name the “new corpus of knowledge” that will define this new discipline • They look at a program of social, cultural, and educational elements and is aimed at the acquisition of Wisdom.

  37. Wisdom • Wisdom would be reflexive knowledge, something like a critical review, in order to obtain better management of his or her personal and social life. • Teachers must be trained to use the Socratic method to coax out this type of wisdom. • And so, conclude the authors:

  38. “The Fruit of Sapiential Knowledge” (Lemieux & Martinez, 2000) • The University rediscovers the connection between philosophy, theology, and the sciences that existed in the Renaissance • This would be a University of Wisdom.

  39. Four Recommendations for Future Trends

  40. Recruit Faculty of the Third AgeDefine a New CurriculumUse a More Age-Relevant Framework

  41. Policies to Support New Educational Policy • “The most impressive characteristic of policy as it exists for older adult education is that there is so little of it and that it has had such limited impact.” (Peterson & Masunaga, 1998)

  42. Policies to Support New Educational Policy • Implementation of Lifelong Learning Act (1976) • Increase level of diversity for those who participate • Fund organizations whose primary purpose is to offer educational opportunities to older adults, rather than add-ons to existing programs (Peterson & Masunaga, 1998)

  43. Policies to Support New Educational Policy • Fund, implement, and evaluate programs for older adults to assure content is actually transferred • Use for-profit institutions as well as educational institutions in the organizational mix

  44. Policies to Support New Educational Policy • Set quality of standards for training of instructors, faculty, and staff to support educational programs • Obtain federal support for all stages of programming in alternative and adult education, especially where it impacts survival, assistance, and productivity of adult learners(Peterson & Masunaga, 1998)

  45. Older Adults and Computer Technology

  46. Seniors Want to Learn Computer Skills • Substantial evidence exists that seniors want to learn computer technology, that they seek computer training to do so, and that they can be very successful at it, if the program adjusts to accommodate the biopychosocial aspects of the aging process. (e.g., see articles in AARP, SeniorNet, ThirdAge; among many studies are Jones & Bayen, 1998; Morrell, 2002 ;Mayhorn et al., 2004)

  47. Ageism—The Old View • Ageism is defined as “a systematic stereotyping and pervasive view of older persons” (Palmore, 2001) • Remains a predominant view of American Society (Purdie & Boulton-Lewis, 2003) • But this view is beginning to change …

  48. Beyond Ageism • Aging is now seen in Western cultures as “an essential and natural part of the cycle of life—a period in which people continue to learn and pass on knowledge to others” (Tomporowski, 2003) • Aging means a “continual process of problem solving and discovery of knowledge derived from living” (Chaffin & Harlow, 2005) • Aging involves an active lifestyle and contributions to family and society throughout life (Purdie & Boulton-Lewis, 2003)

  49. Psychosocial Reasons for Avoiding Computer Technology Avoid computers Avoid Technology centers Extreme Caution Learning Computer skills “Too Old To Learn” Computers Aren’t Relevant Namlu (2003) lists typical computer anxiety behaviors … “I’ll Break The Computer” Negative Remarks About Computers

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