Life Begins At.....
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/32324
ADULT EDUCATION Learning in the senior years Whatever type of learner you are, there is a course, class or learning environment made for you. It can change your perspective, open your mind, make you a more enjoyable person to be around and maybe even earn you some additional income, writes “I can now send and get e-mails from my family who live interstate and I have seen a photo of my new grandchild when he was only four hours old,” Marge, Broadband for Seniors participant. You may have heard the expression that ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’. If you Google this expression, however, you will soon fi nd an episode of the SBS television series, MythBusters, which shows old dogs learning a range of new tricks. It appears that, like many of the stories we tell ourselves about the aging process, this one is a myth. The fact that this expression is so commonly used in our society indicates how deeply rooted our belief is that the senior years are 132 THE RETIREE WINTER about slowing down rather than speeding up, and about losing rather than gaining. At Adult Learning Australia, we believe that learning is not only possible in the senior years, but absolutely essential to building families and communities, to managing health and wellbeing and to maintaining a harmonious and vibrant democracy. Most of the learning that ends in a qualifi cation occurs during our working years and in areas related to getting a job and then maintaining and building a career. Research into adult learning also indicates that the bulk of non-formal learning, or learning that doesn’t result in a qualifi cation, such as short courses, mentoring, or learning online, also occurs in the workplace. In Sally Thompson. Keeping your mind