Seasoned Learner Institute - A Concept Paper

Currently many institutions and programs are asking, "How can we offer meaningful lifelong learning opportunities for the wave of retirees (AKA baby boomers) crashing upon our shoreline?" Colleges are in the process of creating or expanding their offering for lifelong learning (typically including "extended education" and "distance learning). Community based organizations (YM/WCA, RSVP, Senior Centers) are also trying to determine how this new wave of retirees will differ from their traditional older clientele. Everyone is in a quandary-including the army of elder boomers. These older lifelong learners are entering the cusp of a massive displacement in society, the workplace, health care, and now schooling. The question for everyone becomes, "What kind of learning is most appealing and most relevant to this generation?"

Sadly, many are offering more of the same. They have the traditional "hobbyist" course like wok cooking, photography, yoga, volunteering, and financial planning. Elderhostel1 certainly broke new ground, but it may not resonate anymore than AARP does for the emerging 55+ age group- who shun words like "elder" and "senior". OASIS2 is another new phenomenon with promise. All the experimentation is good. And what is clear, is that a new model may not emerge in academia, and instead may come to flower in leisure and recreation oriented organizations. Wherever this idea comes to rest matters not. What matters most is how we package life long learning. It must take meaningful form that matches these mature-learners' needs and aspiration. It needs to address their thirst for socializing and making new friends, their altruistic sprit and volunteer orientation, and their search for meaning and direction in what we call the third age.

I believe the core of this approach needs to take into account the "drivers" for this generation. Being one of them, having written for them, I'm drawing upon my own observations and experiences. The people retiring early and leaving work in record numbers typically seek three kinds of experiences:
Connections-they want to make new friends while sustaining many old relationships too. This becomes very important once one leaves the workplace. This generation (and younger ones that follow) are all about friendship, communal experiences, and contribution. Purpose-they want to either make a difference or experience something that is personally meaningful. This includes exploration and personally transforming experiences. Renewal-they reject the notion of retirement FROM the world of work. Instead, they want to expand the definition of work to include all forms of work that renews. This includes volunteering, mentoring, leisurely education, paid forms of labor-but mostly labors of love.

They are looking for an educational experience that feeds their mind, soul, and perhaps physical well-being as well. They are not looking for credits, degrees, or intense training. They are looking for opportunities to interact and react. They want to share ideas rather than just take notes on ideas. None of this is new, until you realize that too often traditional extended education places people in 9 to 12 week programs with grades and/or credits tethered to excessive "seat time".

A Seasoned Learner Institute would offer two tracks. The first is called Learning By Doing which originated with American philosopher and educator John Dewey3. Today this notion has prompted a wealth of titles about e-learning which stress learning through simulations and gaming.4 Learning By Doing blends typical classroom experiences with interactive, social, and hands-on events. It can be high tech (as in a flight simulator or online class) or as low tech as a bicycle journaling class that blends a bike and book club together. Learning By Doing adapts to today's busy adults by using a succinct learning experience, lasting from 3 to 6 weeks. The other strand, the Certificated Explorations offers more in-depth learning and emphasizes mastery of technique or personal change.

Learning By Doing Strand
This strand offers short, hands-on, and eminently social experiences. The classroom or formal instructional occupies no more than 60% of the scheduled time. For example in a Digital Photo Journaling class, students would learn about the connection between photography and journaling as represented by the online photo-blog phenomenon and digital scrapbooking. And, because it was a real class in real time, students would operate as if they were members of a photo club. There would be many opportunities for getting to know other students, sharing ideas, and building contacts. At the same time students would be introduced to new techniques for journaling using photographic images and words. A sample curriculum outline might look as follows:

Week 1-Introduction to digital camera techniques and photoblogs online Week 2-Introduction to photo editing and journaling
Week 3-Go on a photo-shoot with the class
Week 4-Share images and illustrate photo-art editing
Week 5-Practice photo editing and improvement in a computer lab
Week 6-Share experiences in a culminating experience and provide for email sharing for those who want to continue. This would take the form of a potluck.


In the above outline, week's 3 and 5 take place outside of a classroom and involve 'learning by doing'. The culminating week 6 includes a social dimension because it involves a potluck. It could just as easily involve a display or even a showcase-contest. Lastly it ends by creating opportunities where people may not only work together and find new bonds, but also continue the new friendships after the class is over. Naturally these classes could be repeated.

Certificated Explorations Strand
This involves a longer period of time, perhaps 9 to 12 weeks, homework, and a good deal of commitment. But the time and intensity matches the mission: personal change and transformation. This may involve formal training in a specialized skill (e.g. Photoshop techniques for photographers) or in-depth self-study such as inventing a new persona in retirement. Again, these classes need to have a social dimension, similar to a support group. The teacher plays the role of coach, rather than instructor-expert. Likewise, the completion needs to be recognized not with credits and grades, but rather a certificate of completion.

Curricular Examples
These Curricular Examples could not be included due to formatting limitations at this site. For a complete copy of this essay in MS word format write to the author. kimeldorf[atsign]comcast.net

Clearly this is just a starter list of possibilities. Many times one side will feed the other. That is, Digital Scrapbooking could easily be expanded into a longer course pending interest. Likewise, some of the longer courses in the certificated strand might build from first being presented in an extreme learning format.

I've been lucky to have many books and articles published, and more recently my images have been distributed online and in print. Along the pathway, I've won awards for teaching, playwriting, essays, and now photography. My teaching experience spans classrooms in prisons, colleges, public schools, and a variety of retreat settings where I conduct workshops.

My current teaching and coaching interests include journaling about photographs, Photoshop & PhotoArt coaching, career portfolios, leisure wellness, and retirement lifestyle planning. I have lived in Tumwater, Washington for almost 30 years. My wife Judy and dog Franky really enjoy the Pacific Northwest.