LEARNING RESOURCES

An extensive body of research exists that examines the effects of interventions aimed at maintaining or improving memory function among older adults. Slowing the pace of learning, encouragement to organize learning materials, training in the use of imagery, loci mnemonics, and face‐name mnemonics, as well as supportive environments and information about normal age‐related memory changes, have resulted in improved memory performance. This paper reviews the findings of memory intervention research and explicates the ways in which findings of laboratory research can be incorporated into educational activities among older adults.     

LEARNING RESOURCES

This article describes the development of a partnership made up of a university‐based gerontology center, a state department on aging, and agencies serving older people to examine differences between urban and rural areas in the provision of services to an elderly clientele. Five steps of the collaborative process are described: (1) building a collaborative relationship, (2) development of a research proposal, (3) discussion of the results, (4) principles and conclusions, and (5) the payoff.

The first two steps describe the context in which the substantive issues were addressed and the formal development of a proposal and work plan for the conduct of the research. The principles emphasize the usefulness of task allocation based on existing resources, skills, and interests; recognition of the costs of participation by rural agencies; and schedules that accommodate the extra time necessary to revise, review, and reach consensus on issues of concern. The payoff describes actions taken by the aging network following acceptance of the final report, and research activity generated by the findings.

The step‐by‐step process described is a potential model for partnerships encompassing university resources and agencies serving the elderly.     

PROGRAMMED LEARNING IN PAIRS

Over 80 pupils in four unstreamed classes in a boys’ grammar school were divided into mixed‐ability and like‐ability pairs in order to work together through a programmed text. No significant difference was found between the performance of individuals in the mixed‐ability pairs and that of similar individuals in the like‐ability pairs. High‐ability pupils in the mixed‐ability pairs expressed less favourable attitudes to the situation.     

LINKING STUDENTS AND CLASSES: STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING LEARNING AND THINKING

Research in cognitive and social psychology is beginning to suggest strategies which will allow us to improve students’ learning and thinking skills. Classroom studies using four teaching strategies based on research in these areas will be described. The four techniques are: using modified cooperative learning groups within classes; linking upper‐ and lower‐level classes for metacognitive instruction; using short‐term, coached cooperative learning groups; and using student mentors. A common factor in the four techniques is that students think aloud in groups as they solve problems or discuss controversial issues. Modified cooperative learning groups were successful in upper‐level courses. Thinking and learning skills improved in these classes. However, in lower‐level courses, particularly those which contained underprepared students, more guidance (modeling, coaching and structure) was needed than was available within most peer cooperative groups. Modeling and coaching were provided by linking students from upper‐level courses with lower‐level students on short‐term, issue‐based projects and for semester‐long classes. Such arrangements result in what Collins, Brown and Newman (1989) have termed cognitive apprenticeships. Cognitive apprenticeships lead to improved attitudes toward the content area, perception of improved cognitive skills and some gains in content mastery.     

INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Changes have occurred in the sources of learning and scope of thinking that children are expected to rely on. Corresponding changes are also necessary in the education of adults to ensure that intergenerational relationships are satisfying, particularly within families. A rationale for the education of grandparents is presented along with the format of an innovative and practical program. Elements of the grandparent curriculum include sharing feelings and ideas with peers, listening to the perspective of young people, studying life‐span personal development, improving family communication skills, and focusing self‐evaluation on relevant behavior. Each of these components is described in terms of eocpected benefits.     

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS OF LANGUAGE IN LEARNING TO READ

A sample of 357 students from two colleges of education selected some personal qualities which they considered necessary for successful attainments in their colleges and in their practice schools. They also selected certain problems which they had experienced in either of these institutions. Colleges gave rise to more problems than practice schools, and ‘professional’ problems were more numerous than ‘social’ ones. Colleges required comparatively more ‘individualistic’ personal qualities than practice schools, and schools required more qualities slanted towards ‘society's’ well‐being.     

THE GOVERNMENTALIZATION OF LEARNING AND THE ASSEMBLAGE OF A LEARNING APPARATUS

Abstract In this essay, Maarten Simons and Jan Masschelein reconsider the concepts “educationalization” and “the grammar of schooling” in the light of the overwhelming importance of “learning” today. Doubting whether these concepts and related historical‐analytical perspectives are still useful, the authors suggest the concept “learning apparatus” as a point of departure for an analysis of the “grammar of learning.” They draw on Michel Foucault’s analysis of governmentality to describe how learning has become a matter of both government and self‐government. In describing the governmentalization of learning and the current assemblage of a ”learning apparatus,” Simons and Masschelein indicate how the concept of learning has become disconnected from education and teaching and has instead come to refer to a kind of capital, to something for which the learner is personally responsible, to something that can and should be managed, and to something that must be employable. Finally, the authors elaborate how these discourses combine to play a crucial role in contemporary advanced liberalism that seeks to promote entrepreneurship.     

SERVING AND LEARNING ATA UNIVERSITY LABORATORY SCHOOL: STUDENTS FROM BIRTH THOUGH ADULTHOOD BENEFIT WHEN SERVICE LEARNING IS INTEGRATED INTO THE PRESERVICE CURRICULUM

Service‐Learning (S‐L) pedagogy is attracting increased attention in teacher education. This article describes the implementation of S‐L in the preservice early childhood curriculum, which placed students in a birth‐5 years setting. It identifies a continuum of learning to care, which begins in infancy, as caring capacities emerge, through to adulthood, when preservice teachers learn from experienced mentors how caring characterizes their interactions with learners of all ages. Students’ journals indicate they believe S‐L experiences contribute to their personal, academic and professional development. Carefully implemented S‐L experiences validate students’ caring interactions, give them first‐hand experiences with young children during which they can apply theoretical constructs, provide experiences which help them clarify their own career goals, and make them feel better prepared to manage instructional and classroom management dimensions of working with young children.     

THE SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPLICATIONS OF PROGRAMMED LEARNING

Information on five areas of social activity possibly related to English language learning was collected from three groups of secondary school pupils (Asian, West Indian and English). Results indicate considerable group differences in the use of school and public libraries, out‐of‐school activities, out‐group choice of friends, job aspirations and parental encouragement. Some factors would seem from the results to facilitate the English language learning of the Asian group.     

STUDY BY VIDEO: LEARNING MADE EASIER

Video recorders, microcomputers and viewdata systems each have a unique contribution to make to education and training. In combining these three developments, however, the possibility emerges of using video as the basis of an integrated study medium. Such a medium could interpose videotext with videoprogram, provide explanation or ask questions, enable adaptive structuring and present knowledge in many different ways. In particular, it could provide the opportunity for interaction during each individual's study encounter. This paper expands on these possibilities and illustrates their relationship using a media paradigm constructed from the dimensions of image change‐rate and response‐demand.     

CHANGING VISIONS OF EXCELLENCE IN ONTARIO SCHOOL POLICY: THE CASES OF LIVING AND LEARNING AND FOR THE LOVE OF LEARNING

In this essay, Rosa Bruno‐Jofré and George Hills examine two major Ontario policy documents: 1968's Living and Learning and 1994's For the Love of Learning. The purpose is, first, to gain insight into the uses of the term “excellence” in the context of discourse about educational aims and evaluation, and, second, to explore how these uses may have changed over time. Bruno‐Jofré and Hills employ the conceptual framework developed by Madhu Prakash and Leonard Waks to elucidate the varied notions of excellence contained in the two reports. Bruno‐Jofré and Hills argue that Living and Learning is an eclectic report that creates continuity by aligning itself with the pedagogically progressive tradition in Ontario; that propounds a holistic conception of excellence centered on the all‐around development of the self; and that seeks simultaneously to secure a sense of being Canadian while dealing with rapidly emerging social fragmentation. For the Love of Learning, in contrast, attempts to combine a technical view of excellence in education (stressing various literacies and skills as measurable indicators) with the principles of caring and the goals of social responsibility. Each report can be seen as an attempt to respond to the expectations of a population that had become increasingly diverse in the interval between the two reports. What is cause for concern in terms of policymaking, Bruno‐Jofré and Hills conclude, is the turn away from broader, more comprehensive and coherent views of excellence in education toward narrower and more fragmented accounts that are preoccupied with various types of literacy or loosely related vocational and other skills. The effect of this shift is to leave educational policy and practice in the schools essentially rudderless.     

LIFELONG LEARNING IN NIAGARA: IDENTIFYING THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

The impact of increasing numbers of retirement communities throughout North America, and specifically the Canadian province of Ontario, has led to the examination of the educational needs of this community‐based, age‐segregated population. A needs assessment of retirees residents in Heritage Village, a retirement community located in the Niagara region of Ontario, was conducted to explore the specific educational interests of this particular population. In addition, the most suitable educational approaches, environments, and learning mediums of residents were examined. Five focus groups, each having approximately 6 participants, were conducted with residents. Groups were organized according to maturity (young or old), residential history (within or out of region), and marital status (married or single/windowed). Most participants were found to be interested in education for leisure and personal development, the latter specifically around health maintenance and quality of life. The educational approaches that were most comfortable with participants centered around adult learning theory. Because transportation was a problem for some participants, on‐site learning in the Heritage Village clubhouse was suggested by many. Experiential learning within a social environment, such as a field trip, was a popular medium discussed, whereas computer learning was seen as less attractive. What is clear is that residents understand their learning needs and delivery systems within the context of the larger retirement community with which they identify through affiliation. Strategies to appropriately plan and implement older adult educational programs specific to an elderly population living in a retirement community are discussed.     

OLDER ADULT LEARNING: INSTRUMENTAL AND EXPRESSIVE CATEGORIES

This article examines older adult preferences for instrumental vs. expressive learning activities. Course title selections and actual learning activity information were analyzed. Interviews with 256 Nebraskans, 55 or older, (average age was 68.11) were obtained. Hypotheses and results were (a) predicted preference for instrumental learning was supported; (b) greater preference for instrumental learning by blue‐collar workers and the less educated received partial support as no differences existed for the occupational category but individuals without college degrees preferred instrumental courses; and (c) predicted differences in learning activity received partial support as younger people, white‐collar workers, college graduates, nonwhites, and married people were more involved with instrumental learning. It was concluded that more instrumental learning opportunities must be made available to older people.     

THE EFFECTS OF A SOCIAL–EMOTIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM ON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN: THE ROLE OF PUPILS’ CHARACTERISTICS

This quasi‐experimental exploratory study investigated whether a social–emotional learning program, implemented during a 1‐year period, could lead to gains in social–emotional competencies and a reduction in internalizing and externalizing problems. Furthermore, it showed which pupils would benefit most from the program. The program was applied to 213 fourth‐grade Portuguese pupils. One hundred five controls followed an Origami curriculum during the same period. Sixteen teachers also participated in this study. Self‐report (pupils) and hetero‐report (teachers) questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. There were significant intervention gains in some social–emotional competencies, namely, peer relations and social competence, but no gains were found in internalizing and externalizing problems. Intervention pupils with average pre‐test scores profited more in self‐management and peer relations than controls. Boys showed greater gains in self‐management, aggressiveness, and social problems than girls. There were no significant differences regarding socioeconomic status.     

EFFECTS OF A UNIVERSAL POSITIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR PROGRAM ON STUDENT LEARNING

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a universal program to promote positive classroom behavior on students’ approaches to learning and early academic skills. Second grade classrooms (N = 39) were randomly assigned to treatment and business‐as‐usual control conditions. Teachers in intervention classrooms implemented the Social Skills Improvement System Classwide Intervention Program (SSIS‐CIP) over a 12‐week period. Participating students’ (N = 494) engagement, motivation, and academic skills were assessed before and after treatment implementation. Results indicated that students with lower levels of engagement and motivation at pretest experienced significant improvement in these areas after exposure to the SSIS‐CIP. Although no significant differences were observed in reading, students receiving supplemental instructional services demonstrated greater gains in mathematics than did their peers in the control condition.     

THE LEARNING AND RETENTION OF TEACHING SKILLS BY OLDER ADULTS: A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS

Comparative analysis of time series data (T1 = preprogram; T2 = postpro‐gram; T3 = 6‐month followup) collected for the first year class of an older adult teacher training program (N = 35; mean age = 69.1 years) documents that the elderly learn and retain materials learned at different rates. Variables such as age, sex, teaching experience, education, and race/ethnicity all potentially play a role in differentiating the learning process. Evaluation results further confirm that the initial acquisition of leadership skills by older adults is no guarantee that those skills will be maintained successfully over time. There may also be a false sense of confidence in some older learners that is gained simply by their having successfully completed an organized course of training. Study findings lead to recommendations emphasizing the importance of promoting resilient skills capacity in the teaching domain by older adults by means of a variety of skills‐preservation program techniques inlcuding the provision of educational seminars, “retooling” sessions, and reunion programs subsequent to the offering of the initial teacher training program.     

THE USE OF LEARNING PROFILES IN ASSESSMENT AND IN THE EVALUATION OF TEACHING

This paper reports how individual students respond to a nine‐week course in plant anatomy using two teaching techniques: self‐instruction and group interaction.

Students vary widely in their responses to teaching by these techniques. Over the four years of the study (1975–78) four major patterns of response have emerged. These are described as learning profiles. The profiles are composed from curves depicting the attainment of individual students, measured in seven weekly assessment tests given during group sessions. The assessment tests measured performance in four capacities, based on Bloom's criteria, viz. recall of knowledge, comprehension, application and short‐chain problem solving. Learning curves for each of these four capacities were obtained for each individual student. Other variables, e.g. general ability, age, sex, anxiety, motivation, time spent etc. were also determined for each student.

The purpose of the course is to train students to solve problems in plant anatomy. Although strategies for solving long‐chain problems were not practised in groups, the component skills used in their solution were practised in the weekly test items.

From the profile types — i.e. the patterns of individual response to the teaching ‐ it was possible to make some prediction about performance in the final examination, although this examination was predominantly one to test capacity to solve long‐chain, multi‐step problems.     

CRUCIAL NEEDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIFELONG LEARNING ‐ CONCLUSIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON STRATEGIES FOR LIFELONG LEARNING

In the editorial of the Bulletin concentrating on “Higher Education and the Concept of Lifelong Education” (No.4, Vol.IV, October‐December 1979), we pointed òut that “Adaptation of the concept of lifelong education to existing structures in higher education becomes a natural consequence in the wake of technological and scientific progress together with socio‐economic development and the need for new and updated knowledge”. But life shows that in order to achieve a state of “natural consequence” a number of changes have to be made in educational policies, in the attitude of education in the hope of influencing public opinion. This need for change is emphasized in the conclusions which are presented in the following article of the International Seminar on Strategies for Lifelong Learning which was held from 5 to 10 May 1980 at Brandbjerg Folk High School, Denmark.

The article is based on the draft conclusions of the seminar by Dr. John Robinson.     

TEACHING STRATEGIES BASED ON LEARNING STYLES OF ADULT STUDENTS

One of the major purposes of community and junior colleges has been to provide easy access to postsecondary educational opportunities for a broad spectrum of the general population. Access alone does not justify the existence of these institutions, instead, successful student learning determines their worth. Achieving this success is no small task when the student population is largely non‐traditional both in age and experiential background.

The study was conducted to examine the effect of adjusting teaching methods to coincide with the learning preferences of students enrolled in a small, predominantly black, community college. Previous research, conducted in elementary and secondary schools, had indicated significant gains in student learning as a result of this modification.

The learning styles of students entering a freshman level social science class were assessed with the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS). Students were assigned to experimental or control groups based on the results of the PEPS. Teaching strategies for the experimental group were modified to suit their learning styles, while the control group was taught by the traditional lecture method. The CLEP Social Studies Test was used to measure achievement during the semester.

The Mann‐Whitney U‐Test for Independent Populations was used to test the hypothesis of no difference in the achievement of the two groups. A calculated U of 7.5 indicated a significant gain by the experimental group.     

LEARNING ABILITY FOR TWO SPATIAL ORIENTATION SYSTEMS IN ELDERLY NURSING HOME RESIDENTS

Disorientation and confusion have been identified as significant problems for older persons newly admitted to nursing homes and other institutions. The purpose of this study was to determine which of two orientating systems might be best for helping older people become accustomed to a strange environment. Middle‐aged and elderly residents of a nursing home were dichotomized by performance on three memory tests and then were given two paired‐associate learning tasks. In one task colors and a place in the nursing home were to be associated; in the other symbols and a place in the nursing home were to be associated. The results indicated that the symbol‐place paired‐associate task was learned more rapidly than the color‐place task by both high and low memory ability groups, and that the lower memory ability group showed slower learning of the color‐place task compared to the higher memory ability group. In addition, learning was slower on both tasks when the color‐place task was the first presented. These results indicated that symbol‐place codes may be more useful than color‐place codes as orientation markers and suggested that evaluation of learning performance should include examination of order effects.