A „Mintaprogram a minőségi időskorért” Pilote Project for Quality Ageing

Why should seniors learn? Mr. Sturla Bjerkaker Special Advisor in Adult Learning and Education Board member SeniorWeb Norway

Why should seniors learn? And how, when, where and by whom?

When?

Life stages and learning 1 Childhood Youngsters Young adults First Adulthood Second Adulthood Third Adulthood – the 3. Age (According to Johan Fjord Jensen, Danish pedagogue)

Life stages and learning 2 First Adulthood 25 – 40 Responsibility - also for others than yourself Second Adulthood 40 – 60 Further and continuing education for coping with changes in society and new occupations Third Adulthood – the 3. Age Spear time acitivities as learning important for brain training… and a longer life … (According to Johan Fjord Jensen, Danish pedagogue)

By whom?

The U3A Movement 1 U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, a self- help organisation for people no longer in full time employment providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment. It consists of local U3As all over the UK, which are charities in their own right and are run entirely by volunteers. Local U3As are learning cooperatives which draw upon the knowledge, experience and skills of their own members to organise and provide interest groups in accordance with the wishes of the membership.

U3A learning

The U3A Movement 2 The teachers learn and the learners teach. Between them U3As offer the chance to study over 300 different subjects in such fields as art, languages, music, history, life sciences, philosophy, computing, crafts, photography and walking. A typical U3A has about 250 members but could be as small as 12 and as large as The U3A approach to learning is – learning for pleasure. There is no accreditation or validation and there are no assessments or qualifications to be gained.

U3A The University of the Third Age

The civil society actors The popular universities (FU) The workers eucational association (WEA) The folk high schools The study associations The german volkshochschulen The swedish study circles The adult education centers Seniornett Norge

Seniornett Norge SeniorWeb Norway

Senter for seniorpolitikk Center for senior policy

About The Centre for Senior Policy The Centre for Senior Policy (CSP) is a resource and competence centre in the field of promoting active ageing in working life, working in close cooperation with the social partners (the unions and employers associations) and the Government. Financed by funds from the Government (Ministry of Work)

SSP Objectives: Awareness raising of the older workers’ resources and qualities Stimulating an including and positive work environment for all age groups (stimulate age diversity) Establish a better coordination for senior policy among the social partners and the Government

How?

Sol Seim

Sol Seim’s unique longitude research She started with an intelligence test among 125 persons who were 13 year old, as a part of her PHD studies in psychology at the University of Bergen Norway She met them again the second time at the age of 30 The third time at the age of 58 The last time at the age of 68 Colleagues followed up the group at the age of 74, now 42 remaining, 39 accepted…

Sol Seim’s research Findings… The difference in ability to learn changes very slowly during the life span The group as a hole showed minor step down in intelligence Some respondents draw the average results down, this was persons with weak social network and a negative attitude to aging Others demonstrated a positive development in their intellectual ability from 68 to 74. It’s never too late to learn, and it’s always nesessary to learn!

It’s much up to how we look at seniors…

A „Mintaprogram a minőségi időskorért” Pilote Project for Quality Ageing Thank you!