Later Life Learning

Dana Foundation: A series of free online Staying Sharp booklets cover several Staying Sharp topics. PDF downloads.

ESREA network on Education and Learning of Older Adults (European Society for Research on the Education of Adults)

Association for Education and Ageing (AEA)

Download a summary of a Review of the Literature 2008 - a contribution to the current debate on policy, provision and practice.

Older adults and lifelong learning in Scotland: Brian Findsen 2007. This paper advocates for a positive scenario for older adults based on social justice. The role of the state is highlighted in this future mapping.

Older people's education 'neglected'. Read Guardian article by Peter Kingston.

Lifelong Learning. Open University Resources

Older Learners: Issues and Perspectives by Alex Withnall

This paper argues for a new perspective by changing the focus from 'education' to 'learning' and developing a new research paradigm which would place ageing itself at the core of the debate by adopting a life course approach.

Other papers on the OU site of key topics in the Lifelong Learning debate by eminent researchers in the field.

Visit Mature Minds for latest research findings on how and why older adults continue to learn successfully.

"Your brain never stops developing and changing. It's been doing it from the time you were an embryo and it will keep doing so all your life. And this ability, perhaps, represents its greatest strength." Stanford physics professor James Trefil.

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Val Bissland, Strathclyde University