Hi all,
So instead of discussing the ups and downs of the business world this month I thought I would talk about education and senior citizens. Obviously, considering that Hale & Fun focuses on providing educational opportunities for this community, this is always on my mind. Of course it turns out that I am not the only one thinking this way as an article about the University of the 3rd Age has pointed out-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17451319
I am personally a huge fan of the whole idea of U3A, which may seem strange considering that in some ways they may seem like competitors for Hale & Fun- but I dont really think so because so far one of the biggest things that has been limiting the growth of Hale & Fun has not been competition- instead it has been a drastic lack of consideration for this aspect of the retirement life. So anything getting people thinking about education for senior citizens is in by book an great idea. Besides which, according to the Wikkonomics article I recently read there are no real competitors, just collaborators. I am not sure if Pepsi and Coke a cola feel that way though, but for us it is true. U3A and Hale & Fun have same aims but slightly different products- U3A is all about the mature learner teaching other mature learners, which is great while Hale & Fun is all about bridging the generational gap- bringing young teachers into the mature learners world.
Wow, even when I try I end up talking about the business side of things (maybe this is why I get invited to so few parties these days hahaha..aww I made myself sad!). So I have been trying to accumulate a resource base on tactics, techniques, styles etc for facilitating learning in the mature learner and you know what. There is a surprisingly lack of any information. Now, if you would like to look into the benfits of continuing to learn throughout your later years there is quite frankly a cornucopia of information out there. Studies have shown time and time again the benefits of such activities particularly in decreasing the probability of Depression, social isolation, dementia and other cognitive diseases but in terms of the best way to achieve this..not so much.
This is not to say there is nothing- there are a few websites, books and articles about new programs for "brain" exercises, but that is all they are- brain exercises-memory recall, maths problems, and so forth. Now personally I hated that sort of learning when I was at school and the chances of me spending a couple of hours each week learning them when I retire are up there with the chances of me writing an entire blog entry with proper grammar and spelling...oh yeah, they were other things I really disliked learning.
Certainly there is plenty of theories, philosophies and studies into the adult learner and the lifelong learner and I suppose that we can extrapolate from these to address the educational needs for the 3rd and 4th age but somehow that doesnt seem right. I want Hale & Fun to always be on the cutting edge, to be improving both as a business and as an educational and entertainment source. One day, when people talk about setting up programs for the mature learner,they will say "we draw upon the Hale & Fun model". So, dear Readers, I shall embark this month on a mission (beyond the usual mission, build up the business, make millions, take over the world and rule it within my iron fist....umm, i mean NOT take over the world and rule it within my iron fist) to gather more resources and come back with good break down of the best ways to teach the mature learner.....things we can incorporate into our already excellent courses and teaching styles to make them even better.
of course, I am also really lazy and busy so if anyone actually finds something out themselves or has some comments, it would make my life alot easier if you pass them onto me!
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