Learning to be a Woodturner

National and international Government policies and reports suggest that lifelong learning is a necessity to promote the cultural, social, educational and vocational dimensions of a person’s life. Many community based organisations play a significant role in providing learning opportunities for adults and thus promote a broad lifelong learning agenda. One such organisation is the Woodturners’ Society of Queensland (WSQ). The aim of the WSQ is the dissemination of information to its members (the majority of whom are over 50 years old) pertaining to the craft of woodturning in addition to providing workshops, seminars and training courses that help to develop and enhance their skills of woodturning. Via semi-structured interviews, the research reported in this paper explores the experiences of ten mature aged members of the WSQ with a view to examining not only their motivation to learn woodturning but also, and most importantly, the learning processes and activities they nominated as critical to their growth. Key factors that facilitated and inhibited the learning processes are identified and discussed. The paper concludes with implications that point to the need to support communities of practice

ICT skills acquisition by older people: motivations for learning and barriers to progression

This paper reports findings from one strand of an extensive research project investigating digital engagement of older people and the risks to sustained usage of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The factors that motivate older people to learn about ICTs, the barriers they face in the learning process and with on-going ICT use are examined. Research methods included focus groups (28 ICT learners aged 50+); questionnaires and interviews with seven 50+ learners; three interviews with ICT tutors; and observation sessions in three different ICT learning and support environments in England and Scotland. Findings show that while learning to use ICTs to ease the mechanics of daily life (e.g. on-line shopping) was a motivating factor for some, the more powerful drivers tended to be those applications seen as enriching quality of life e.g. using ICTs to keeping in contact with family and friends and using ICTs in pursuit of passions and interests. The key barriers relate to fear of using a computer; learning suppo rt ; quality and provision of ICT training; cost of training and technology; memory problems, and technology barriers. Implications of these findings for service providers, ICT designers and policy makers are identified and discussed

America After 3pm: Afterschool Programs in Demand

More than a decade of research shows that afterschool programs across the country are an integral support for children, families and communities. Each day after school, quality afterschool programs are keeping kids safe; inspiring them to learn; serving as a source of support and comfort to working families; and even helping working parents be more productive at work and keep their jobs.Given the difference that afterschool programs can make for children and families, important questions about scope and demand arise: How many children are in afterschool programs? How many families want to enroll their children in an afterschool program? And how many children are unsupervised after school who are missing out on the learning opportunities afterschool programs have to offer

(Un)obvious Education, or Complexities of the Polish Education Aimed at Older People

The contemporary combination of information infrastructure with the commonly experienced transformation of knowledge created, in relation to education especially for older adults, an entirely new area of activeness. In accordance with the social awareness, education became an accessible good regardless of age. In this context, the maximal extending of the potential group of education receivers means, on the one hand, meeting the real social expectations towards so-called educational services. On the other hand, it is another challenge which the contemporary education faces. Unfortunately, the system of permanent education was not created in Poland since what is missing is both the strategy and some practical resolutions enabling old people the access to education with regards to their educational. Presently, the University of the Third Age is the only solution in the educational offer. In order to change the present status quo, what is needed is the re-definition of education and the modern perception of education and then perhaps, there will appear, the expected, by the senior citizens, module educational solutions providing them not only with the competencies but also the acknowledged certificate confirming their knowledge

Building an Aging Advocacy Network: Findings from the New Hampshire Senior Leadership Series

Public policy related to senior issues has not kept pace with the changes called for by an aging population. Advocacy is an important part of the policy landscape as it promotes a united effort to create change and encourage legislative action. Effective advocacy helps inform and educate policy makers, allows individuals to have their voices heard, builds stronger communities, and allows people to live more fulfilling lives. However, policy makers are inundated with causes to support, and it is easy for certain populations or causes to be lost in this process. This has been especially true for advocacy efforts around the needs of an aging population. At the legislative level, the older adult advocacy network is disjointed, underrepresented, and drowned out by groups that have stronger, moreformidable advocacy networks. The lack of a strong grassroots advocacy network for older adults is of growing concern as our population ages. This is a particularly important issue in New Hampshire as we are one of the oldest states in the nation (US Census, 2014). This paper examines the lack of advocacy for senior issues in the Granite State and explores strategies that can be employed to grow grass-roots leadership among older adults. The New Hampshire Senior Leadership Series, a program that provides support and training in advocacy and leadership skills, is highlighted as a promising practice to address this need. The series educates seniors in leadership skills necessary to advocate for legislative and policy changes that promote healthy aging, livable communities, and options to allow seniors to live and age in the communities of their choice. In order to ensure that New Hampshire residents have access to services and supports as they age, advocacy and leadership is a critical need. To determine the value of the Senior Leadership Series, a survey was developed and distributed to all Senior Leadership Series graduates. The survey aimed to determine how effective the series was at preparing participants to be community leaders and advocates

Languages and Learning at Key Stage 2: A Longitudinal Study Final Report

In 2006, The Open University, the University of Southampton and Canterbury Christ Church University were commissioned by the then Department for Education and Skills (DfES), now Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to conduct a three-year longitudinal study of languages learning at Key Stage 2 (KS2). The qualitative study was designed to explore provision, practice and developments over three school years between 2006/07 and 2008/09 in a sample of primary schools and explore children’s achievement in oracy and literacy, as well as the possible broader cross-curricular impact of languages learning