Issue 26(2)
Learning
Later. (2005)
Brian Findsen. Melbourne , FL : Krieger Publishing. 184 pp., $33.50.
ISBN # 1-57524-218-4.
Review
by: Alice Bullington
Davis
Academic
Advisor, PACE
Marymount
University
, Arlington
, VA
Although
eager to meet the needs of older students, some advisors need
more knowledge of the unique situations of retirees and the elderly.
This book may or may not provide it.
Older
Americans are increasingly urged to "use or lose" their mental
capacities. Thus they are a prime, if neglected, market for lifelong
learning. Consequently, those who advise elderly students are
the presumptive audience for Learning Later . More specifically,
an educational specialist in gerontology may be enriched by the
breadth of this text while the generalist may find it a useful,
if verbose, overview. This text addresses educational gerontology,
adult development, social change, inclusion of older adults despite
barriers, and current trends--from policy issues to "demands of
technological innovation" (p. vii). The advising pragmatist, however,
will likely be frustrated. Instead of handy tips on, for example,
increasing enrollment or student satisfaction, one finds a daunting
amalgamation of data. Thus, the text, with its extensive bibliography
and enlightening charts, is best suited for policymakers or scholars
in gerontology. It may, moreover, intrigue those interested in
international pedagogy--examples range from New
Zealand and Australia
to the U.S.
If readers share Findsen's
affinity for "democratization of education" (p. ix), all the better.
Conversely, the work's style can be cumbersome.
Most
non-academics seeking concise strategies will likely be deterred
by the text's digressions and multiple foci. Yet its goal is to
enable "practitioners working with older adults to help demystify
educational institutions and to help build better bridges between
these providers of learning and opportunities and older people's
daily living routines" (p. 11).
Findsen
argues for an expansive definition of learning, noting that older
adults have often been marginalized (p. 11). Barriers to their
participation are situational, institutional, informational, and
psychosocial (p. 74). A few are easily minimized: "user-friendly
enrollment procedures" can replace "unexciting methods of teaching
and learning" and "brochure printed in too small type" (p. 74).
Findsen summarizes McGivney's (1991)
useful strategies for increasing participation of marginalized
groups to promote "equity and social justice," "pragmatism and
expedience," and "national self-interest" (p. 75).
Advocacy
recurs, along with an emphasis on the field's "critical and social
dimensions" (p. 16). These coexist with a synopsis of key research.
Findsen embraces Freire's
ideals, attempting to "explicitly connect" [issues including "independence
or interdependence, technological innovation, cultural variation
in aging. . . and social policy challenges"] "with the potential
for learning of older adults" (p. 8). Later, he urges that "the
curriculum ideally should be developed in conjunction with the
people who constitute the principal learners" (p. 96). Nonetheless,
his own use of primary research here is virtually nonexistent
Elsewhere,
Findsen argues that educational administrators habitually see
the trees instead of the forest, effectively:
The
tendency . . . is to see adults as numbers in a room or statistics
on a chart from a competitive perspective. This distracts attention
away from the fundamental notion that effective teaching and learning
occurs [sic] in a non-threatening supportive situation where social
relationships are important and take time to foster (p. 97).
Advisors
seeking accessible, practical information should look elsewhere.
Yet, for the academic theorist or policymaker with time to ingest
and absorb the work's dense and wide-ranging text, Learning
Later offers rich and cogent analysis. For these specific
readers, epiphanies may result.
References
Freire,
P. (1984). Pedagogy of the Oppressed . New York: Continuum.
McGivney,
V (1991). Education's For Other People: Access to Education
for Non-Participant Adults (pp.
32-33). Leicester: NIACE.
