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Older Adults, Learning & Older Adults, Learning & Curriculum DevelopmentCurriculum Development
A Psychological Perspective
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OutlineOutline
TrendsCurriculum modelsCognitive perspectiveSociocultural perspectiveAn example: ICT for older adults
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TrendsTrends Increased from 720,000 (13%) in 1991 to
1,170,000 (18%) in 2001 Changing family structures and responsibilities Higher life expectancy Early / involuntary retirement Access to information (older adults 55-65) using
personal computer has increased from around 1.2% to 13.8% between 2000 & 2002
Mobility Participation in society
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Questions for ReflectionQuestions for Reflection
How would you characterise older adults? Describe these older adults to yourself?
How did you organise learning (curriculum?) for older adults? And why? Was it successful?
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What is a curriculum?What is a curriculum?
A curriculum is… Systematic learning of a specific subject Established fields of knowledge Intended learning outcomes Useful subjects in this society Means for personal improvement and
development
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Important QuestionsImportant Questions
Basic components
What are its intentions? What is the content?What are the methods used to deliver it?How is it assessed?
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Important QuestionsImportant Questions
Technical Aspects How can we plan a curriculum? How is it arranged? Does it work and how can it be improved?
Socio-political aspects Who makes these decisions? Are the decisions implemented? What are the influences on the curriculum? What are the future priorities?
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Conceptions of CurriculumConceptions of Curriculum
Sociology Psychology
Curriculum Developers & Their Conceptions
Curriculum
Philosophy
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Curriculum Model: Objective / Curriculum Model: Objective / Product ApproachProduct Approach
Ultimate Concerns: learning products
Four main questions What are the educational aims? (intentions) Which educational experiences? (content) How to organize educational experiences
effectively (methods) How to evaluate if the aims are achieved?
(assessment)
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Curriculum Model: Objective / Curriculum Model: Objective / Product ApproachProduct Approach
Characteristics:
Scientific / rational Focusing on “how” (not what) Specific & behavioral objectives (structural) Evaluating curriculum with regard to objective
achievement or learning products (behavioral changes)
Education=means Learners=passive / Teachers=authoritative
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Strengths & WeaknessesStrengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: Rationality and logic Providing a clear guide or blueprint (aims,
experiences, outcomes, evaluation) Can be assessed easily Accountable Easy to follow
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Strengths & WeaknessesStrengths & Weaknesses Rigidity Nature of Knowledge: Fixed? or Evolving? Nature of knowledge acquisition: constructing? or
imparting? Differences in understanding among teachers
(experiences, assumptions, values) Separation of objectives and experiences (means-end)
—experiences should be more valued by learners Difficulties in claiming expertise (teachers are learners
too) Difficulties in specifying all the objectives Dangerous in ignoring some important objectives
(hidden values)
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Alternative Model: Process Alternative Model: Process ApproachApproach (Stenhouse) (Stenhouse)
Ultimate Concerns: Learning Processes
Characteristics learning experiences are intrinsically valuable
(not just a means) knowledge & skills: not fixed, problematic &
shifting should focus on enquiry and exploration but not
products
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Characteristics: Process ModelCharacteristics: Process Model content: key concepts & procedures (e.g. ‘causation’ in
history; ‘experimentation’ in science) Focus: classroom processes Evaluation: subjective, qualitative comments Learner=active, participating Learners should participate in designing objectives Focusing on needs, growth and development Teachers’ roles: as facilitators, assistants, learners
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Curriculum Model: Other Curriculum Model: Other ApproachesApproaches
Skilbeck’s Situation Approach: (main concerns: context and needs)
Situation analysis Goal formulation Programme building Interpretation and implementation Monitoring, feedback, assessment &
reconstruction
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Curriculum Model: Other Curriculum Model: Other ApproachesApproaches
Kemmis’ Action Research Model
(evolving curriculum)
Planning Action Observation Reflection
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Alternative approachesAlternative approaches
Strengths: Flexible Student-centred Take important influences and factors into account Address needs Problems: Hard to evaluate (esp. objective outcomes) Unsystematic: Hard to manage Lack directions: lack measurable or observable objectives Require a lot of skills, attention and effort continuously
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Why model? Why model?
Intention Nature of knowledge Assumptions about teaching & learning
(behavoral, cognitive & sociocultural) Reflective practitioners: no straight rules Indeterminacy=norm Objectives / experiences are problematic Take into account of different values Mind the pitfall: formalizing curriculum
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Cognitive PerspectiveCognitive Perspective
Mental processes; internal statesCognitions: Perceptions, thoughts, values,
beliefsCognitive deficiency research
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Cognitive Deficit / Ageing Cognitive Deficit / Ageing
Decline in learning capacity Slow information processingLimited short term memoriesCognitive loadDistractionLow cognitive flexibility
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CausesCauses
Cognitive slowingSensory deficitsDiminished processing resourcesCoordination abilitiesDiseases
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How would you characterize How would you characterize older adults from a cognitive older adults from a cognitive
perspective? perspective?
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Cognitive EducationCognitive Education
Focusing on declining cognitive needs or maintaining cognitive functioning (i.e. what they cannot do well by themselves)
Effective instruction to improve performance
Accommodative strategies
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Accommodative StrategiesAccommodative StrategiesSpecify actions required for completing a taskArrange practice or repeated trainingBuild on their experiencesBuild on their prior knowledgeShow the most important (no sidestepping)Chunk the knowledge Removed cognitive load (e.g. demonstration &
worked examples)Make them feel good, confident and accepted
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ProblemsProblems
Normal aging does not lead to simultaneously decline in all cognitive functions
For example: no age differences in terms of organization and the use of general world knowledge (Mayhorn, 2004)
Individual differencesIndividualistic approach
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Problematic Image Problematic Image
Conceptualising older adults as deficitAdding conflicts—problematising identity“Give and take”—but how much you can
give? (stricken resources)Cognitive deficit—limited learning support
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Sociocultural perspectiveSociocultural perspective
Lev Vygotsky (Russian psychologist) Learning is situated within specific sociocultural
context Learning is mediated by cultural tools (e.g.
symbols, languages, signs etc) Collaboration and interaction facilitate the
appropriation of cultural tools From interpsychological to intrapsychological;
from other regulation to self-regulation
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Key conceptsKey concepts
Zone of proximal development (ZPD)
=the distance between actual development and the level that can be accomplished with guidance
Scaffolding Interaction and collaboration
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Sociocultural educationSociocultural education
Embeddedness MediationInteraction and collaborationCultural toolsFocus NOT on what one can or cannot do at
the moment but what one can achieve on receiving assistance
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Reflection Reflection
Your achievement? Or ASSISTED achievement
Your solution? Or COLLABORATIVE solution
Your performance? Or MEDIATED performance?
Your own goals? Or EMBEDDED goals
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How would you characterise How would you characterise older adults from a sociocultural older adults from a sociocultural
perspective?perspective?
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QuestionsQuestions
What are their zone of proximal development (NOT what are their problems or what they cannot do)
How should assistance be organized?How can collaboration and interaction be
promoted?What are the important cultural tools?
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A Successful CaseA Successful Case
SKH Western District Centre for the Elderly
Computing literacy program for older adultsPart of their Institute of Continuing
Education for Senior CitizensICT as cultural tools
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Aims and coursesAims and courses
To cope: The development of basic and essential computer skills that enhance older adults’ life skills (sample courses: basic computer skills);
To grow: The acquisition of computer knowledge and skills that meet their own interest (sample courses: web page design);
To contribute: The development of skills and knowledge that help them relate to others and contribute to their well being (sample courses: card design).
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StatisticsStatistics
Initial enrolment: about 20 older adults started a computer course in 1998
Jumped to 609 in March1999 with the formal inception of the Institute of Continuing Education for Senior Citizens.
Further increased to about 2000 in the subsequent years (2100 in 2001; 1993 in 2002; and 2110 in 2003)
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Interview Study Interview Study
10 core membersIn-depth interviewsAbout their experiencesKey questions
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Key interview questionsKey interview questions
Why were you interested in learning computer at the beginning?
Describe a typical computing lesson? Describe any difficulties you had during the
course of learning computing skills? Describe the computing skills you have acquired. How did your family members and friends feel
about your learning of these computing skills? Does the learning of these computing skills affect
your daily lives in any way?
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Evolving motivation in learning ICTEvolving motivation in learning ICT
societal
familial & peer
classroom
Affordance / Constraint
ContextMotivational
scaffolds
values, norms, trends, favors...
encouragement / discouragement
recognition/denial
assistance/resistance
curriculum
learning tasks
pedagogy
collaboration
direction & choice
approval
meanings
identity
relationship
engagement
Level of Motivation
Low
High
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Further StudiesFurther Studies
Participants & nonparticipants & dropoutsInterviewsNon-participatory observationParticipatory observation
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A Typical SceneA Typical Scene“It was a small computer room with 9 computers installed in both sides. On the walls, older adults’ works and achievement were showed. There were greeting cards, bookmarks, and even Chinese paintings, produced by computer technology. It was 1:30 in the afternoon. The group seemed to have just finished their class. However, they were unwilling to leave. One of the students was talking to the tutor about some computer problems. At the end of the room, two female older adults were looking at the websites they have just developed. Two other learners were busy uploading their own files onto the web; one of them seemed to have problems in uploading photos into her web page and called for help. Other students came to her rescue and a discussion on effective ways of uploading photos onto the web was started. The tutor ended his talk and joined in”.
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Contributing Factors: Contributing Factors:
Collaborative curriculum development Negotiating for participation Learning task Tutor assistance Peer support & tutoring Collaboration: learning together, practising
together and socialising together Connection: emails, cards, exhibition, seminars Share of work and resources
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Opening up of ZPDOpening up of ZPD Knowledge acquisition & Increased engagement
“I have become more confident gradually; that’s right, the more I learnt the more confident I became. I am now also, as asked by my friends, learning to writing my own web pages; I am now doing a little bit. Writing a web page, I thought, ‘they can do it, I can do it too’; I have tried these tricks and some of these (showing me his web pages); these pages I designed myself; some of them are not too bad. Right I need to learn these and write some new pages. And now we have not much to learn from the tutor. We are also doing some computer painting; I started it from the beginning, using Little Writer, and we are going to learn about mixing colors; these are for painting, and I’m not doing too bad. I thought to myself, I can do more when I have time, and can have my own pictures and works soon”
“I think we are quite smart, know how to attach a piece of music with an email, like adding a song with some cartoons. Like during the birthday of one of the classmates, I wanted to send her a bunch of flowers, but we are getting old and it’s a bit uneasy for me to take a bunch of real flowers to her, so I sent her an email with some flowers that can bloom with different colours, from red into yellow and with glitters; and I’d asked her if she liked the roses; and she was happy to receive them.”
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Opening up ZPDOpening up ZPD
The development of identity “What is so good (about learning computer)? You know I have been a housewife, and now I can step out of my home and participate in this (computer exhibition), shouldn’t I be very happy. I was like “a lump of rice before” (Cantonese slang, means, stupid), knew nothing, have never stepped out of my home. Now I can join different communities, and it’s fun. Of course, I’m happy” (a 85 old woman)
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An Explanatory FrameworkAn Explanatory FrameworkNovice elderly learners
Community-oriented curriculum and
pedagogy
Zone of Proximal
Development
A community of learners
Other communities
anxietylimited knowledgetechnophobia
participatory curriculum developmenttasktutor supportcollaborationconnectionshare of work
Accommodating needs
Opening up
knowledge acquistionIncreased participationdeveloping idenities
Connecting with Developing into
collaborative cultureshared knowledge and practicenew timers and old comersnew identity
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Curriculum development from a Curriculum development from a sociocultural perspectivesociocultural perspective
Negotiate curriculum aims and development with older adults
Situate the learners within a specific sociocultural context
Identify significant cultural toolsTapping social resourcesEncouraging participation, collaboration
and engagement
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ConclusionConclusion
“Education, in its deepest sense and at whatever age it takes place, concerns the opening of identities—exploring new ways of being that lie beyond the current state” (Wenger, 1998, p.263)
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