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"I Love to Write My Story": Storytelling and its role in seniors' language« J’adore Écrire Mon Histoire » : Le Conte et Son Rôle dans le Langage des Personnes Aînées
Abstract
This article examines the role of storytelling as an arts-based educational approach in an older-adult immigrant language-learning program. As a special group within the adult language-learner population, immigrant seniors benefit from educational strategies that emphasize recognition of life experience over knowledge accumulation, which is a common goal of more traditional educational approaches. We present a small study of a storytelling class held within the English Conversation Program at the University of British Columbia Learning Exchange. Based on compelling results, we argue that storytelling is a powerful strategy that not only facilitates language learning, but creates a safe, inclusive learning community.
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By designing effective learning opportunities for older adults, educators can make a positive contribution to the problem of a “graying America.” Because older adults themselves may offer important insights on what helps and hinders their learning, this qualitative study explored the perceptions of 36 older learners on effective and ineffective learning experiences. The following are the main findings that emerged from the data: (a) effective learning experiences are involving, (b) the instructor is a key component in the classroom, and (c) familiar or relevant topics are interesting. Recommendations for designing, marketing, and delivering quality learning experiences for older adults are discussed.
The purpose of this study was to investigate what differentiated higher quality from lower quality negotiation-of-meaning interactions as well as the consequences of these interactions in a storytelling task. Participants included 21 students enrolled in ESL classes who told a personal narrative to a small audience consisting of the teacher and two classmates. A question-and-answer session immediately followed the first telling, after which the storyteller moved to a new audience and retold the story. Data analysis focused on relating what had happened during the negotiation sessions to the presence or absence of improvement in the second telling. Results indicated that several factors seemed to contribute to improved storytelling, including four types of interactional moves displayed by the teachers. Beyond the teachers' contributions, however, improved storytelling seemed influenced as much by the initial story's characteristics, by the storyteller's responsiveness to the audience in answering questions during the negotiation session, and by the storyteller's willingness or unwillingness to alter the story. A major contribution of this study is to expand the construct of scaffolding: Researchers and practitioners typically focus on the actions of the more knowledgeable other in scaffolding whereas this study suggests that the learner plays a critical role in any instance of scaffolding.
Despite the recent increase in the number of publications in the field of educational gerontology, remarkably little has been published on 'gerogogy'. The aim of this research article is to integrate critical gerogogy within a praxeological epistemology, as a continual reconstruction of thought and action in the living historical process of older persons. Following a critique of the critical educational gerontological position, seven principles are recommended for a 'really' praxeological gerogogy. These include: the embodiment of a political rationale; a commitment towards the transformation of the ageist world; disagreement that any type of education empowers older persons; emphasis on facilitators who take sides with and are committed to the position of older people; a reaching out to all distinct segments of older people; embracing a self-help culture; taking the role of a 'progressive' movement by engaging in counter-hegemonic activities.
Medical advances and lifestyle changes have resulted in older adults living longer and healthier lives. Nevertheless, older adulthood, as other life stages, requires change in work, family, and health. Self-directed learning (SDL) is one way of negotiating these transitions. The purpose of this study was to understand this process of learning. This study employed a general qualitative design incorporating in-depth, semi-structured interviews for data collection. The sample of 10 purposefully selected adults from a rural area reflected diversity in gender, race, education, and employment. The age of the participants ranged from 75 to 87. Data analysis guided by the constant comparative method revealed the following process: Self-directed learning begins with an incentive to learn plus an interest, leading to accessing resources; with systematic attention in their learning, some projects ended whereas others remained ongoing. There is also a catalyst, usually another person, interspersed in this process. The findings indicated changes in late life, especially those related to time, family, and loss are integral to the process of self-directed learning. Also, the rural setting of the participants was seen as a positive environment for learning.
This paper is concerned with the general issues of ageing, learning, and education for the elderly. It also examines the more specific issues of why, how and what elders want to learn. The world's population is ageing rapidly. For example, it is estimated that by 2020 20% of the population in the USA will be 65 years old and over. It is predicted that 24% of the Hong Kong population will be over 65 years old by 2025 (Bartlett & Phillips, 1995). The phenomenon has been described in colorful terms as the “silver tsunami” (Pew Report, 2001 cited in Summer, 2007). Ageing has an impact on all aspects of human life including the social, economic, cultural, and political domains. Understanding and providing for ageing is, therefore, an important issue for the twenty-first century. The World Health Organisation ([WHO], 2002) has proposed a model of active ageing based on optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life for people as they age. The focus in this paper is on the education and learning aspect of participation as people age.
English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers o en become the trusted confidants of students who experienced forced migration. Although teachers are not typically trained to be counsellors or encouraged to take that role, what they do in the classroom can have a great influence on their students’ well-being (Pipher, 2002). In fact, teachers and schools can be major factors in building resilience and creating opportunities for adjustment (Pike, Cohen, & Pooley, 2008). When teachers provide strategies for well-being, youth are more likely to have the capacity to cope with tremendous social, educational, and emotional change. One classroom strategy to promote resilience is storytelling. In addition to storytelling being a viable strategy to encourage language learning (Freeman, Freeman, & Mercuri, 2002) and address emotionally diffcult issues for the writer (Hong Kingston, 2006), hearing youths’ stories can build community support (Theron et al., 2011). This article describes a study to explore how teachers of secondary students who were new to Canada used storytelling and what stories the students wanted to tell. The results of the study are discussed in regard to teachers’ reflections on storytelling with EAL students. Les enseignants d’anglais langue additionnelle (ALA) deviennent souvent les con dents dèles des élèves qui ont subi un déplacement forcé. Même si typique- ment les enseignants ne reçoivent pas de formation ou d’incitation pour devenir conseillers, ce qu’ils font en classe peut avoir une grande influence sur le bienêtre de leurs élèves (Pipher, 2002). En fait, les enseignants et les écoles peuvent constituer des facteurs importants dans l’accroissement de la résilience et la création d’occasions pour l’adaptation (Coventry, Guerra, MacKenzie, & Pinkney, 2003; Ingleby & Watters, 2002; Pike, Cohen, & Pooley, 2008). Quand les enseignants o rent des stratégies visant le bienêtre, les jeunes sont plus aptes à avoir la capacité de faire face aux changements profonds sur les plans social, éducationnel et affectif. Une stratégie pédagogie qui améliore la résilience, c’est celle de raconter des histoires. En plus de représenter une stratégie viable pour stimuler l’apprentissage des langues (Freeman, Freeman, & Mercuri, 2002) et aider le raconteur à affronter des questions difficiles (Hong Kingston, 2006), le partage de récits peut accroitre le soutien de la communauté (Theron et al., 2011). Cet article décrit une étude portant sur l’emploi de récits par des enseignants au secondaire et sur les histoires que leurs élèves, de nouveaux arrivants au Canada, ont choisi de partager. Les résultats de l’étude sont discutés en fonction des réflexions des enseignants sur le partage de récits avec des élèves d’ALA.
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The aging of the population and the increasing number of older adults pursuing foreign language courses call for a greater understanding of the ways in which these individuals learn foreign languages. This book offers a pioneering contribution to the literature on foreign language education for older adults (aged 60 and over), termed foreign language geragogy. It details an empirical, multidisciplinary study on Japanese older learners of Spanish and focuses on the influence of learning experiences on vocabulary learning strategy use. It discusses the constraints that preconceptions impose on learners, researchers, instructors and administrators, and it offers a set of practical recommendations for foreign language activities for elderly individuals. It also introduces the notion of ‘learner re-training’, an instructional mechanism that contributes to older learners' self-acknowledgment and autonomy development in foreign language learning. The book is directed at teachers and trainee teachers of foreign languages to older adults, and also at education professionals and researchers in the field of foreign language learning in general.
There can be little doubt that pedagogical practices have increasingly become focused on reading and writing in childhood education. In the Presence of Each Other is a brilliant ethnography that examines the educational benefits of the use of oral storytelling in the classroom and the ways in which non-print literacy enhances children's overall language and communication capacities. Presenting a strong argument based on compelling evidence for the incorporation of oral practices in the classroom, Johanna Kuyvenhoven follows a group of children in grades four and five as they forge an inclusive learning environment that respects linguistic, social, and ethnic diversity by sharing stories out loud. She traces the positive effects that oral storytelling has on children's vocabularies, writing skills, as well as for problem-solving abilities and empathetic responses that are essential to learning across the disciplines. In the Presence of Each Other is a ground-breaking work not only for educators but also for anyone interested in the practice of storytelling.
The art of storytelling is traced from its roots in indigenous cultural societies. Storytelling in education is described as a participatory learning process that promotes community and understanding.
The informal learning that older (age 50+) men experience in Australia has been the subject of a suite of recent, intensive, mixed methods research projects in community-based voluntary organizations. The purpose of the research was to examine where men are learning in these contexts beyond work and formal education rather than to assume and problematize older men as nonlearners. This article draws together strands of completed field research to suggest that learning is effective for older men in community settings when it is social, local, practical, situated, and in groups, particularly for older, sometimes isolated men who have experienced a range of setbacks in life. While older Australian men tend to be missing from adult and community education (ACE) providers, they are able to informally share hands-on skills from their work lives with other men of all ages, with a range of important benefits to their own well-being, the well-being of other men, and the well-being of their communities. Some future areas for comparative international research are identified.
Situated learning theory understands learning to be a sociocultural activity, and individuals experience identity development as they participate in communities of practice. The purpose of this study was to understand how Korean older adults’ computer learning in a classroom is a situated activity and how this learning influences older adults’ identities. Eleven sessions of an intermediate course for older adults were observed, and 10 older computer learners were interviewed. This study revealed that social interactions, learning tools, the physical setting, and Korean culture were embedded in the course and shaped the learning processes. This study also found that the participants’ learning in the community of practice in the classroom as well as the larger community of general computer users influenced their identity.
After clarifying the notion of self‐esteem, the author uses psychological referentials to analyze how the aging person succeeds in maintaining self‐esteem throughout changes and losses occurring in life. Implications for the education of older people are discussed. The quest for the self is linked to the quest for knowledge, and feelings with regard to personal values are focused on in the context of relationships with peers and educators.
"Lifelong learning” has become a catchphrase in Western society, with people being urged to engage in it regardless of their age. What are the implications of a public policy of lifelong learning for senior citizens? What are the lifelong learning needs of seniors, who should provide the opportunities for learning, and what principles of learning should guide such opportunities? An empowerment model for assessing need and developing a lifelong learning program in the context of a seniors center is presented. On the basis of the philosophy of research as emancipatory education (Lather, 1991), a program was designed to train seniors as research associates and assist them in conducting a needs assessment of their peers. The focus of the program was on principles of (a) research, (b) program development, and (c) pedagogy designed to empower seniors as leaders in building a healthy learning community in the process of gathering information about the needs of the seniors in their community and where and how to serve them. Results of the program evaluation support the benefits of learning to these seniors’ mental, physical, and social health and the effectiveness of the program in developing lifelong learning skills and attitudes, with significant increases found in level of self‐esteem, ability to express ideas, and the feeling of being heard. Implications include the need to promote lifelong learning as a way of life for all seniors and to recognize the seniors center as a natural public forum for education.
Institutes for Learning in Retirement (ILRs) in North America are member‐led organizations associated with colleges and universities. Many practice “peer learning,” in which seniors share responsibility for class activities. At McGill ILR (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) they meet together in small study groups. Group leaders, called moderators, are members who volunteer to lead a group in a subject of their choice. In a self‐evaluation of the McGill ILR program, the majority of participants reported enjoying learning and interacting socially with peers. They experienced intellectual stimulation and increased understanding of their area of study. The success of peer learning depends on the quality of the contributions of the moderator and fellow participants. Learning from the knowledge and experience of others, and participating in well‐informed discussion, are valued above all else. Study‐group activities may be research‐, expression‐, appreciation‐, or experience‐oriented. Moderators’ roles differ according to personality, experience, and area of study. Peer learning is a recent trend in seniors programs and is used in a variety of contexts. It can happen whenever a small group of seniors choose to study a subject of common interest. In future, by using the Internet, even those who are housebound or live in isolated areas may participate.
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