AEA DIGEST Issue No 31 Summer 2010
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AEA DIGEST Issue no 31 Summer 2010 Hot off the Press - AEA’s new publication International Journal of Education and Ageing (see page 3) IN YOUR SUMMER DIGEST: Page 2 Notes from the Chair – Jo Walker Page 3 News items: First issue International Journal of Education and Ageing; In memoriam Robin Gray; StokeReads project; New members Page 7 Conference News: AEA Conference/AGM; Prospects for Lifelong Learning in Challenging Times - London; A New Age for Learning - Strathclyde; Never too early, never too late – call for papers Page 12 Features: Learning Through Life review; Extra Mural: The End of the Road.; Active Ageing in Singapore; Page 18 AEA Contacts Page 19 Arts and Culture section: The Mayor of London’s Cultural Strategy; Paradise – the show; Infinite Variety exhibition; New older playwrights Page 23 Book, theatre and film reviews 2 FROM THE CHAIR….. Please continue to pass the word on Jo Walker about the new Journal and, of course, register your own subscription. AEA members rates are very good value for a periodical of this quality. Check it out again on the website at http://www.associationforeducationanda geing.org/pages/journal.html . A summary of some of the articles in Issue 1 can be found on page 3 of this digest. Our plan, having published the three issues of the first volume in hardcopy, is to also make it (and subsequent volumes) available on-line to subscribers during 2011. Our website will be developed accordingly over the rest of this year, to create a members’/ subscribers’ area and enhanced facilities Dear Friends for interactivity, such as discussion groups. Do let us know if you would I’m looking forward to seeing members value any particular additions to website at our day conference in London on 22 activities. July, which will also be the occasion for the Association’s AGM and the Frank Members’ news about participation at Glendenning memorial lecture. We are meetings, conferences or learning delighted that this year’s lecture will be activities and projects is always given by Dr Alexandra Withnall, of welcome. Let us know your plans, so Warwick University and we look you can take some AEA publicity, and forward to her reflections based on a share with us your learning experiences long involvement with research and and outcomes afterwards. These can be policy on later life learning. See page 7 written up either in the Digest or the for booking details. Journal so that the benefit can be increased. Having held recent conferences in Lancaster and Leicester, we hoped that a Have a great summer. day in London would be accessible for many. It will be a day of treats and Reports on recent conferences and celebration: our theme on storytelling as further conference news can be found on a potent means of learning will be page 7. demonstrated in a number of ways; our If you are planning to attend a venue in Camden Council chamber will conference and would like AEA afford a dramatic space for promotional materials to distribute presentations; the new International there, please contact Jim Soulsby on Journal of Education and Ageing will be [email protected] or Carol launched; and we’ll finish with a cream Allen on [email protected] tea. Don’t miss it! 3 NEWS ITEMS readership of those concerned with older people. Issue 1 contains an introductory editorial essay, five substantial articles, four shorter articles and book reviews. An article by Chris Phillipson is concerned with active ageing and the possible future role of universities with regard to older learners. Phillipson concludes that, given demographic, economic and societal trends, higher education in particular could secure major benefits for older adults and for society if it introduces some changes. He outlines what these should be. An empirical study by Andrea Creech and her colleagues investigates a group of 131 older learners at university and explores the personal and social costs After a five year interval AEA is once and benefits for them of studying in again publishing its journal, under the higher education. Theoretical constructs new title, the International Journal of ‘self determination’ and ‘the will to of Education and Ageing. It will be learn’ are used to interpret the key announced to the academic press at the aspirations of these older learners. time of our conference on 22nd July and the first issue will be going out to Tom Schuller analyses NIACE’s recent subscribers within the next few weeks, independent inquiry into lifelong with two further issues in the first learning and its implications for learning volume available before the end of the in later life. The report’s two pivotal calendar year. Professor Keith Percy, recommendations are that lifelong who is one of the journal’s three editors, learning policy should be based on a gives here a taste of some of the many new life-course model with four key and varied articles from both the UK stages and that national financial and overseas that can be found in the resources spent on lifelong learning first issue. should be re-balanced fairly across these four stages. The third and fourth stages The IJEA will publish original research, of life (being 50–75 years and over 75 scholarship, analysis and critical years) would be major beneficiaries of discussion concerned with learning in such a re-distribution. later life, ageing, education and older people. It will be inter-disciplinary and Malcolm Johnson’s article is concerned will cover theory, practice, policy and with the end of life care of older people innovation and aims for a truly wide in residential /social care and nursing 4 homes and the training of staff. with volunteering networks and active Although many members of the staff in citizenship and the contributions of the these homes have relatively low levels of Grundtvig programme. education, Johnson shows they already have experience, skills and values All this and more, as they say. Details which, with short spells of training, will of how to subscribe to the IJEA and the enable them to deliver end of life care, procedure for contributing to future which respects and ensures the dignity issues can be found on our website at and individuality of the dying. http://www.associationforeducationanda geing.org/pages/journal.html An article by Bryce Dickson and Lisa Glennon addresses the significant area of age-based discrimination in the Obituary – Robin Gray provision of services, including Robin’s many friends in AEA were educational services. Fee concessions for saddened to hear of his death earlier this older people participating in educational year. One of those is Howard Gilbert, courses have been perversely threatened who pays tribute here to his friend and by legislation against age discrimination. former colleague. Considering particularly the 2010 Equality Act, Dickson and Glennon ROBIN GRAY died on 20th March propose criteria to be used in drawing up 2010 in Millom, Cumbria, after a short such legislation, which would take illness. His happy, generous, and account of the particular needs of older positive life was celebrated later by his persons, promote social inclusion and wife Joan, his five children, many among other things make sage-related relatives, and friends and former concessionary fees lawful for later life colleagues. learning courses. Robin’s life profession was as an The first of four shorter articles Advisor for Adult and Community concerned with policy and practice in Learning. He was one of a strong team this issue is an editorial essay by Jim with the Lancashire Education Authority Soulsby, which introduces three papers that gained a regional and national on the place of learning in later life in reputation for excellence. His particular the EU Grundtvig programme. The first, strengths were in tutor training and the by Anne-Sophie Parent, discusses future field of innovation. He was a dedicated rationales for the Grundtvig programme, professional and had a commitment to highlighting intergenerational work and the wider field of national engagement. volunteering opportunities for older He frequently argued that Education is, people. Carmen Stadelhofer and and always must be, a “seamless robe” colleagues then outline the activities of initially woven in childhood, but one Grundtvig- funded network of continued throughout life. He was seniors’ organisations from Danube sometime Chair of the Association for region countries and a subsequent Adult Education (AAE) and steered their contribution of the network to a submission to the Russell Committee. European Commission consultation. A The subsequent Report in 1973 paper by Jumbo Klercq is concerned embodied many of the AAE’s ideas. 5 Robin had many professional colleagues Robin and I met less frequently after and associates during his career. Arthur retirement. Arthur Stock, former Stock remembers with much affection Director of NIACE has generously his capacity for lateral thinking. While added to my knowledge of Robin; I am team members, and colleagues, might grateful to him for that. struggle for a solution to an issue, his sometimes eccentric, idiosyncratic approach touched the nub of the matter In this age of electronic information and pointed to a resolution that found gathering and entertainment, it is easy to common acceptance. overlook the pleasure to be found in reading a good book. Lynne Undoubtedly Robin’s immediate post- Wealleans, Positive Ageing Manager at war education at Oxford significantly the Beth Johnson Foundation has news influenced his analytic capabilities. of the success of StokeReads, a project After war-time military service he went funded through the Learning Revolution to Keble College where he studied Transformation Fund to promote Classical Greats. He had a life-long love reading as a learning and leisure of the English language, enjoying the activity among older learners.