EDUCATIONAL-STRATEGIES FOR OLDER LEARNERS - SUGGESTIONS FROM COGNITIVE AGING RESEARCH

An overview of age-related declines in a variety of cognitive processe s is presented, and the implications of these declines for teaching ol der learners are discussed. The need for educational programs and teac hing techniques designed specifically for older workers is pressing, c onsidering that 56% of men and 44% of women between the ages of 50 and 75 work at least part-time and many others attend educational program s that are not work related. Teachers, instructors, and medical person nel should be aware of techniques that facilitate learning and retenti on in older adults, the most rapidly growing segment of the U.S. popul ation. Those addressing the educational needs of older adults should u nderstand how older learners differ from younger learners and tailor t heir educational programs accordingly. The teaching suggestions offere d in this article are based on techniques that have been shown to effe ctive in. reducing age-related deficits in learning and retention in c ognitive aging research and could be usefully applied in a variety of educational contexts.