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Make learning lifelong adventure with OLLI

A guest columnist sings the praises of OLLI. In the words of Linda Zappacosta:

OLLI is a cooperative that gives adults over 50 the opportunity to take educational courses that are stimulating for the mind, soul and body. Not only is OLLI about intellectual development, but also it is about meeting and connecting with others in our communities.

OLLI’s education courses are developed and taught by its members, who volunteer their time and talents to share their knowledge and interests with other members. Topics covered may include current events, geography and travel, history, literature, music, philosophy, psychology, and religion.

While the courses don’t lead to a college degree, they provide the type of learning and cultural stimulation that I – and so many others – look for in retirement.

http://www.delcotimes.com/article/DC/20180323/NEWS/180329819

Drucker to foster lifelong learning

SOUTH BEND — A new project spearheaded by California-based Drucker Institute will pilot a lifelong learning program in South Bend IN aimed at changing the way residents find activities, learn new skills and connect with other programs they may not have known about.

Still in its early stages, the web platform would be the first of its kind in the U.S.

Lawrence Greenspun, director of public sector engagement for the Drucker Institute, said the lifelong learning initiative is more about collecting information on existing resources and connecting them through a central website than about creating new classes or training options.

“We will be a curriculum curator,” Greenspun said. “Not a curriculum creator.”

https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/business/drucker-institute-hopes-to-foster-learning-in-south-bend/article_0b60647a-f7be-5665-8597-f6b7ad8e91ae.html

Apple: Education is Lifelong

“We all have to get comfortable with education being lifelong.”

Who said that? Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. Who knows better than the person responsible for so much new technology.

Although the technology will never replace teachers. “Teachers are the jewels,” he said. “Our products are tools: they help people, they don’t replace them.”

http://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/news-center/news/2018/03/apples-tim-cook-education-is-lifelong.html

Hillsdale College gets into Lifelong Learning

Hillsdale College, the independent liberal arts college that has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, has announced its 2018 Lifelong Learning Seminar schedule:

  • June 3 to 9 – “The Civil War” – Hillsdale campus
  • June 17 to 23 – “Constitutional Issues and Controversies” – Hillsdale campus (waitlist only)
  • June 17 to 23 – “The Modern Relevance of the Ancient World” – Hillsdale campus (waitlist only)
  • July 8 to 14 – “Economic Theories and Controversies” – Hillsdale campus
  • July 8 to 14 – “The Great Conversation in Western Literature” – Hillsdale campus
  • July 22 to 28 – “Islam and the West” – Hillsdale campus
  • July 29 to August 1 – “The Constitution and American History Since World War II” – Hillsdale campus (Family Seminar)
  • August 6 to 9 or August 10 to 13 – “Historical Issues and Controversies” – Rockwell Lake Lodge in Luther, Michigan (waitlist only)
  • October 31 to November 3 – “The Constitutional Convention” – Kirby Center in Washington, D.C

Read more here:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hillsdale-college-announces-2018-lifelong-learning-seminar-series-300623481.html

Playing Pickleball

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., especially among the senior population. That’s what makes it so popular with lifelong learning programs.

Danna Garland has played pickleball for just more than a year, but has embraced the sport to the point that she has become a local ambassador and promotes pickleball throughout the Crossroads. She and about 15 others signed up with Victoria College’s Academy of Lifelong Learning to play the sport twice a week at VC’s Sports Center.

Read more:

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/education/academy-of-lifelong-learning-offering-pickleball-for-second-year/article_9eaf3ef0-4a09-56ea-8092-fecb699d557b.html

Paying It Forward

“Regardless of your abilities, your age, we want the opportunity for these people to continue to learn,” said Nancy Barton, co-founder of the The Lifelong Learning Center, a place where young adults with special needs can learn life skills and job skills.

Nancy and her husband, Mark, started Lifelong Learning when their daughter, Katie, finished school at 22 years old. There weren’t a lot of options when it came to places for her to go. So they decided to do something about it.

http://kutv.com/features/pay-it-forward/pay-it-forward-lifelong-learning-center-gives-special-needs-adults-opportunities-to-grow

Learning finds home in Colorado Springs mall

A Colorado Springs nonprofit focused on lifelong learning has plans to move into their own classrooms at the Chapel Hills Mall.

The PILLAR Institute, founded in 1998, runs classes “by and for adults in the Pikes Peak region,” according to their hefty class catalog.

The students are made up of retirees and seniors who thrive on learning.

“Our people love to ask questions,” explained Executive Director Vickie Heffner. “They love to learn.”

LINK

Tech schools prepare for lifelong learning

PORTLAND — Based on the premise that the best way to learn is by doing, directors of area technical high schools say they focus on preparing students to be career-ready in a variety of high-skill, high-demand fields.

While the majority of high school students still take a traditional path that often includes a four-year college degree, students who graduate from technical schools are considered immediately employable with job-specific skills.

But that’s not the only benefit of attending a technical high school.

“PATHS is about expanding opportunities not limiting them. PATHS students will leave better prepared, than students that have not had a (technical education) experience,” said Kevin Stilphen, the director at Portland Arts and Technology High School off Allen Avenue.

LINK

Old Dogs, Still Learning

Lifelong learning is not just good for people, it is also good for dogs. Dogs are capable of learning even in old age, and constant brain training and mental problem-solving create positive emotions and slow the natural pace of mental deterioration. Unlike puppies or young dogs, however, old dogs are almost never trained or challenged mentally. Senior dogs are usually perfectly integrated into our lives and we often forgive them any disobedience or stubbornness. In addition, due to their increasing physical limitations, we usually spare old dogs the sort of training we might expect from young animals.

LINK

The World Never Stops Changing

Andrew Nelson, DCE, Director of Family Life at Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church in St. Peters, Missouri, and currently enrolled in the Masters of Theology program at Concordia University Irvine, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about why continuing education is important for him, how his studies have helped him in his role, and how he stays motivated in this journey.

LINK