Good News for Older Learners

I have always been a dedicated life-long learner. I went back to college full-time for two years at the age of 53 to work on an Associates degree in Business Computer Information Systems after losing a job I had for 30 years. I must not be completely brain dead, because I took 21 classes in two years and made 20 As and 1 B. In 1998 I enrolled in the master's degree program in Instructional Technology at the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with my M.Ed. in 2002. I am more than halfway through an online Certificate in Distance Education program at the University of Wisconsin. Next summer I hope to begin work toward an online MS in Psychology. Someday, I hope to begin work on a Ph.D in cognitive science.

This week I read two articles that should make us older learners feel better. One of them was about a 75-year-old Canadian named Frank Sarton who has just received his third degree, a BA in women's studies, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in medical ethics through Athabasca University.

The other article is by Deborah Halber of the MIT News Office. The title is, "MIT Provides First Evidence for Learning Mechanism." The theme of the article is that MIT has found evidence that certain key connections among neurons get stronger as we age. The information in this article is quite technical, so I won't bother trying to explain it. If you would like to read this article, you may accesss it at: MIT article.