Educational Strategies for Older Learners: Suggestions From Cognitive Aging Research

An overview of age‐related declines in a variety of cognitive processes is presented, and the implications of these declines for teaching older learners are discussed. The need for educational programs and teaching techniques designed specifically for older workers is pressing, considering 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 programs that are not work related. Teachers, instructors, and medical personnel should be aware of techniques that facilitate learning and retention in older adults, the most rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population. Those addressing the educational needs of older adults should understand how older learners differ from younger learners and tailor their educational programs accordingly. The teaching suggestions offered in this article are based on techniques that have been shown to effective in reducing age‐related deficits in learning and retention in cognitive aging research and could be usefully applied in a variety of educational contexts.