As we were involved recently in having the Higham website redesigned, trying to make what we ended up with better than before and frankly, making sure we got our money’s worth, it occurred to me that the ‘Web’ – general parlance these days for all things Internet – is an accurate moniker for it, in
All the hype and concern about well-being that is so ‘de-rigeur’ at the moment is making me feel uneasy. It seems that every product seller, every politician and every celebrity is able to share with us the secrets of well-being. Sadly, though, it looks like it could be more of a case of trying to
It is a huge shame that many people’s perception of learning can often not be as positive as it should be. Arguably this is because our formal education system has, in recent decades, become synonymous with tick boxes, paperwork and having to quantify everything in grades and scores. Certain elements, crucial in the mechanism of
American social psychologist Barry Scwartz’s book The Paradox of Choice (2005) presents an interesting concept that people are actually limited by the overwhelming array of choices they have to make. By having such choice, he says, we set ourselves up to expect higher standards and end up less fulfilled. Such a “choice overload” can lead
Adult residential colleges are few and far between these days. After a post-war surge in government seeing lifelong learning as an essential mechanism for social, intellectual and creative stimulation which would help get the country back on its feet, subsequent decades have seen a decline in state-subsidised opportunities for education of this nature. Such stimulation
Some people don’t give a fig for anyone else – that’s a fact of life. As long as someone else’s situation does not affect their own directly, they’ll continue to turn a blind eye and get on with their own life. Sadly, this cannot be changed easily and we have to rely on the more
The proliferation of the term ‘social networking’ around the Internet and, indeed, in government policy, makes one think that it is the bees knees, the ‘must have’ of modern society. People could be forgiven for believing there isn’t much need to take notice very simply because it’s largely just a flash in the pan and
One of the joys of doing what we do at Higham Hall is that we meet a wide range of people, each with their own story to tell. What unites everyone who comes to us is a like-mindedness, no matter who they are, or where they come from – a common interest in something. This
I have been trying to find some words of Margaret Thatcher from the 1980s which I remember as being the only thing I could relate to in the commonly-called ‘yuppie’ era. It had to do, I seem to remember, with the traditional family unit and how it was being broken up. I’m not totally sure,
One quite popular model of lifelong learning activity these days is one we could call the ‘pool-together’ model. It is not insititution-based, but may well have originated through a formal set-up. Essentially, a group of individuals each pay a little each time and their money covers the cost of a venue and a tutor. This
Where is the year going to? Dare to blink and another month goes past. At Higham, we are already planning for next year and beyond, trying to arrange courses that satisfy those who come regularly, and also which may appeal to people discovering us for the first time. Because we are primarily a residential college,
I’ve got responsibility for kiln firing some pieces created by students on a course. After six weeks’ drying, their ceramic relief plaques will need to be placed inside our kiln and the programme set to heat them up at 25ºC/hr for a over day, eventually reaching over 1000ºC until soaking for five hours and cooling.
Luckily, as the baby boomers have aged, it does seem that we have more ‘glamorous grannies’ – a term, incidentally, which I wish were outlawed, along with all the other ‘old git’ types of humour that abound today (just look at the birthday cards section of any card shop). Luckily, the discrimination that we suffer
If you are ever allowed out to meet new people, and occasionally I am, you nay be familiar with one of the most common ice-breakers used in conversation between two people in western society. I have recently been looking into this, trying to ascertain whether it reflects a preoccupation with status or role and if
At Higham, our curriculum is developed to satisfy people, not politicians, but there are deeper reasons as well: TWENTIETH CENTURY FRENCH THINKERS – We can be more sure of our own convictions if we consider the reasoning others have done beforehand, and our Gallic cousins seem to have had more of an influence than we
How many of our choices in life are made independently and and how many are influenced by external intentions? This is a significant question when it comes to how we should best try to steer people in the right directions. I am not really talking from a marketing point of view, but then I am.
I was discussing with one person the idea of older adults being seen as a resource for encouragement of younger members of the community. She works for a philanthropic cause which helped a project get off the ground. The project involves firemen and firewomen going into primary schools in areas where they have a tendency
One of the joys about doing what we do at Higham is that, invariably, we become a happy part of people’s lives. In their feedback, many often use words such as “absorbing”, “exciting” and “stimulating” – and it occurs to me that these are words that were not uttered by us whilst we were at
This month we highlight visiting art Tutor Ben Haslam. A working artist with his own substantial gallery in Hexham to manage, we are fortunate to be able to drag him westwards and slightly south to Higham, but he is well worth it! Ben has vast experience at persuading people they CAN paint if they want
Those little grey cells benefit from stimulation. Few would argue that, but we often risk not providing enough channels for our mental hunger pangs and settle for less taxing and less enriching experiences. Having to think a little is a good start, having to recall or remember is also a practice which helps one to
Higham courses have a uniqueness about them in format, content and character. We are a place where expert Tutors can deliver longer, deeper experiences for people to enjoy, where individuals come to spend time with like-minded others, being fed, watered and inspired. Unrestricted to term times, Residential courses run throughout the year and cover areas
Many of the Higham Tutors on creative courses bring their own equipment so they can offer the best experience possible. Sometimes this is more apparent when they need to back their chock-full estate car into the back courtyard in order to unload. When we help them do this, I must confess to feeling slightly guilty
The term ‘Third Age’, aside from its invention in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as one of his ages of Middle Earth, can be defined as the current period of life between working adult life and old age. It has become popularised by the University of the Third Age (u3A) which was established in
A potted chronology for you: In 1903 The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) was founded and continues to this day, albeit in a slimmer form, catering mainly for people who have ended their working lives. In 1919, just after the Great War ended that local authorities took on a duty to provide any form of adult
In 1994 American couple Paul and Lori Hogan started a business called ‘HomeInstead’. The business was based upon the experience of caring for the couple’s grandmother as she got older and became less independent. They realised very soon during the care they were giving that it was much better for an older person to stay
Certain commodities available to the population of the world are subject to being rationed when they are in limited supply. Even in the UK, we ‘suffer’ the constant threat of not being able to use our hose pipes. Other things are provided on a ‘pay as you go’ system, which in effect rations people to
Perhaps it is significant that, in Socratic terms, age begets enlightenment and, as we get older, we humans manage to appreciate all manner of things far more than we did in younger days. Our own experiences, and often subconscious reflexivity – the ability to learn from these experiences – provide a bedrock for us on
Taking it easy or just simply not doing so much any more is often an attractive option to people who have been previously active. However this attitude isn’t necessarily the best attitude when it comes to living a long and fruitful life. It has been recognised that the intention to do things is as good
I have been delving into a lot of background stuff at the moment. Apart from updating myself on latest research, data and articles on the topics of ageing, older adult well-being and lifelong learning in general, I am also dipping into some philosophy. These days, being of an enquiring mind is aided by modern technology.
Often phrases are spoken or written with little thought as to their real meaning. I would suggest that there is an enormous difference between these two, apparently similar terms and that recognition of the difference is key to a fundamental understanding of education. It all boils down to the contrast between the meaning of the
A seminar I attended today was about policy analysis. The main focus was to compare two ‘policy’ documents: The English White Paper: The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper 2010 The Scottish report: Teaching Scotland’s Future 2011 The contrast between the two tomes is stark, despite the fact that they are tackling similar issues
People are living longer: Fact. People are spending more time being active post-retirement: Fact. People are thinking for themselves: Not necessarily. The questionable nature of democracy in the current climate of globalisation, with capitalism being seemingly defined in numerous different ways to suit different ends (usually involving finance) – all this is taking its toll
The 30 year old boiler in our 4 bed Gatehouse has finally packed in. I can’t blame it, after all it soldiered on since 1983 when it was installed. As ever, we kept on putting off replacing it due to the cost involved. The other week, though, it finally curled up its toes and its
Andragogy is a term used to define an approach to adult education, as opposed to child education, which is often related to pedagogy. With the decline in adult education as a valued, broad asset in our economy, a re-definition ia called for. The recent savage cuts made by the UK government have had a devastating
Adult Applying technically to anybody past the age of consent in the eyes of the law, but more practically in our context referring to someone who has completed their initial compulsory primary, secondary and tertiary level schooling. Herein we have a difference as some people don’t continue on to tertiary level and therefore may find
Late last year, which had seen some of the most sweeping cuts ever seen to anything linked with public services in the light of ‘austerity measures’ by the government. Southwark Council in South London announced a flagship library, a ‘Super Library’ no less. Representing £1.4m, it was to be a library as we know it,
In my previous post on the Inquiry Into the Future for Lifelong Learning (2009) I tried to pose a fairly positive view of it as “the definitive report into the future … the first authoritative and coherent strategic framework for lifelong learning in the UK for the next 10 15 years”. I embraced its intentions
In the sphere of Lifelong Learning, near the end of the last decade, a timely series of reports was commissioned which resulted in Tom Schuller and David Watson presenting their book Learning Through Life: Inquiry Into the Future for Lifelong Learning. On publication in 2009, the IFLL report was classed by its authors as “the
One could argue that Informal Education is all the rage these days. The ability to consider anything as a potential learning experience is a powerful notion. Unfortunately, this also means that we have seen the demise of formal arenas for developing informal learning. But we do have some remedies, if only we would wake up
Warning to self: Don’t ignore the stuff you already know, but may have forgotten. In the process of my research, it is interesting noting the different interpretations of the idea of ‘social’ – wherever the word is applied. What seems like something we should all thirst for, is, to some, totally abhorrent. Some people just
One of my principal considerations is to view the life path totally differently than we view it today. Adults today need to consider several career-changes, which likely will need to continue in some form beyond the traditional age of retirement post-65. With life expectancy now offering at least 10 years beyond what it offered in
This isn’t a manifesto, nor a betrayal of any allegiance to political or belief bias, it’s just a rant… When I was in my early twenties, I crawled on my hands and knees to the bank to apply for a loan to purchase a second hand car. I needed it, because I was starting a
I am enjoying delving into a lot of background stuff at the moment. Apart from updating myself on latest research, data and articles on the topics of ageing, older adult well-being and lifelong learning in general, I am also dipping into some philosophy. These days, being of an enquiring mind is aided by modern technology.
After 45 years of relatively good health, I have just had what I perhaps could call a ‘health scare’. It is interesting for me in a way to consider things in the light of getting older, as many of the people I want my research to have an impact for will have been through far
I am currently, on the guidance of my research supervisors, trying to develop a specific plan for the ethnographic element of my research. By this, I am referring to the kind of qualitative enquiry I am seeking to carry out. Aside from any data that will be gleaned from statistics provided by regional, national and
The BBC news website carried a release today, presumably from the University of the Third Age (U3A) which is positive news on a number of counts. It describes the U3A as “A self-help education network for the elderly” and talks about how it is planning to extend its courses into care homes. This creeping into
I have just ended my subscription to my local council Gym after 13 months. The only reason really is that I am moving soon, however, I was surprised by the changes in subscription rate that have occurred since I signed up. It has made me think of how others might sustain healthy activity at their