Third Age Learning
Carol Vaage | Edmonton Lifelong Learners Association
Of the three stages to learning, the first one is our
childhood schooling; the second is related to our
full-time employment, professional development,
and parental responsibilities. Third age learning,
however, is not related to a specific age but to a
period in one’s life after retirement. There is an
international movement that aims at education
and stimulation of mainly retired members of the
community — those in their third ‘age’ of life.
The first time I attended the Edmonton Lifelong
Learners Association (ELLA) for their spring session
at the University of Alberta, I met with a vibrant
group of older learners who were curious, engaged,
and excited about the courses being offered. There
had been so many choices — over forty different
courses from sciences, history, literature, fitness,
arts, geography, math, and so on. In spring 2019,
there will be over fifty courses to choose from. I
took three courses my first year: a half day class on
learning to draw, an art history course on stolen art,
and a tai chi class. The great thing was that there
was absolutely no homework, just fifteen glorious
days of coming to class and learning. My peer
classmates asked many questions and contributed
their life experiences, so each class was dynamic.
Another year I took a paleontology course
with Dr. Philip Currie and his graduate students.
The amphitheatre was packed, and we were
engrossed in the latest research and discoveries in
this field. I remember one grad student, when he
was finished his presentation, closing his laptop as
he finished his presentation and asking if there were
any questions, and about half of the participants
had their hands raised.
He admitted that he’d thought it would seem
boring to us and was increasingly excited with each
question he took, as we really were interested in
the topic. As a teacher myself, I knew that if you
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have a topic that the
students are interested
in, the dynamic for
engagement is high.
Before closing, he
thanked us all, saying
that we had been his
best ‘audience’ ever.
When I consider
who comes to these
spring sessions, I think
diversity. Granted,
most of us have grey
hair. But some of us
are agile and bike to
the university. Others
Carol Vaage
are sight- or hearing-
challenged. Several have walkers, and some
are joggers.
We come from all walks of life and experience.
Some of us are in our nineties, others are newly
retired in their fifties.
The calibre of instructors is very high, as they
are all vetted by the U of A through ELLA’s
partnership. Many instructors are still teaching
at the U of A, others are retired, or acclaimed in
their artistry. For example, every year, Dr. Michael
Roeden teaches a class on music, from Bach and
Beethoven to jazz. This past spring Dr. Alvin
Finkle gave a course on “The People’s History of
Canada,” which was very lively. We are thrilled he
We come from all walks of life and
experience. Some of us are in our
nineties, others are newly retired in
their fifties.