Tip #310: Nonviolent Communication #1

“Unless, as grandfather would say, ‘we become the change we wish to see in the world,’ no change will ever take place...Changing ourselves begins with changing our language and methods of communication.” Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, co-founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence

I recently saw a wonderful poster in several classrooms at West High School in Madison, Wisconsin. Its message aptly bridges our prior discussion of lifelong learning with our look at the concept of nonviolent communication. The following is adapted from a poem by Nancy R. Smith:

“For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.

For every boy who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence.

For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep.

For every boy for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes.

For every girl who throws out her E-Z bake oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one.

For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry’s attacks on her self-esteem.

For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier.”

What a moving observation of the negative impact of the messages communicated to our children.

If there are young children in your life and you would like a copy of this poster, the one I have is titled: CrimethInc. Gender Subversion Kit #69-B and is available at http://www.crimethInc.com

Next week, we will begin a discussion of nonviolent communication by considering how Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg defines it.

May your learning be sweet.

Tip #309: Lifelong Learning at the Fourth Level

“The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am a member of the national American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). As a result, I receive a weekly email titled “The Buzz: Training News From Around the World.” It typically includes abstracts of 10 current articles on training approaches, experiences, and results.

The following article was recently posted in “The Buzz” and I thought the idea of creating a fourth level of education to prepare people near retirement for encore careers was absolutely fascinating. So, here it is:


“Harvard Wins Fans for Advanced Leadership Course
Guardian (UK) (01/12/2010) O'Hara, Mary

Harvard University recently held a unique "fourth level" education experiment for people nearing retirement. "Regardless of what you came here with, you'll be leaving with something that is going to continue to grow in directions that you couldn't have anticipated when you arrived," says Jamie Kaplan, the executive director of the Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness, a charity in Maine, and one of the first 14 "fellows" to participate in the program.

The Advanced Leadership Initiative (Ali) is widely seen as a radical departure from the educational status quo. The program capitalizes on the expanding area of "encore careers," where people nearing retirement actively re-train for a new vocation. Advocates for older people have praised the Harvard initiative, saying it is a model that the higher education establishment should give more attention.

The objective of the program is to develop an additional stage of higher education that harnesses the skills and experience of older adults, builds on those experiences, and catapults the graduates back into some of the most challenging social issues of the day. The current Ali program is limited to a single institution and a small, select group of people, but there is evidence that there is a greater demand for this type of program.

Ali was developed by Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, who says the idea is to take people who excelled in their individual fields, put them through an intensive year-long program that incorporates seminars, leadership development, and individual projects to prepare them to re-enter the workplace in a public service capacity.”

It would be wonderful to see this idea spread to other institutions around the country and the world.

May your learning be sweet.

Tip #308: Lifelong Learning with TED

“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.” William A. Ward

So, what is TED? The answer is drawn directly from the TED website.

Chris Anderson, the curator of TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design), has described it as the place you go to discover how what you do relates to the rest of the world of knowledge that's out there. Anderson says these powerful ideas, from some of the greatest thinkers alive, need to be shared. The website is captioned: “Ideas worth spreading.”

TED was created by design guru Richard Saul Wurman in 1984. Longtime TEDsters (as they call themselves) remember the early years as a sort of platonic ideal of a dinner party, where Wurman would invite every person he would ever want to meet so they could talk, share ideas and get to know one another. From the beginning, TED was also a place for serious business. The Macintosh computer was unveiled at the first TED, and Wired magazine received its first seed money there.

In 2001 Wurman sold TED to tech-publishing multi-millionaire Chris Anderson’s Sapling Foundation, a philanthropic venture that originally aimed to share great ideas for solutions to global crises in public health, the environment, and other areas. Now Sapling’s focus is on magnifying the impact of TED. To accomplish this, he hired June Cohen to create podcasts and then design the website around the talks.

There is a live TED conference held every year, where the presenters are usually held to a strict limit of 18 minutes for their talks. However, you don’t have to attend to benefit from TED. Hundreds of TED talks are now available for free on , with several more added each week. Not only can you watch them, you’re free to download them, post them on your own Web site, or burn a DVD and share them with friends, family and whomever else you want.

Since the first videos became available, the audience has grown to more than 30 million online from around 1,500 a year at the live conference. “We knew that people would be interested, but we really didn’t anticipate that the size of the audience would be so huge, or that the talks would touch people so deeply,” Cohen told Live & Learn.

Speakers talk about the planet’s cultural diversity, the inner workings of the brain, or why we should let second graders play with knives and fire. TED is not afraid to be at the cutting edge, to grapple with groundbreaking, even controversial, topics. The show talks fall under technology, entertainment, design, business, science, or global issues.

You can search for talks that are rated jaw-dropping, persuasive, courageous, ingenious, fascinating, inspiring, beautiful, funny, or informative. All of them are considered “riveting talks by remarkable people.”

Among the most recent talks posted on 2/25/1, you will find: Bill Davenhall on “Your health depends on where you live;” Richard Dawkins on “Growing up in the universe;” Anthony Atala on “Growing new organs;” Robert Sapolsky on “The uniqueness of humans;” Matt Weinstein on “What Bernie Madoff couldn’t steal from me;” Edwidge Danticat on “Stories of Haiti;” Lalitesh Katragadda on “Making maps to fight disaster, build economy;” Sivamani on “Rhythm is everything, everywhere; Kiran Bir Sethi on “Teaching kids to take charge;” and Charles Fleischer on “All things are Moleeds.”

Curious about what a Moleed might be? Check it out at http://www.ted.com!

Next week, we will have one more item about lifelong learning that has recently come to my attention. Then we’ll move on to other topics.

May your learning be sweet.

Tip #307: Lifelong Learning for the Elderly on Campus

“Be a lamp, a lifeboat or a ladder.” Rumi

There are many ways for more mature learners (a much better descriptor than “elderly!”) to get or stay engaged with formal academic settings. This benefits everyone involved.

Take a Weekend Class: I first became aware of these weekend classes over thirty years ago when my Uncle Nat and Aunt Sylvia went around the country taking these classes, most likely under the auspices of Elderhostel (now Exploritas).

Here is a sampling of the weekend classes offered through Exploritas:

Institute for Continuing Learning, Young Harris College, Georgia
Simply Spanish

Learning in Retirement at Iona College, New Rochelle, New York
Computers for Intermediates

Learning in Retirement Association (LIRA) University of Massachusetts, Lowell
A Day of Latin music from the Caribbean and South America
Sculpture Trail: 25 Years of the Lowell Public Art Collection

Lifetime Learning Institute, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, VA
Wildflower Walks in Spring

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Exploring Cinema

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Coastal Carolina University, South Carolina
German for Travelers - Writing Your Treasured Memories - Grant Writing 101-
Memoir Writing Workshop

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Planets - History of Pittsburgh - Morality and Medicine - Media and Politics

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, University S. Florida, Tampa
Day trip to Annual Re-enactment of “Dade’s Battle”
Day trip to Hidden Treasure: Graphicstudio at USF
Sunday at the Opera: “Puccini’s Tosca”

Audit College Classes: At many public universities and community colleges, auditing is free for seniors when there are empty seats in the classroom. You may have to wait until the last minute to find out, but free is free. Give your local college a call and ask what their auditing policy is for seniors. Everybody wins. You learn for free, and the rest of the class learns from your life experiences, for free.

For example, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, if you are 60+ years of age and a Wisconsin resident, you can apply as a Senior Guest auditor and audit classes for free. If a course is a special fee course charging non-standard tuition, senior guest auditors must pay whatever fee is associated with that class.

Attend Community Colleges: New community college programs are gearing courses and venues to focus on senior and retired community members. Paired with this, many community colleges offer substantial education discounts.

For example, Terra Community College, in Fremont Ohio, offers free tuition to individuals 60 and older. The older students participate in courses under non-credit agreements and are only responsible for the costs of lab fees, books, and any other course supplies.

Get Involved with Lifelong Learning Institutes under Academic Umbrellas:

The Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement (HILR)

Limited to 500 to keep it a manageable and close community, HILR is a peer-learning membership organization that is self-governing. Members develop their own curricula (50 courses each semester), teach each other and learn from each other, all for the joy of it. This is learning for its own sake," says Dean Michael Shinagel, who founded HILR in 1977: No grades, no degree at the end.

In 1977, the HILR was one of a handful of lifelong learning institutes sponsored by colleges or universities, which provide classroom space, library privileges, and an academic umbrella for a self-governing membership organization. Today there are more than 500 such institutes, and that number is growing.

Berhard Osher Foundation

Since 2002, lifelong learning institutes on 73 campuses in 30 states have received multi-year $1 million-plus grants from the San Francisco-based Bernard Osher Foundation, which has as its goal 100 lifelong learning institutes, at least one for each state. The list under the Exploritas weekend classes indicates how successful this has been.

"The lifelong learners here and in the national Osher network are the embodiment of 'positive aging,' with the emphasis on strengths rather than deficits," says Kali Lightfoot, executive director of the Osher center at the University of Southern Maine. "They are intellectually curious, looking to the future rather than dwelling in the past, and convinced they can make a difference in their own and other peoples’ lives. When a 93-year-old tells me how excited she is to be learning about Afghanistan instead of telling me about the obvious difficulty she has walking upstairs, I feel that our lifelong learning network is doing something right. Or when a 50-year-old discovers in class that the 93-year-old has much insight and intellectual strength to share.”

Osher Institute for Learning in Retirement at Duke

"When you retire, you need a place to go to, or, as one of our members said, a place to go home from," says Sara Craven, director of the Osher Institute for Learning in Retirement at Duke (OLLI), which started in 1977 with 42 members and now serves 1200 people. Hands-on study is popular: There is a chorus, a band, a small chamber group, even a recorder group. Recent popular seminar topics: Churchill and FDR, both taught by a retired physician; East Asia taught by a former diplomat; and biotechnology presented by a former professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The PLATO Society of UCLA

When members join, they make a commitment of two to three hours a week. A different member each week gives a 20-minute presentation (ideally a written outline, with provocative discussion questions, is handed out two weeks in advance). A study group coordinator puts in 40 to 50 hours a semester.

The Renaissance Society

Part of the pleasure of peer learning is the richness of life experience. John Andrew, president of the Renaissance Society, founded 20 years ago at California State University at Sacramento, recalls a “Great Trials” seminar on the trial of Nelson Mandela when a member who had been born in the Netherlands and raised in South Africa shared her memories of life during the apartheid regime and the time of the Mandela trial.

Odyssey of the Mind

At York County Senior College in Maine, seven students aged 62 to 83 took an "Odyssey of the Mind" program using brain teasers and exercises for creative problem solving. In May 2005, this team won first prize in a 'Laugh-a-thon' at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Boulder, CO, becoming overnight celebrities among the thousands of student contestants. (Their skit was about a 'seasoned' citizen who robs a bank so she will be sent to a federal penitentiary and not have to worry about taking care of herself financially as she gets older.)

"At the end, the audience stood with gales of applause and lots of teary eyes," says Fern Brown, their coach, "and the kids embraced the seniors. A major premise of Odyssey of the Mind is that creativity can be taught. We learned that it can be taught-at any age."

This is just a small sample of the lifelong learning opportunities for mature learners that are affiliated with academic institutions.

Next week, we will continue our discussion of lifelong learning with an introduction to TED.

May your learning be sweet.

Tip #306: Lifelong Learning for the Elderly at Exploritas

There is a wide range of learning opportunities that are specifically geared for people of retirement age and older. One well-established organization that provides continuing education for adult learners is Elderhostel, now called Exploritas.

I learned about Elderhostel a number of years ago, when I accompanied my mother on various learning trips. Together, we traveled to the Southwest to learn about ancient Native American cultures. On another occasion, we went further west to learn about the San Juan Islands off of Washington State.

My parents have gone on trips to the Galapagos Islands, to the Grand Canyon, and to Spain with Elderhostel.

Exploritas' marketing promises: “Educational Programs For Whatever You Love to Do.” Based on my experience and their website, they do their best to deliver on this promise.

The following information is drawn from their website:

“Discover nearly 8,000 educational tours in all 50 states and more than 90 countries with Exploritas, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel since 1975. Alongside local and renowned experts, experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural tours and study cruises to walking, biking and more.

From single-day Day of Discovery programs near you to overnight programs in cities and locations around the United States and the world, you’re sure to find an Exploritas adventure that captures your interest, dreams and desires.

Explore Your Mind and the World. There are no grades or tests on Exploritas programs. All that’s needed is an inquiring mind, an adventurous spirit, and the belief that learning and discovery are lifelong pursuits.”

Their list of programs provides an excellent summary of the types of lifelong learning opportunities that are available through a number of organizations. Again, quoting from the Exploritas website:

Adventures Afloat: These exciting, educational voyages traverse some of the world's most spectacular waterways, offering you a convenient and fun way to learn and explore.

Independent City Discoveries: Independent City Discoveries combine structured learning with independent discovery on your own. Each program includes hotel accommodation and some meals, lectures by local experts, expert-led field trips and detailed outlines for four self-guided excursions.

Individual Skills: Learn the secrets of Southwestern cooking, take up the watercolorist's brush, practice the ancient discipline of yoga, or engage in the hands-on study of traditional pottery making. Experienced craftspeople and experts guide these forays into the creative experience.

Intergenerational: Discover and explore together with your grandchild through interactive learning experiences and field trips. Both you and your grandchild will share the joy of learning with other grandparents and their grandchildren, bridging generations and opening doors to discovery and friendship.

Outdoor Adventures: From hiking in the Grand Canyon to exploring central France by barge and bicycle to sharpening your golf or tennis skills, Outdoor Adventure programs exercise the body and the mind.

Road Scholar: Road Scholar features small groups and experiential learning at its best. These programs are very active and focus on hands-on learning presentations in the field, centrally located accommodations, and independent time to explore topics on your own.

Service Learning: From tutoring schoolchildren or helping restore a crucial forest habitat for wildlife, to assisting with artifact restoration and museum curatorial work, Service Learning programs are an opportunity to make a difference in the world.

Women Only Programs: Join other adventurous women on learning expeditions around the world. Gain insights and new wisdom as you discuss the female perspective in topics ranging from fine art to natural medicine.”

Truly, something for anyone who has the time and financial ability to take advantage of these offerings.

Please understand that I am not attempting to market Exploritas. I simply think that their range of offerings is a good example of the variety of lifelong learning possibilities available for mature adults.

Next week, we’ll continue our look at lifelong learning opportunities for the elderly with venues that are inexpensive and occasionally even free.

May your learning be sweet.

Tip #305: Lifelong Learning Through Social Networking

When I say social networking, I don't mean Twitter or Facebook. Instead, I mean the networking that has gone on ever since humans could communicate. Think of all the learning that happens just rubbing elbows with a friend, family member, colleague, neighbor, or chance acquaintance, where you share information and experiences.

For example:

I had never heard about a portable GPS until my friend mentioned it as a way to resolve my driving misadventures.

Standing behind someone at a bird store, I learned to buy peanut pieces and a special bird feeder so that I could attract nut hatches and different woodpeckers to my backyard.

I learned a shortcut to my son's school from a colleague who used to take his own child to that school.

Over the years, friends and colleagues have given me tips to run my business, find a webmaster, create a marketing brochure, obtain free workshop space, and hire a great accountant.

My son-in-law happened to mention how to buy and sell things on Craig's List, which is now a solid fixture in my purchasing life.

At the urging of a good friend, I went on a wonderful cruise to Alaska, learning many things about the history, flora, fauna and sea life along the way.

A kind clerk told my daughter and me where to buy her prom dress at another department store!

When I visited to give a workshop, my client and dear friend graciously took me to tour and learn about Amish country, Cape May, and Philadelphia.

I am cutting my long hair. My daughter has taught me by example to send my shorn hair to Locks of Love, so that children with cancer can have the gift of real hair wigs.

My tiny granddaughter showed me that Christmas trees get lonely and like to dance, bough to hand.

My daughter-in-law just gave me the recipe for the scrumptious seven layer bars she had given me as a holiday gift.

Good grief. I just spent over a week in a retirement community helping my mother, who has terribly debilitating sciatica. Every single day, a different resident offered another therapy for us to explore!

Any time you ask a question and get an answer, observe someone else, overhear a conversation, watch an interaction, ask for help or suggestions, that is social networking at its most essential and vibrant level.

Of course, this includes the more formal networking that occurs at professional events, where you share information about products and services with others.

We are social beings and every day we are constantly networking and learning from each other as we simply live our lives.

Next week, we'll discuss learning opportunities that are specifically geared to the elderly.


May your learning be sweet.

Tip #304: Lifelong Learning Opportunities

It doesn’t matter where you live. The range of lifelong learning opportunities available to the general community is simply amazing. We’ll begin this series of Tips by looking at informal learning offerings that are either free or inexpensive.

• Every professional and civic organization has a speaker at their monthly meetings.

• Local hospitals and health care organizations offer health-related workshops.

• Most brick and mortar businesses provide workshops to help consumers learn how to use their products.

• Food cooperatives and grocery stores, such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe, have workshops about food growth, delivery and preparation.

• Community centers offer a wide spectrum of learning opportunities that are as varied as the presenters: candle making, soap making, scrap booking, learning Italian, cooking heart-healthy recipes, etc.

• Local craft stores provide sessions that teach how to knit or quilt, how to make certain holiday crafts, etc.

• School districts offer all sorts of programs geared toward the entire family. Swimming lessons, sports clinics, team sports such as volleyball, softball and basketball; how to play different instruments; a variety of art lessons, different language lessons, computer, games, outings, theater, you name it, it’s available!

• Local organizations schedule outdoor learning opportunities such as bird watching, local flora and fauna, gardening, hiking, lake or beach clean up, etc.

• If you live in a northern climate as I do, community groups provide cross country skiing lessons at local golf courses in the wintertime.

• Libraries and museums provide programs that cover a wide range of topics and interests.

• Churches and other religious institutions have programs in Bible study, community relations, ethics, religious history, family studies, etc.

• Local groups and taverns offer lessons in a variety of dance styles.

• Local schools offer evening classes and theater events.

• I live in a university town (Madison, Wisconsin) and there is not one day or night that doesn’t offer free student or faculty music recitals, art shows, lecturers, etc.

• The internet, where you can learn about absolutely anything- although there is no guarantee that what you are learning is always accurate.

• Newspapers, books and magazines. Television and radio shows, and not just the educational channels.

• Bookstores bring in authors to speak about their books, and book clubs discuss books on a regular basis.

By now, you realize that my definition of learning is very broad. According to Wikipedia, “learning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information.” Therefore, any new experience can provide learning opportunities.

There are probably a number of obvious providers of new learning that I have overlooked. Feel free to add to this list.

The bottom line is that there is no limit to the possibilities, if you care to look.

Next week, we will discuss lifelong learning that occurs through social networking.

May your learning be sweet.