Abstract:

Language competencies are becoming one of the competences provided for by the Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning - the European Framework of Reference. The importance of the on-going education of elderly people was also noted by UNESCO, for which the Institute for Lifelong Learning functions. It is necessary for education in the Russian Federation to also meet these world standards. The national education system for the elderly is the subject of potential improvement and modernization. The program of “Active longevity” offers different opportunities for elderly learners and it promotes active and healthy aging.

The world of education responds to the needs of our societies and helps our people to have an opportunity to achieve knowledge so as to be able to continue to partake in our ever more technological society. The aim of this article was to discover ways to promote lifelong education for our more senior people allowing them a continuing active lifestyle and healthy aging. Engaging seniors into education helps to equip them with the skills and value added knowledge, whilst retaining their accumulated wisdom to remain available for following generations.

This course of the English language was set up in K.G. Razumovsky Moscow state university of technologies and management in the autumn of 2017 and more than 70 elderly people took part. Two groups of elderly learners were offered a pilot course in the English language that they attended twice a week during the 2017/2018 academic year. Statistical characteristics of these learners were collected about their age, gender, general level of education, previous level of mastering English and motives for joining the study group. This pre-survey was conducted in the form of questionnaires at the beginning of the study to find out the spheres of interests and the preferences in the models of interaction. The post-programme survey was conducted at the end of the course to learn about their attitude(s) to the course and any difficulties that could have appeared during the programme of study.

The results revealed a high level of motivation among these elderly people to learn. These senior learners now plan to find a new job and use their new knowledge of English for travelling. Speaking was the most problematic area in the education of the learners; the introductory course of Phonetics could be desirable for senior learners. The most preferable form of educational interaction was pair work; this allowed them to communicate and solve educational tasks together. One of the main outcomes from this programme was an identified need for tailor-made courses in English specifically targeted at our more senior members of society whom, perhaps, have been out of an educational environment for many years.

Keywords:

Elderly people, active longevity, motivation, experimental course, lifelong education.