New cooperative learning opportunities for older learners

This paper begins by discussing examples of constituency research, a powerful idea not only for cooperative learning across nations but one that could ultimately give rise to novel research outcomes which conventional research could not achieve, without huge cost. I then underscore the point that cooperative learning is not new to us in the UTA movement but that the Internet has facilitated hitherto unattainable possibilities for cooperation. I conclude by climbing off the hand waving horse and become concrete by demonstrating some new or not so well known methods for cooperating. My overall message is - bring it on. Constituency Research In the early nineties two colleagues and I carried out a series of constituency research studies in which we worked closely with Brisbane U3A colleagues to deliver, by telephone, a series of courses for frail older people (Swindell, James & Mann 1992). All the frail elderly had alert minds but were too ill or incapacitated to regularly leave their homes. The idea behind what we thought might lead to a virtual U3A was quite simple. At a designated time three different groups of six older people were phoned in their own homes and for the next hour they were provided with an intellectually stimulating talk. Every few minutes the U3A moderator asked the guest lecturer to stop. She then asked each participant in turn whether they would like to ask a question or add something from their own experience, then the talk continued. The program of talks ran for 8 consecutive weeks with three different groups (a total of 18 frail participants), and covered topics like nutrition and health; current affairs; heroes and heroines; drama in the 50s and 60s; poetry from our youth. A trained nurse visited each of the participants several times throughout the study to monitor blood pressure and other basic health- related functions and to ask them to fill out questionnaires about their health and well being. The study was repeated with variations with participants in other cities, and in nursing homes (Swindell, Singer & Singer 1994). In brief, the courses were well received and resulted in measurable increases in participants' quality of life. However, the time was not yet right for the virtual U3A we were thinking of. As you can well imagine, delivering U3A learning activities by phone is fraught with difficulties. Some frail older people found it difficult to hold onto a