Monday 13 August 2012

Week 41



Observations:

The image on this near final week are of my mother's hands. As she approaches the grand age of 100 she remains extremely "all together" in mind and body. Her memory is very much intact and her mind is sharp. I owe a lot to her as she has been a big influence for the thematic thread of all that has been a focus for me on this journey at Wimbledon in the past year.
 If, what futurists are predicting is correct, in that the first person to live beyond 200 years has already been born, then the subject of this years work for me will have to be addressed very very soon.
 The answers to some of the questions that have been posed herein during the past 41 weeks are partially answered in the following ,which is my final Research Paper and Artists Statement in support of the work of this year.



  R.G. Wilson
  RESEARCH PAPER M.A. DRAWING
  Submitted August 2012
 This paper poses a question and then attempts, through it’s answering, to provide a modest solution to one of society’s greatest problems. The problem concerns the overall wellbeing of the largest and fastest growing segment of the population in most countries in the Western world and indeed, the entire world.
The question is: Can Drawing be used to develop a new pedagogical framework to facilitate imaginative and creative learning in later life?
An affirmative answer to this question could lead to the development of a program for Seniors that would address many of their stated and unstated, yet vital, desires and needs and lead to greater physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. This in turn would have significant social benefits for all.
The origin of the question is rooted in a very autobiographical journey that I have been on for the past 20 years as an artist and is part of my personal Life Long Learning [LLL] process. It is one that has been stimulated by my interests in the fields of neuroscience and how the brain ages; gerontology and new data from research regarding the signifiers of ageing and lastly in education and some new ideas, resources and concepts in teaching and learning including developments in the relatively new area of social sciences regarding imagination and creativity development. Underlying all, is my strong interest in the visual and plastic arts, particularly Drawing.
In this paper I will outline in a linear progression some of my considerations and ideas that have, in fact, been gained as a result of a very circuitous and open looping learning process. It will hopefully lead an interested reader to some rational and logical but very tentative conclusions.
CONSIDERATIONS:
Seniors will soon be the largest and fastest growing demographic segment in most countries in the Western world. The Seniors of this demographic are very different from Seniors demographics in the past insofar as they are generally in better health, more educated and more affluent than previous Seniors.
The incidence of diagnosed age related dementia and serious brain related disease is increasing worldwide. The medical costs to nations with regard to health care for the growing numbers of Seniors is, and will be increasingly enormous.
Advances in neuroresearch indicate that some former ideas as to how the mind/ brain ages are not correct; it is now accepted that the brain is very similar to other bodily organs insofar as it requires regular exercise to remain in a healthy state. If exercised properly a healthy mind/brain can inhibit and/or delay the onset of normal age related dementia and some brain diseases as ageing occurs.
It has been suggested by some neuroresearchers, educators and philosophers that the best mind/brain exercise comes as a result of involvement in LLL. It is also thought that the pursuit of new learning and exercising old learning’s in the arts can provide some of the best forms of LLL and thus are perhaps the best mind/ brain exercisers. It is also now known that new learning right to “life end” is possible with a healthy, well-exercised mind/brain.
The overall percent of Seniors involved in LLL is decreasing in many of the Western countries even though overall numbers are increasing as a result of the growing demographic.
There are growing numbers of Seniors who are disaffected and desire alternatives to improve social and intellectual wellbeing.
Results of information gathered over the years indicate that after such concerns as financial security and good health there is a great desire and need for social interaction and stimulation. Seniors constantly refer to a desire for “fun” in a social context. High rankings are also given to intellectual stimulation as well as physical activity.
Artists, artist/educators and others who have great familiarity with Drawing describe it as intellectually engaging and stimulating with a capacity to stimulate both social and physical engagement.
INVESTIGATIONS:
The intention of this paper is to investigate certain patterns and possible connections that have been observed in areas of recent research in the three distinct disciplines of gerontology, neuroresearch and pedagogy.  By investigating connections between the known research and other recent developments I hope to answers the primary question posed.
To investigate these connections and patterns each of the areas will be investigated in greater depth.
Gerontology
Some of the major gerontological issues to be considered are:
1.   By the year 2030 the Seniors demographic [60 up] is projected to be 20 to 25 percent of the population of most Western world nations. Around the world, societies are getting older; the United Nations [UN] has indicated that population ageing is ‘transforming the world’. Figures from the Population Division of the UN show that populations are ageing across the world. It estimated that in 1950 there were some 200 million people over 60, by 2000 the figure had reached 600 million and by 2050 it will be at least 2 billion. Similar figures were reported in the US Census Bureau report An Ageing World: 2008.  Further the UN reported that the global population of older people over 60 was growing by 2 per cent each year, much faster than the population as a whole. Like many countries, the United Kingdom has an ageing population, with the number and proportion of older people increasing. In 1950, only about one in ten of the population was aged 65 or over but now it is one in six and by 2035 it will be one in four.

2.   The percentage of Seniors involved in LLL has fallen since the year 2000 in the U.K. for a number of reasons including the cutback of funding by governments; however, the main reason is thought to be the type and delivery programs of that are being offered. It is clear that many educational needs of older people are not being met, with a reduction in provision of opportunities in recent years, with only a small (and falling) proportion of older adults participating in such activities. The annual NIACE surveys show that older people's participation in learning increased up until 2000 but has since declined considerably,

3.   The LLL needs of Seniors are not being properly met in the U.K. and the U.S. and is thought to be the case for the majority of Western world nations. There are a number of respected gerontologists and writers who have put this issue forward in a consistent and insistent manner. They include Dr. John Benyon, a leading British gerontologist from Leicester University and by Dr. K Dychtwald an American gerontologist and futurist.

4.   In many studies Seniors consistently put the desire for social stimulation and intellectual stimulation high on their lists of desires and needs after health and financial issues. The following is a listing of the main vital life function needs of Seniors that has been gleaned from a number of sources:
         - to stay engaged physically, mentally, spiritually and socially until end of life.
         - to have fun and be able to play, especially socially until the end of  life.
         - to use imagination and be creative through ones entire life and to continue to develop cognitive capacity in creativity, in knowledge acquisition, in problem solving enhancement, in concentration retention and enhancement and finally in memory retention capability and enhancement.
        - to continue attitudinal development such that life continues to be meaningful.
        - to continue to have skills development.
  
        - to maintain feelings of usefulness, dignity and self worth.

    In spite of a great range of socio economic conditions and strata’s the above concerns are considered to be universal.
  
  5.   There is much research, which indicate that Seniors of this generation are unlike Seniors of past generations from a psychographic point of view. They generally have the capacity and the desire to be engaged and productive to a much later age than their predecessors. They are, as a group, more highly educated and are much more aware from a cultural and worldview perspective. Most of today’s Seniors have a history of at least some community involvement on a volunteer basis. As well, today’s Seniors are more affluent and are in better overall health than former generations. However they do wish for greater feelings of usefulness and fulfillment from activities that they undertake and they want and expect a greater feeling of involvement and the commensurate feelings of accomplishment and usefulness throughout their entire lives. Seniors today wish to stay very engaged in a creative manner; they also have a deep need to feel the satisfactions and feelings of self worth that flow from their societal engagements. They are capable and want creative education and L.L.L. throughout their entire lives. Again there are wide variances and socio economic variables within this Seniors group however the above statements are thought to apply across this entire demographic sector.


Neuroscience
There is a growing body of new knowledge regarding how the mind/brain ages and previously held ideas regarding massive cell loss are incorrect. It is now acknowledged that some areas of the brain keep regenerating neurons until end of life. These are the neocortical areas of the brain that are the loci for pattern development and recognition in the neural networks. As neuroresearcher Dr. H Goldberg explains, new nerve cells form in our brains as long as we live, contrary to what scientists believed until recently. Although there is an overall shrinkage of the brain, this occurs mainly on the right side. The left cerebral hemisphere is more resilient, and can develop an increasing inner connectivity that pays out in superior power to solve highly complex and novel problems with little experience or effort. Goldberg emphasizes art as an exercise for the mind, much as athletics exercises the body. We now know that our brain stem cells keep developing new neurons even as we age and our brain has the capacity to rejuvenate itself continually and that the growth of neurons is influenced by cognitive activity in a way muscle growth is influenced by physical exercise. The levels of chemicals stimulating growth of new neurons also increase with exercise. This potential for neuronal production is particularly evident in the hippocampus area, which is the center for memory retention and is one of the most susceptible areas of the brain in initial phases of Alzheimer’s
There are several neurological processes that lead to strong pattern development and pattern recognition. One of these involves generic memory. Generic memory is pattern implanting and strengthening and is developed in three ways; neural network building to facilitate neurons firing in unison; neural network strengthening through repetition and neural plasticity and neural efficiency so that less energy is required to maintain the neural network. These functions are primarily neo cortical and are less prone to both age related dementia and brain disease so as the brain ages one can maintain strong mind function in spite of sub-cortical distress. The sub-cortex is the area where dementia and brain disease initially happens. Thus the stronger the pattern development the less likely is the early onset of dementia and some brain disease. The more generic the patterns are the more redundant are their neural representations and the more resistant they are to the effects of brain deterioration and dementia The more frequent the patterns are activated in the course of mental [intellectual] activity the more invulnerable they are to the effects of cognitive degeneration and the stronger the patterns grow with age. In many respects ageing is the price we pay for the strengthening of patterns and the following wisdom.
It is now known that the brain is a bodily organ that needs exercise to remain healthy and capable of efficient pattern development. There are strong indications that the best mind/brain exercises to maintain health lie in the arts. There is also a realization that a healthy mind / brain is capable of LLL until “ end of life.” Dr. H Goldberg as well as Dr. M Merzenick a widely published neuroscientist and Dr. D Doidge, a neurologist, have all written extensively on this subject. Other writings in this area include those of Dr. N Kauthmann a neuroscientist at the University of Berlin, and the late philosopher Dr. Nelson Goodman, and Dr. Harold Gardener both of Project Zero at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and all confirm the above.
A healthy mind/ brain has a major impact on quality of life issues. To paraphrase J F Kennedy in an address in the 1960s, “through advances in medicine we have been able to add years, however now we must add life to those years”


Education as it applies to Seniors

The percentage of Seniors involved in L.L.L. has declined in the past 20 years in the U.K. and although similar specific data has not been found it is expected that the same is the case for most Western nations. This decline is partially due to extensive government funding cutbacks for Seniors education programs however the primary cause is thought to be an inability of the courses offered to fulfill the vital life needs of this group. It is also due to the quality of the teaching and tutoring of existing programs and the consequent dropout and non-return rates. The drop out rate and non-returns for Seniors enrolled in community based art programs is very high based on anecdotal evidence.
The present and historical situations in regards to how Seniors have been taught, and are currently being taught, is a complicated mix but generally education delivery has mainly been based in traditional pedagogical models and lacking in many areas that Seniors attach great importance to, such as having fun and play. Furthermore, thinking within education with respect to learning processes of an ageing mind/brain are not being incorporated to any significant extent.
Historically, Seniors have not been viewed as “special” in terms of learning requirements and are generally grouped with other levels and age groups in learning situations. Seniors are often deemed to be at the lowest end of the scale when it comes to teaching and as such are often “taught” by the low skilled and not highly motivated instructors and tutors or by young teaching trainees. This situation is thought to be primarily due to the fact that there is very little perceived value in the training, retraining or teaching of Seniors.
Seniors have developed ways of thinking, ways of seeing and ways of problem solving, which are deeply imbedded in their unintentional habits of necessity. They are not flexible learners like children who are still fresh and undeveloped and are therefore unique. To reach anywhere close to their potentials, Seniors require special training or retraining in thinking and implementing on a creative basis.
Seniors are willing and capable of being educated and re-educated but there is an acute awareness of failure in this age group especially if there is a low perceived incentive for undertaking a new learning experience. The fear of critical judgments usually associated with education is a big concern for this age group and can represent a major barrier for getting involved in a schooling or training endeavor. Another factor is that Seniors are acutely aware of diminishing sensory acuity and other physical limitations. Some of these same problems are also thought to be inhibitors to starting new and mostly unknown activities and add to the “fear of failure” problem.
Seniors have certain perceptions that they “should” be able to perform many tasks with some competence and that they should be able to learn skills fairly quickly possibly because they feel that they have the necessary “ life experience”. They feel they should be “able to do it”.
Presently the primary venues for Seniors learning are not Higher Education institutions where the better instructors and educators are found but rather in a combination of government sponsored, NGO sponsored and private venues where instruction and delivery methods and techniques are not the best. There are few teaching programs to assist Seniors involved in entry level [usually community based] art and drawing sessions. There is a general lack of awareness that Seniors are unique learners and have unique capacities. The lack of valid instructional method and skilled people to deliver them most often result in frustration, disillusionment and exit from the endeavor for many Seniors.
 Although Seniors wish to stay engaged in learning processes, physically, socially, developmentally, attitudinally and cognitively they do not feel a compelling need for accreditation. Seniors wish to stay engaged and improving but are not interested in becoming “great” in these areas of pursuit; having fulfilling social interaction and fun are often most important, followed closely by feelings of usefulness, self worth and dignity.
Most Seniors have experienced traditional linear teaching methods and programs and are unused to the more cyclical, non-linear teaching methods that incorporate the concept of “no right way and no wrong way”. These are foreign concept to many Seniors.
Another real factor in LLL is that Seniors have a great amount of built up expertise and knowledge as a starting point, which is rarely taken into consideration in education programs.
 Finally there is rarely a consideration, or even realization in Seniors education that they are often at the most “ self reflective” point of their lives. Erik Erikson in his 1986 book Vital Involvement in Old Age written with J Erikson and H Kivnick suggested that late life, like earlier stages, can and should be seen as a stage of development, not just as an endpoint. The principal task of establishing integrity in one’s life is to be viewed as prospective and constructive, rather than as retrospective. The later years are offer an opportunity to find integral meaning by doing something more rather than simply looking back and taking stock.
Contemporary society seldom associates creativity with people in later adult years. There are now studies that challenge that perception. A great number of creative programs show promise for eliciting late life creativeness offering elders in the community, in residential settings, in adult day care, and in home care new avenues for expression. For many Seniors, their physical and emotional well-being may be strongly influenced by their ability to stay connected and to connect in new ways to the community through such programs.



  New Educational Possibilities for Seniors
The following are short descriptions of the various recognized types of education and teaching and learning delivery systems and how each relates to Seniors:
Pedagogy is the holistic science of education. It may be implemented in practice as a personal, and holistic approach of socializing and upbringing children and young people.
An instructor develops conceptual knowledge and manages the content of learning activities in pedagogical settings. The learning technique is adoptive learning of procedures, organization, and structure to develop an internal cognitive structure that strengthens synapses in the brain. The learner requires assistance to develop prior knowledge and integrate new knowledge using Verbal/Linguistic and Logical/Mathematical intelligences. The learner must learn how to learn while developing existing schema and adopting knowledge from both people and the environment. This is low order learning of conceptual knowledge, techniques, procedures, and algorithmic problem solving. This education delivery system is considered to have little or no application for Seniors although it has historically formed the basis of Seniors teaching and learning.
Andragogy consists of learning strategies focused on adults. It is often interpreted as the process of engaging adults with the structure of learning experience. The term ‘andragogy’ has been used in different times and countries with various connotations. Nowadays there exist a number of understandings of andragogy ; the most widely accepted is based on the concepts argued by M Knowles who suggests a specific theoretical and practical approach based on a humanistic conception of self-directed and autonomous learners and teachers as facilitators of learning. He suggests that andragogy should be distinguished from the more commonly used pedagogy.
Knowles' theory can be stated with six assumptions related to motivation of adult learning:
1.     Adults need to know the reason for learning something.
2.     Experience provides the basis for learning activities.
Adults need to be responsible for their decisions on education; involvement in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.
3.     Adults are most interested in learning subjects having immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives.
4.     Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented.
  5.     Adults respond better to internal versus external motivators.
    These ideas are starting to be implemented and where their application to Seniors is considered to be appropriate there should be modifications to account for the special needs of this group.
Heutagogy, a concept coined by Stewart Hase of Southern Cross University and Chris Kenyon in Australia, is the study of self-determined learning. This idea is an expansion and reinterpretation of andragogy, and it is possible to mistake it for the same. However, there are several differences between the two that mark one from the other. Heutagogy places specific emphasis on learning how to learn, double loop learning, universal learning opportunities, a non-linear process, and true learner self-direction. Whereas andragogy focuses on the best ways for people to learn, heutagogy also requires that educational initiatives include the improvement of people's actual learning skills themselves, learning how to learn as well as just learning a given subject itself.
Paragogy is the very recent developed concept of education proposed by Joseph Cornelli and Charles Danoff and is described in their 2010 paper Paragogy: Synergized Individual and Organizational Learning  and seems particularly appropriate for Seniors learning especially if developed in close conjunction with other educational delivery systems. Cornelli and Danoff are currently testing their concepts within the Peer-to-Peer University system.
The ideas embodied in paragogy and peer to peer learning are based on built up expertise and knowledge, which could be uniquely suitable in regards to Seniors. Paragogy also has a large social networking component and is perfectly in tune with social networking that is the foundational element of Web .20 development.
 Each of the above modes of teaching and learning have been impacted by developments in neuroscience and all have a potential to impact on LLL regarding Seniors however there seems to be a lack of current neuroresearch with specific reference to brain ageing and education.


There is a major question as to what the best mix of education delivery systems might be for Senior LLL however given that Seniors have a great amount of built up expertise and knowledge as a starting point it seems appropriate that a heavy emphasis on paragogically structured programs may be appropriate. A number of the factors outlined above as to the “special“ nature of this demographic and their specific desires and needs in the areas of social contact and their stated desire for education to be delivered in the context and form of fun and play would indicate the same. Perhaps the most compelling argument for a great deal of paragogical influence in any teaching and learning system is that, as mentioned, this group is widely comprised of individuals with a lifetime of built up experience and very developed skills and capabilities which can be passed on at the very time in life when there is a big desire for social interaction and willingness to share. A major consideration in any structuring should take into account that Seniors are at a very “self reflective” point of their lives. The 1980s work of developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Eric Ericksons in regards to his ideas of the eight levels of ego development and some of the surrounding issues may lead to understandings of the motivation of Seniors in this regard. This factor might argue for a component of heutogogy in structuring considerations.

A number of other considerations should also be taken into account in developing the most appropriate system for teaching and learning for Seniors. Some of these will be a result of new areas of research that are being developed primarily in North America in reference to individual and group imagination and creativity stimulation and development. New protocols for teaching imagination and creativity stimulation are being developed and tested in both the public and the private sectors. Some of the factors that impact on how these can be taught, encouraged and supported include; the importance of autonomy, mastery, a wish to constantly be improving, the purpose motive vs profit motive and very importantly, meaning, play and having fun. Also important is the necessity for alternative ways of thinking, seeing and doing. The use of imagination and creativity to develop new ideas that have perceived “value” is also a factor. There is a significant connection here with numerous recent publications by D Pink, M Gladwell, Sir K Robinson, H Gardiner and T.Buzan.

There is thought to be a great opportunity to use these developments in imagination and creativity initiation and development in adaptations for Seniors LLL applications as learning tools and resources. There are also possibilities of using new delivery systems and new resources that have been developed for children, teens and adults in a modified application for Senior LLL. In this regard the Mind Mapping techniques developed by Tony Buzan might also be incorporated. As well, many of the Project Zero initiatives such as programs like Goodwork, Workdone, Artful Thinking, and Arts Survive could be considered. The significant and wide ranging research of Project Zero and comments of the founder of this program, Nelson Goodman and its recent director, psychologist Howard Gardiner would indicate that they believe that a major component, if not the main component of LLL for Seniors and indeed for everyone, is the arts. The stated mission of Project Zero is “ to understand and enhance learning, thinking and creativity in the arts”. Their research programs have always been structured at a detailed understanding of human cognitive development and the process of learning in the arts as well as other disciplines. A greater understanding of the varied research that Project Zero has carried will be a great source of information in formulating further ideas in this regard.

Drawing
Why base this research and the development of new teaching and learning systems in the visual arts and why Drawing in particular?
 The answer to this question lies in the examination of some of the following facts and assumptions.
Visual arts is an area that a large percentage of Seniors have been naturally attracted to when they realize they have a desire and capacity for "more" to fill their increasingly "empty" lives. E. Ericksons work is again of significance in possible understandings of the motivation of Seniors in this regard.  Seniors are drawn to the visual arts as a venue they feel can be fun and play and social and gay. Seniors are involved in ever increasing numbers in arts programs.
Drawing, specifically, has unique qualities that make it an attractive activity to Seniors. It can be shown to have been done by everyone through his or her life and therefore may be less intimidating than other art forms. Drawing can be very social exercise; it can provide a great deal of fun and play and at the same time can be very intellectually stimulating and can be structured to provide physical activity. At the same time it is an activity that is very financially affordable; only a pencil and paper are needed to get started.
Some of the attributes and qualities of Drawing which have consistently been referred to by artists and educators which may have significance to the needs of Seniors include:
          - its use in communicating ideas and concepts to others and its application in developing solutions to problems visually through an internal communication process.
          - its use in memory stimulation and retrieval in both the maker and the viewer.
          - its ability to develop and make and recognize patterns and connections.
          - its capacity to cause intellectual stimulation and development.
          - its quality of being both a simple and yet a very complex, profound activity
          - its ability to be either a very social or a very private activity.
Drawing is one of the arts that qualify as “high value” mind/brain exercise. It can provide direct or indirect intellectual stimulation, under the guise of fun.
Drawing is already interdisciplinary in its art form and has the capacity to draw all of these disparate disciplines together. Finally it is very suitable for heutogogical and paragogical application and adaptation relative to Seniors LLL as it can be structured easily to incorporate peer-to-peer teaching and learning applications.

One can see the possibility of making all the connections through all the patterns that are emerging in the very discipline that is all about patterns, connections, networks and processes.

An examination of these attributes leads to uncanny connections with; neuroresearch, pattern development and recognition; pedagogy, androgogy, heutogogy and paragogy, the emergent social science of imagination and creativity stimulation and development, and the desires and needs of Seniors.
        


CONCLUSION:

I am essentially trying to “connect all the dots” between the new and older research and knowledge in the above noted areas. The results of this inquiry are in the form of some facts and a number of assumptions that are based on my reading and my autobiographical experiences as part of the demographic in question.  These have led to a hypothesis that was structured as the original question.
If the above arguments are logical and compelling and thus have answered the questioning affirmatively, the next step would be to structure an Action Research Project [ARP], which would be undertaken with the following goals:
Firstly to determine the best methodologies for gathering specific information on what the special needs, desires and considerations are for the Seniors demographic in regards to LLL and to proceed to gather that information for a valid sampling. Such methodologies and sampling would serve to confirm the assumptions made herein.
Secondly, to structure and test, in cooperation with various Seniors groups such as Wimbledon U3G, different educational delivery models to determine what might be a good mix of components given the desires and needs of the Seniors demographic. The anticipated ARP would be structured around teaching and learning in the context of Drawing but would employ many techniques from other areas of the arts.
A peer workshop was conducted during the course of the MA Drawing session. A review of the planning, the selected Drawing exercises, some of the preliminary results and consideration as to how the concept might be expanded could help in designing a broader ARP. Based on the preliminary results of the workshop, as well as autobiographical and anecdotal evidence it is expected that the most compelling and necessary component of any program for Seniors will be found in how well it addresses the social needs. The components of fun and play are expected to be very significant. Desires in respect to intellectual LLL by Seniors may well be best achieved through a highly social peer to peer, paragogically based education program. In fact it may be that “having fun” and “intellectual stimulation” are one and the same and that overall mind/brain exercise will happen as a natural result.
Any further inquiry and research will be tied to my own studio practice in every respect. I will attempt to demonstrate how my Drawing studio practice and my LLL research practice have an integral and reciprocal impact on each other and how they together are impacting on me and my mental wellbeing as they have become more complementary. My interest and intent is to explore how I might put myself at the very center of research and the ARP as part of my LLL.
There is currently much interdisciplinary exploration into processes and changes that take place in the mind/ brain in different teaching and learning situations in creative and art based activities. On the other hand, there seems to be little differentiation regarding how the outcomes might change as the mind/brain ages. It would be my ambition in further exploration of this endeavor to subject myself to experimental situations in this regard and to keep myself at the center of the original questioning.
It is hoped that my experiences and the results of the anticipated ARP might allow for the development of some protocols to be established, using Drawing as the foundation, in a small initiative that will have some impact on one of the greatest social issues that faces society now and into the future.


  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Knowles,J. and Cole,A.[2008] Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research. London.SAGE,3-12.
Kovats, T [2007], The Drawing Book:A Survey of Drawing : The Primary means of Expression , London, Black Dog Books
Petherbridge, D, [1991] The Primacy of Drawing: History and Theories of Practice, Yale University
Phipps,B[2006] Lines of Inquiry: Thinking through drawing. Cambridge; Kettles Yard.
Rawson P, [1969] Drawing, London and New York , Oxford Press
Rogers,A.[2010] ‘Drawing the spaces between us: Using drawing encounters to explore social interaction’.
Rosand, D, [2002] Drawing Acts : Studies in Graphic Expression and Representation , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Temkin, A , Rose B [1993], Thinking is Form: The Drawings of Joseph Beuys, New York and London, Thames and Hudson in assoc. with Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art , New York

Other resources and Reference Materials:
Project Zero, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, many research papers www.pz.harvard.edu/research/Research.htm
Ageing and Dementia Research Centre at NYU School of Medicine
Leicester University Learning and Ageing Group and Institute for Life Long Learning   NIACE
American Society of Ageing
International Journal of Education and Ageing
Association for Education and Ageing
Journal on Ageing Studies
Gerontology Journal
Educational Gerontology
Journal of Intergenerational Studies
Current Video and UTube Material on all of the above topics





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