by Rosemary Redfern

Created on: March 28, 2009

My formal education was messy, partly because we moved a lot and my schooling was disrupted. It didn't give me the qualifications I needed for the work I was interested in. As a result, I returned to college a number of times. Each time was either for an educational reason or to further an interest I had. Sometimes the courses were in a specific location with regular classes, sometimes distance learning. From this experience I learnt a number of lessons beyond the work set.

How you approach going back in middle age affects what you get out of the courses. The perception that once you leave school you are no longer able to absorb information is rubbish. Research shows that though our brains do deteriorate, it is a slow process and we have plenty of capacity to learn. But, from this concept might stem the fear that the work will be too hard; there are a number of ways to overcome this anxiety.

I like to see a map or plan of the work so that I can see where everything fits in and what I am expected to know. This way I can concentrate of each section to build up the knowledge. Unfortunately most courses deal with the bits first and you build up an overall picture as you go. This can be disconcerting. However if you can accept that a picture will emerge, rather like a jigsaw picture, the panic can be controlled. Eventually you understand the connections between the parts of the subject. Sometimes this doesn't happen until after the exams.

An unexpected aspect of returning to college is that other adults do as well. This way you find new friends and possible future colleagues. Research has found that adults who get together to work on a course and combine their efforts, find their individual results improve. Cooperation works because each person sees a different emphasis and this broadens your own understanding.

On a practical level, to help with the process learning, I found having a roll of wall paper lining was a useful base for recording details. Writing down the essential elements I needed to learn helped me to refine the information. The repetition in the refining helped establish it in my memory. Knowing that about seven pieces of information is the most we can usually manage to hold helped me to define the detail. Then you can have seven bits of information coming off each title. I found using pictures, symbols, colors and arrows to other sections helped to make the connections. Tony Buzan has written a number of easy to read books on the learning process using this method.

While returning to college in middle age is more complicated than when you have no commitments of family or work, the benefits on a personal level are huge. You have demonstrated your persistence in staying with the course; confidence grows and your perception of the world shifts subtly. Better paid jobs become available which allow you to follow other areas of interest.

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