Impact of older people’s education on the motivation for education on other generations

Lifelong education does not exist without older people’s education. The third age lasts up to three to four decades. The society of all generations demands maintenance of an active old age. The institution of the Slovenian Third Age University has proved that people enjoy learning and that learning tends to become a way of life for them. This primary motivation in older people influences children’s and grandchildren’s motivation, bringing about a change in the overall attitudes to education and learning in these generations. The elderly need to prepare for new challenges and new activities. Education may prepare them for a new career, for discovering, testing and expressing their not yet realized talents and hidden wishes, for taking up new activities (profitable or non-profitable). There are three types of learners, as reported by mentors who have experience in teaching children in schools, adults in folk high schools, and now, the Third Age University students. School goers are not interested in learning, they tend to develop parallel strategies to get good marks, leaving the responsibility for their learning to the teacher. Secondary motives (good marks) are important here. Adults do have the right motivation, however, their learning is impeded by other obligations and pressures, diminishing their learning efficiency. Older people are dedicated to education, they live for learning and encourage their mentors to introduce increasingly intensive ways of learning. They want knowledge and have the primary motivation for learning