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Learning later in life isn’t just possible, it is important for good quality of life. It can boost memory, emotional well-being, and even a sense of purpose. A new study shows that older adults learn best when they’re taught the same way that is best for younger people, with active participation, meaningful discussions, and material that feels relevant to their lives. The findings emphasize that the common method of lecture-based learning does not fit older adults’ characteristics because it requires good memory and often feels irrelevant.

Key findings from recent research

This new research, published in Educational Gerontology, by Prof. Anat Zohar of the Seymour Fox School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Dr. Yochai Z. Shavit of the Stanford Center on Longevity, builds on an earlier study, led by the same team, that found that older women actually learned better as they got older.

Based on interviews with 19 women in the "third age," that study showed that, in contrast to common stereotypes, they felt they were learning better than at any earlier time in their lives, and it also explained what made this later-life learning especially effective.

Primarily, they reported better understanding, because they can connect new knowledge to previous knowledge and experiences. The results challenged common assumptions about aging and showed that the right learning conditions can help older adults thrive.

Active learning versus lecture-based methods

The article shows that the same principles that help children and young adults learn deeply—active learning, connecting new ideas to things we already know, meaningful tasks, and learning with and from others—are just as important, if not more so, for older learners.

Although programs for older adults have become more common, many rely heavily on passive learning rather than on research-based methods. An enormous industry, worth many millions of dollars per year, consists of courses for older adults based primarily on lectures, despite growing evidence that this approach is not suited to their needs.

"We’re teaching older adults the wrong way," says Prof. Zohar. "The dominant model is still the lecture, but it is built on assumptions that simply don’t hold for older learners.

"First, it relies heavily on memorization, even though memory is the very ability that tends to decline with age. Second, it doesn’t connect new ideas to the rich knowledge and life experience older adults already have—one of their greatest learning resources. And third, lectures rarely create the meaningful, relevant learning and relationships that drive motivation in later life.

"Despite the large industry built around them, lectures just don’t work pedagogically. Older adults enjoy attending them, but they don’t retain enough. High-quality, active learning can support cognitive abilities, promote health, and even contribute to longer lives."

The broader impact on education markets

This "lecture industry" is part of a much larger market. In the United States alone, the broader continuing education sector, which includes post-school courses, adult programs, vocational training and professional development, was estimated at about USD $66.9 billion in 2024, and is expected to grow to about USD $96 billion by 2030. Yet a significant portion of this money is still invested in traditional lecture formats that are not aligned with how older adults learn best.

The researchers argue that older adulthood is a rich and meaningful stage of life, and education can help people stay mentally sharp, emotionally fulfilled, and socially connected.

Dr. Shavit notes, "Older adulthood is a time of real psychological depth. When education taps into older adults’ motivations, like the search for meaning, connection, and self-understanding, it becomes not just effective, but deeply rewarding."

By connecting what we know about how people learn at any age with the specific needs of older adults, Zohar and Shavit offer a practical framework for creating learning environments that work for everyone.

Their main message is simple: older adults deserve to be taught in a way that will fulfill their learning needs. They are not a separate group with completely different learning rules. They are part of the continuous story of human learning, and education should treat them that way.

More information: Anat Zohar et al, Bridging geragogy and pedagogy: Towards a learning-sciences-based approach to older adults’ education, Educational Gerontology (2025). DOI: 10.1080/03601277.2025.2569386

Citation: Lecture-based courses don’t work for older adults, researchers warn (2025, December 9) retrieved 9 December 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-12-based-courses-dont-older-adults.html

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