Teaching Tools

Explore teaching tools to use in diverse ways in classes across the curriculum. Expand each section below to learn more.

Talk of Ages Teaching Briefs

Explore activities other instructors are using in their classrooms. To share one of your activities click here.

Polyester Pants and Orthopedic Shoes" Introducing Age Studies to Traditional-Aged Undergraduates

ASiST - Aging Simulation Sensitivity Training

Dementia Twenty-Four Seven

Hometown Demographics

Hometown Relocation Agency

Understanding the User-Friendliness of Technology from an Older Adult Perspective

Dear Sir or Madam - A Letter Writing Activity on End-of-Life Choices

Misconceptions of Aging and Strategies for American Society

American Psychological Association Division 20 Teaching Tips

Below are downloadable Teaching Tips made available by APA's Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging).

Infusing Diversity into the College/University Curriculum
John Quincy Adam

Supplementing Courses with Online Assignments
Julie Blaskewicz Boron

Virtually Speaking
Susan Bluck

The I-clicker....Coming to a Classroom Near You!
Susan Charles

Recruiting for Our Future
Susan Charles

Using Blackboard^TM to Enhance the Communication and Web Content in Your Course
Alison L. Chasteen

Are you on-line yet? Trials and Tribulations of getting an Adulthood and Aging Class Ready for On-line Instruction
F. Richard Ferraro

Challenges and Highlights of Having Older-than-Average Students in an Adulthood & Aging Class
F. Richard Ferraro

Selective Review of Some Recent (and not so recent) Adulthood and Aging Texts
F. Richard Ferraro

Lifespan Development at the Graduate Level
Karen Fingerman Human Dev. & Family Studies Penn. State Univ

The New Frontier: The Development of an Online Gerontology Course
Joseph E. Gaugler

Psychology Boot Camp: Undergraduate Training Opportunities in Developmental Psychology
Robert C. Intrieri, Kristin L. Sarama, and Jurgis Karuza

Game of Life in a Continuum of Care
Shannon E. Jarrott

Training Teachers in Graduate Courses: A Graduate Student's Perspective
Jenessa C. Johnson

Finding One's Way: Mentoring Notes Between a Mentor and a Mentee
Joseph A. Mikels and Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz

Using Class Discussions to Improve Oral Communication Skills
Kristi S. Multhaup

Some Subtle Advantages of Online Learning
J Penn Shaw

Elder Mentorship in Graduate Education
Graham D. Rowles & John F. Watkins

Infusing Aging Content into Health Psychology
Aurora M. Sherman

Integrating Aging
Susan Krauss Whitbourne

Teaching of Psychology Articles on Aging

Below are links to Teaching of Psychology age-focused teaching reports and activity protocols made available through Sage Publications.

Ault, R. L. (1999). Introduction to the special section on adult development and aging. Teaching of Psychology, 26(1), 48.

Barnes, D. R. (1985). Teaching "The Psychology of Adult Development and Aging." Teaching of Psychology, 12(1), 37-39.

Bleiszner, R. (1999). Strategies and resources for teaching family gerontology. Teaching of Psychology, 26(1), 50-51.

Cavanaugh, J. C. (1999). Integrating the humanities into a liberal arts course on adult development and aging. Teaching Of Psychology, 26(1), 51-52.

Dillon, K. H., & Goodman, S. (1980). Think old: Twenty-five classroom exercises for courses in aging. Teaching Of Psychology, 7(2), 96-99.

Evans, J. D. (1981). Personal involvement projects in the psychology of aging: Some examples and an empirical assessment. Teaching of Psychology, 8(4), 230-233.

Fingerman, K. L. (2000). Enhancing student interest in the psychology of aging: An interview with Susan Krauss Whitbourne. Teaching of Psychology, 27(3), 224-229.

Fingerman, K. L., & Bertrand, R. (1999). Approaches to teaching adult development within a life span development course. Teaching of Psychology, 26(1), 55-57.

Fried, S. B. (1988). Learning activities for understanding aging. Teaching of Psychology, 15(3), 160-162.

Lutsky, N. (1986). A negative attitude toward a classroom technique eliciting attitudes toward elderly persons. Teaching of Psychology, 13(3), 148.

McGuire, L. C., & Zwahr, M. D. (1999). Tying it together: Two comprehensive projects for adult development and aging courses. Teaching of Psychology, 26(1), 53-55.

Neysmith-Roy, J. M., & Kleisinger, C. L. (1997). Using biographies of adults over 65 years of age to understand life-span developmental psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 24(2), 116.

Panek, P. E. (1982). Do beginning psychology of aging students believe 10 common myths of aging? Teaching of Psychology, 9(2), 104.

Pulos, S. (1993). Illustrating life-span development in physical competence. Teaching of Psychology, 20(4), 244-245.

Sheldon, J. P. (1998). Addressing stereotypes and ageism in a lifespan development course. Teaching of Psychology, 25(4), 291-293.

Whitbourne, S., & Collins, K. (1999). Employing interactive learning methods in a course on the psychology of aging. Teaching Of Psychology, 26(1), 48-

Wight, R. D. (1989). Fostering insight into personal conceptions of the elderly: A simulation exercise. Teaching of Psychology, 16(4), 216.

Wurtele, S. K., & Maruyama, L. (2013). Changing students' stereotypes of older adults. Teaching of Psychology, 40(1), 59-61.

Marian Leah (Gilbert) Knapp was born in Providence, RI, and received her B.A. in English Literature from Boston University and her M.A. in Anthropology from Hunter College. At the age of 70, Marian returned to school to get her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England, writing her thesis on "Aging in Place in Suburbia: A Qualitative Study of Older Women". She continues to explore aging issues and share her observations and perspective in her column for the Wicked Local Newton newspaper and on her blog Voices of Aging. Marian's 2014 book Aging in Places: Reflective Preparation for the Future offers a unique view of the complexities of aging for students of all ages. Below are several select essays which are also sure to serve as great catalysts for class discussions.

The Meaning of Aging in Place	Aging in Place: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Aging in Place: Our Houses and Our Dreams	A Caregiver's Reflection on Atlas
Aging in Place: Getting from Here to There	Trusting Others to Make End-of-Life Decisions
Aging in Place: Safe and Sound	What to Do with My Stuff?
Aging in Place: Walking and Talking	Aging and Staying Visible
Aging in Place: The Benefits of Spending Time in Nature	Aging in Place: Good Enough Aging
Aging in Place: In the Neighborhood	Aging in Place: Have You Prepared Yourself?
Aging in Place: The A List and the B List	Aging in Place: We are living our futures now
Continuum and Transitions	Aging in Place: What's Fun?
Finding a Voice for the Silent Generation	Aging in Place: Two different kinds of seniors
Honor our Aging Veterans, Come to the Newton Memorial Parade	Aging in Place: To be or not to be sentimental
Legacies: So Much More than Finances	Aging in Place: No tomatoes this year
Developing Meaningful Community Connections	Aging in Place: Making decisions, changing places
What is it about the Senior Center?

Syllabi and Books

APA’s Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) maintains a list of freely available syllabi contributed by members who teach graduate and undergraduate courses in aging. Explore them here along with a list of textbooks.

Integrated Aging Topics_thumb Integrating Aging Topics Into Psychology: A Practical Guide for Teaching Undergraduates
Edited by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD and John C. Cavanaugh, PhD

Teaching Gerontology Newsletter

The Human Values in Aging Newsletter is edited by Harry R. Moody. It covers a variety of important and provocative issues around late-life creativity, spirituality, lifelong learning, and humanistic gerontology. See links below to recent Newsletter isssues -- and, be sure to join the mailing list for future issues - there is no cost to subscribe.