Learning by peers: An alternative learning model for digital inclusion of elderly people

Abstract

This paper presents a model of digital inclusion for the elderly people, using learning by peers methodology. The model's goal was valuing and promoting the potential capabilities of the elderly people by promoting some of them to instruct other elderly people to deal with computers and to use several software tools and internet services. The project involved 66 volunteering elderly people. However, 19 of them acted effectively as multipliers and the others as students. The process was observed through the empirical technique of interaction workshops. This technique was chosen for demanding direct participation of the people involved in real interaction. We worked with peer learning to facilitate the communication between elderly-learners and elderly-multipliers, due to the similarity in language, rhythm and life history, and because they felt more secure to develop the activities with people in their age group. This multiplying model can be used in centers, organizations and other entities that work with elderly people for their digital inclusion. © 2009 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.