Are you studying anything interesting? V2

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Many congratulations Fran on your recent success. .
Putting yourself forward to complete the demands of regulatory bodies is a great achievement - well done you; to be successful despite the personal stresses - well done you; being such a positive example of tenacity for all your family, friends & gymnast colleagues - well done you!

I have just passed the Womens Artistic Gymnastics Club Level Judging Course.
Need to clarify. I have been a judge in this sport since 1984 (when I did the first exam.) There are several levels, and Club is the lowest. Every four years, following the Olympics all Gymnastic judges have to re-qualify with the new rules (called The Code of points).
I really hesitated about doing this cycle - until one of my 14 yo GD's overheard me saying to her Mum that I was so scared about failing the exams. She then pointed out to me that I have always told her that the worst of all reasons for NOT doing something is the fear of failure - as that was a failure in itself!!!
So I did it three day course, three exams- I love the judging, but found the studying and the exams. extremely difficult and I had to put my life totally on hold for a few weeks. I am quite happy staying at this lowest level, refused to go up to the next level as I do not think that I could cope with the extra pressure. This will definitely be the last cycle I will do. By the time the next cycle starts I will have turned 80 yo, so will hang up my blazer.
Do feel pleased that I did it, but found it all extremely stressful.

NotAGran55 - you're never too old! I have done courses throughout my life - a couple of years ago an MA in Creative Writing and now I teach it for the WEA! Lovely informal atmosphere and a lot of courses are free if you are on certain benefits, or retired. I'm thinking of doing archaeology with them next!

Gosh I'm in awe of you all incredible ladies with your studies . You have inspired me to take a look at the OU having feared that I was too old .

The only thing I'm learning is a form of Sign Language called Signalong .

I'm a campaigner and I'm amazed at the wide range of people with whom I come into contact. It's really interesting and also makes we read up on things that I wouldn't normally read about. I also write newsletters based on the month's activity - have to keep it short and to the point so that is good practice. I work with younger people as well as older ones and it's great fun being challenged on issues - and challenging them in return.

As a former secondary biology teacher I did wonder about the heart you initially mentioned Margaret!

I have today started a Classical Music course from Yale hosted by Coursera. It's an in-depth introduction (IYSWIM), the course presenter is charming (& a talented pianist) but I'm currently finding the overall online presentation over-fussy & not intuitive. I have decided not to involve myself with joining the "learning community" online, on this occasion.

Anyone else out there exercizing ze little grey cells?

It was an ox's heart which was disected which made me think of the cat food I prepared when I was a girl.

So that is what its all about. I did read the other learners' thoughts about the course but it never got me anyfurther.
Maybe when you are sitting in some corner of Africa or India you do need the rapport of other learners but for me with GN and all the German information about the heart I was more interested in the medical side from an English point of view and the English vocabulary.
I wanted to see the diagrams and when she disected a cat's heart I did actually learn a lot.
I am an autodidact and a poor student in any class or group!

I think I know what you mean about some aspects of the "discussion" elements of online courses MargaretX (hello again). I imagine that your situation meant that your personal requirements of the heart course were very specific & that finding questionable information, coupled with the deluge of opinions/experiences offered, led to you feeling rather dissatisfied with the whole thing to say the least. I hope it doesn't put you off entirely.
I think the idea of opening up a means for all "learners" to have their say during a course is a good one; the only problem is that the sheer number of learners may mean that you have to sift through a lot in order to find those whose comments are really pertinent rather than supportively anecdotal. The idea of 'shared experience' & 'supported learning' is not new; you have to decide how you wish to respond &, more importantly, if you wish to - it's not mandatory. (Sorry if I have belaboured!)

for your generous open offer regarding German.
Play your favourite tune for me tomorrow!

I did a course with Future Learn about the heart as I have heart problems. I found some of the diet advice out of date and was always being encouraged to join in discussing what other 'students' have written.
Being a retired teacher myself I was only interested in what the experts were saying and not what Joe Bloggs on the other side of the world thought about the subject.
Is this how they teach nowadays?
I'm still playing my piano and would not have started if I had not caught a thread on GN about it. Such a pleasure daily and especially now that I can't get out so much.

If any of you are leaning German and want to carry on a simple correspondence then you can PM me and I'll answer it.

How lovely to hear of some more successes!

Hello there RosemaryS, your idea of a blog is an interesting one - I wonder about a thread/blog for those of us currently undertaking studies (both virtual & actual) where both the highlights & difficuties can be shared. (Can you tell I hit a snag recently?) For me, returning to learning, in the virtual company of others, was an absolute joy. I was feeling "past it" until I realised I was just stagnating - now I bubble!
PS I love the sound of a course on adventure!! Tell me more!

Oh, DameJudy, how great - more details please! As for the feelings of terror just be like a swan, glide serenely on the surface & paddle like hell below!
PS love the moniker - did you see my previous post regarding Dame Judy D?

Live & learn one & all!

Congrats DameJudy! What a lovely subject to do.

Congrats GrandmaMoira on getting your 2 credits and good luck with the next year.

Thank you Primrose

Hope I don't have to go through all that teenage angst again, it was bad enough the first time

Congratulations DameJudy

I've been accepted for a Fine Art degree in September. Am excited and terrified in equal measure!

I was just thinking of starting a thread on lifelong learning and then I found this one. I can see that I landed in the right place, so thanks Poshgran.

It's fascinating to read what you're all doing - so varied!

I'm thinking of writing a blog post about it, rounding up a whole load of the free courses that are online. I've been collecting details and have done a few courses. Would a round up be of interest do you all think? Or would a post on the benefits of lifelong learning be a good one?

As for me, I've done a freebie course on aging and the environment from Delft University, a course on adventure from an Australian university, a course on how the body gets to use energy. I'm also learning Croatian online and doing a course on writing (that's where the blog post comes in!).

Poshgran - congrats on your OU degree! I did 2 and half credits and it got me into full time university as a mature student so I'm a real fan of the OU - and I know how hard it is to do it. Thanks again for the thread.

Congratulations GrandmaMoira

Many congratulations on your successes this year GMoira. I hope you have celebrated your achievement.
I think it's a good idea to carry straight on with study such as you are doing, as you must have developed a routine, which if you "take a year off" can be hard to re-establish. Good luck for the 2nd year. (Do you start in Oct?)
I'm still cross-stitching, knitting & needle tatting, but chiefly annoying FutureLearn with my continued presence on their courses - I'm currently learning How to Read a Novel !!

Is there anyone else out there learning new skills & ideas - come on, do tell!!

I've just passed my second year of OU Humanities degree - equal to first year of full time uni. I'm pleased with myself having never studied at this level before. I find it doesn't take anywhere near as much time as they say but I'm expecting an increase in workload next year.

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Wow**

Ha Ha PoshGranit looks like it! But have only been doing them to keep my brain active. So far so good. The courses were done over a few years. I like the fact that they are all free. I haven't done any this year as I've been far too tired with all the new meds that I've been prescribed for significant heart failure coronary heart disease and unstable angina. I just hope my body will get used to them so I can start my studies during the Wintertime. Time will tell.

devongirl, that is why I said I was fortunate to be able to afford them.

I limit myself of the maximum of one per term, but, having said tha,t I haven't done any for two years because none interested me enough to justify the expense.

Wow rascal! Seriously impressed with your FutureLearn credentials - are you a test-driver for them?

Well I have been trying to keep my brain active so have been doing courses through Future Learn. The ones I have completed are;

Anatomy: Know Your Abdomen

EHealth: Combining Psychology, Technology and Health.

Food as Medicine.

Forensic Psychology: Witness Investigation.

Forensic Science and Criminal Justice.

Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree.

Improving Management of IBS.

Internet of Things for Active Ageing.

Introduction to Forensic Science.

Law for Non-Lawyers.

Learning online: Learning and Collaborating.

Musculoskeletal System: the Science of Staying Active into Old Age.

Social Media Analytics.

Strategies for Successful Ageing.

The Science of Nutrition.

Understanding Anxiety, Depression & CBT.