It is concluded that, the involvement of seniors in a university course as discussed previously has been highly beneficial to students in several aspects.
First, the aged actors obviously have motivated, and also served as role models, for those young students to learn when they become old. Students were also affected by the seniors’ enthusiasm in life as actors and especially as aged adults.
In addition, the students’ general attitudes, according to their own class reports, toward the aged have dramatically changed; for example, some students confessed that, if not having the opportunity to personally encounter with these senior members from the “Si Lin Men”, it would be impossible for them to know how an aged life can be so alive, positive, and active.
Thirdly, young students often found emotional scenes difficult to act, while on the contrary these aged actors masters to manipulate emotion on stage. In other words,
the experienced actors could perform to be leaders in a sentimental moment and thus guaranteed the young students to be in the “right” mood.
Finally, based on the life stories personally narrated by these experienced actors, the students have learned a history, despite its layman nature, which they never thought they would comprehend otherwise. It appears that such combination of the aged and the young in the same classroom has had these special learning outcomes beyond the author’s teaching expectation.
As the aged actors could have obviously brought lots of fun to the class, there were still difficulties in teaching such a mixed group. It is noticed, for example, that the planning and scheduling of course activities needed to be slowed down significantly or to make special arrangements since the pace of the two groups involved was indeed different. It seems to be a good practice to consult with the seniors before the course and to reschedule extra time for them to practice their roles.
(The picture shows the contrast between actors in two different aging groups in rehearsal. For one thing, for instance, stage directions as well as lines have to be provided repetitively for aged players, while young students could quickly learn all the lines and blocking.)
Develop better skills to run time management is then seemed a mandatory technique for future classes. For one thing, as young students were fast in remembering lines and dialogues in the play and could improvise story lines by
themselves, which means not much rehearse time was required in the rehearsal, while involved with the aged actors from the “Si Lin Men” troupe, however, it was clear that they had difficulties in keeping tracks of the hours past when they were in the act, unless that they were physically tired. Repetition in the same act always took plenty of time.
Appendix: Universities and Research Centers in Taiwan
1. National Cheng Kung University, Institute of Gerontology College of Medicine (http://www.ncku.edu.tw/~geront/)
Courses offered include “Social Welfare for the Elders,” “Research Methods,”
“Geriatrics,“ “Introduction to Health and Social Care System.”
2. Yuan Ze University, Gerotechnology Research Center (http://grc.yzu.edu.tw/) No courses offered.
3. Minghsin University, Department of Senior Citizen Service Management (http://acade.must.edu.tw/index.aspx?UnitID=30305)
A series of courses in (1) Preventive Medicine (2) Long-term Care for the Elders, (3) Psychology and communication, (4) Social Welfare and Community Services, (5) Life Planning and Leisure, (6) Management for Business associated with Elders.
4. National Chung Cheng University, Graduate Institute of Elder Education (http://www.ccu.edu.tw/~gieed/)
Courses are related to “adult education.”
5. Toko University, the Department of Applied Gerontology (http://deptweb.toko.edu.tw/elderly/index.files/Page266.htm) Four-year courses are related to general care and social welfare.
6. Taipei Medical University, College of Nursing (http://nursing.tmu.edu.tw/) A series of courses are provided in “life care and management,” “acute care,”
and “long-term care.”
7. Shih Chien University, Research Center for Elder Life and Health
None degree program with courses in gerontology, geriatrics, senior nutrition, chronic diseases for elderly, senior health & welfare laws, senior family study, social work with elderly, nursing home management, introduction to senior housing environment, practicum, senior industry, thesis.
8. National Taiwan University, Population and Gender Studies Center.
(http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~psc/index%5B1%5D.htm) Long-term care for the elders is one of the many research topics.
9. Fu Jen Catholic University, College of Medicine
(http://www.mc.fju.edu.tw/gerontology/intro.html)
A 30 credit hour program in gerontology with gerontology core and professional core is offered. Required courses are “adult development and aging,” “fitness of aging,” “activity design of later life.”
To view more of the program, please check the following website:
http://www.mc.fju.edu.tw/gerontology/intro4.html
10. Chang Jung Christian University, Center of Elderly Population Business Management (http://210.70.170.219/administer_detail.php?sn=31)
gerontology, administration and system management in programs for older adults, geriatrics, nursing care for elderly, counseling older adults and their families, need assessment for elderly, senior industry, social policy and aging, senior health and welfare laws, financial management for elderly, management of long term care organization, practicum of senior industry planning.
11. Kaohsiung Medical University, Course of Aging Society
(http://cfip.kmu.edu.tw/front/bin/cglist.phtml?Category=100084)
Courses offered are social gerontology, introduction to elderly health care policy, aging physiology, geriatrics, life care and ethics, gerontological nursing,
geriatrics, psychiatry for geriatric, geriatric, and pharmacotherapy.
For other courses
see: http://cfip.kmu.edu.tw/ezcatfiles/cust/img/img/16/10698.pdf 12. Chung Shan Medical University
(http://med.csmu.edu.tw/front/bin/ptlist.phtml?Category=281)
Program required courses are in geriatrics, health care/promotion for the elderly, gerontology, psychology, nursing, nutrition, long term Care. Electives courses are from different departments which joined the integrated program.
13. National Taiwan Norman University (http://www.ntnu.edu.tw/aa/aa5/)
This is a newly established program available in fall, 2008, and no detail is published yet.
2009 年 2-3 月赴美國參加 AGHE 年會報告
臧國仁
政治大學新聞系教授
一、 背景說明
二００九年二月底三月初，我與共同主持人蔡琰教授聯袂赴美國德州聖安東 尼市（San Antonio）參加美國「老人高等教育學會」（Association for Gerontology in Higher Education，簡稱 AGHE，唸法如「阿-嘎-哈-伊」）年會。此時已是學校 開學第一週，二十五日（周二晚間）出發三月三日（週一）一早即已抵台北，來 去匆匆不及一週時間，直可謂是風塵僕僕了。
二、 有關 AGHE（網址：
http://www.aghe.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=40634）
AGHE 成立於 1974 年，其組織宗旨有二，分別是促進學術單位重視老人學 與老人醫學（geriatrics）與提供老人學與老人醫學師生所需之領導與支持，定期 出版學術季刊《老人與老人醫學教育》（Gerontology & Geriatrics Education，已出
版三十期）。1988 年該會決定加入美國歷史最悠久之專業團體「美國老人協會」
（ Gerontological Society of America，簡稱 GSA）成為會員組織，共同為推廣老 人知識而盡力。
依網路資料顯示，AGHE 之校級會員目前（2008-2009）共有 151 所，遍及 美國 48 州與其他五國（Australia, Canada, Jamaica, Japan, and Korea）。細究這些 大學名單，卻可發現「名校」甚少，較為人所熟知者僅有 Stanford University, Indiana University, UCLA, Cornell University, Michigan State University, University of
Florida 等，部分會員學校性質屬於兩年制或四年制學院（而非大學）。
此點若從其年會手冊裡的廣告亦可略見端倪，招生大學多為「名不見經傳」
（如 Appalachian State University, Boone, NC; Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH; Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN），有老人學博士班授予者僅有兩校
（Miami University（位在佛州）與 Southern California University），顯然「老人 學」之學術研究猶欠深度，在美國高等教育之推廣尚有漫長道路。
然而參加 AGHE 之專業人士背景卻十分廣泛，分別來自護理、社福、醫學、
健康管理（復健）、政府機關、心理（並以老人醫學、護理、心理三者最多），此
一特色使其每年年會各小組討論時常有多元意見，彼此包容性因而更強，會員向 心力遠較一般學術團體為高。
三、參加年會經過
本次年會主題為「在老年內心深處：透過教育與訓練【加強】宣導健康未來」
（Deep in the Heart of Aging: Promoting Health Futures through Education and
Training），與會者透過學術研究、論文、報告、壁報、討論、演講、資源交換（拍
賣）、書籍及多媒體展覽（film, DVD）等各種方式彼此溝通有關老人的專業知識
及老人研究與教學經驗，會議時間共計四天（Feb. 26-March 1），參加人數約在 三百人左右，為中型學術會議。
首日（週四）主要活動為開幕式，時間安排在晚間，週五與週六方為論文發 表時間，週日則為頒獎，午宴之後結束年會。我們抵達時間已是週四深夜，因而
僅能參加週五一早的「生手早餐」，隨即四處聆聽論文報告。我們自己的論文（內
容見【附件一】）發表時間是週六上午 10:30，共有四篇論文（含本論文），聽者
約有十數人，反應相當熱烈（見下說明）。
簡單來說，此篇論文回顧一門開設於 2008 年上學期的「表演課」內容，邀
請台灣有名的老人劇團「喜臨門」團員共十人（年齡分佈於 62 至 90 歲）與 15 位修課同學（多數為大三生）共同演出舞台劇（學生們多擔任劇場助理而由老人
們演出），劇情涉及了老人們如何在中日戰爭（第二次世界大戰）生存。
有趣的是，有些老人演員是「外省人」，中日戰爭期間曾親身加入中國軍隊
與日本軍進行「殊死戰」，另些老人演員則是「本省人」，其時因台灣屬日本殖民
地而被徵召至中國與東南亞等地戰區以「皇軍」身份作戰。至於修課同學，有些
來自海外（馬來西亞三位、日本一位、韓國一位），另些則分屬本地不同家庭背
景（如有些同學家裡是外省軍人出身，有些則是本省家庭）。而在舞台上演出的
戲裡，男主角被派往菲律賓為皇軍效命，戰後返台四處尋找失散已久的可憐妻
子，實際生活裡這位老先生裡卻來自中國大陸的「外省人」。
總之，戲裡戲外老人們與青年學子打成一片，彼此學習，成為前所未有的教
學經驗。舉例來說，學生自創的情節多涉及了「死亡」，但在社會習俗裡「死亡」
一向是長者最為避諱的事情；整學期裡，學生與老人們卻都似乎未曾關注此事。
反之，老人們對生命的熱情也常讓年輕朋友感動，自承若非此次經驗「將無法體 認老人生活也可如此朝氣、正面、主動」。
以上報告透過兩位作者的描述並搭配以實際演出的 ppt 展示，讓在場聽眾為 之動容，有些甚至熱淚盈眶，畢竟如上述的複雜人生遭遇並非常見，一旦以教學 故事形式描繪出來極易令人產生共鳴。發表會的聽眾隨後提出幾個問題也多針對 此篇論文，而將另外三位發表人「冷凍」在旁，令人莞爾。
四、檢討與學習
由於此次參加會議已逢大學開學，行程極為緊湊，無法有足夠時間消化所有
會議論文。但在短短三天內我們注意到，此一學術年會與其他相關團體之主辦方
式有很大差異，簡單來說則可謂「溝通多過論辯」。
如前述，參加本團體之會員多來自小型學府，因而彼此間並無理念之爭議，
反而多在討論與延伸。舉例言之，年會固然安排眾多「論文」發表場次（paper sessions），亦有許多「資源分享」（resource exchange），其形式十分有趣，大廳 中安置圓桌數個，每桌先有發表人一，聽眾可自行決定前往哪桌聆聽發表人之教 學經驗分享或研究提案。二十分鐘後，鈴聲響起眾人可自行決定換桌或留在圓桌 繼續討論，如此轉台數次始終。由於報告時間甚短，重點不在發表人的論點正確 與否而在討論其可延伸發展之想法。
以某場為例，發表人提出可供老人教學課程輔助使用之好萊塢電影，聽眾據 此提出其他可能沿用之電影片名與內容。每個人的經驗不同，因而所能蒐集出來 的片子愈講愈多，幾至不能罷休，十分熱烈。
另外，年會也安排多項頒獎活動。如最後一天（週日）早上頒授首次舉辦教 學獎（Hiram Friedsman Mentorship Award）給 Miami University 老人研究中心主 任 S. Kunkel 教授，表彰他在過去二十多年的老人教學生涯。現場來了許多她過 去與現在的學生，獻花、講演皆有，十分動人，讓人興起「有為者亦若是」之感。
總之，此次首次（蔡琰教授為第二次）參加此一年會，可以體會其精緻安排，
尤以眾多老人學之教學者與研究者共聚一堂交換想法，更能堅定我等繼續在此領 域努力之心志，可謂不虛此行矣。
附件一：參加國際會議論文
Give them history –
A learning experience in a Taiwanese acting course
by Yean Tsai
&
Kuo-Jen Tsang
Professors at the College of Communication National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Paper presented to the 35th Annual Meeting Association for Gerontology in Higher Education
San Antonio, Texas Feb. 25 – Mar. 1, 2009
Give them history –
A learning experience in a Taiwanese acting course
Abstract
“We’ve made history in this class after we had a chance to perform on stage with a group of grandpas and grandmas aged over 75 this semester. Although they were not as agile as us but they did show much affection in personating characters comparing with us inexperienced youngsters. I was agitated when I saw ‘Black Cat,’ the 90-year-old grandma, sang the Chinese opera on stage, and I wondered what I would be when I became ninety. Would I be as passionate as she is to acting?”
The above note came from a student’s class review held in early January, 2008.
The class, entitled “Acting,” was offered to 15 junior students in the Department of RTV, National Chengchi University. In fall, 2007, impromptu acting exercises and games were applied to the class, with a very different teaching approach for the first time. The class then invited ten senior citizens, all having had previous acting experiences, to join in the class. These seniors agreed to play and share the same stage
The class, entitled “Acting,” was offered to 15 junior students in the Department of RTV, National Chengchi University. In fall, 2007, impromptu acting exercises and games were applied to the class, with a very different teaching approach for the first time. The class then invited ten senior citizens, all having had previous acting experiences, to join in the class. These seniors agreed to play and share the same stage