Teaching Resources Overview
- Reporting on the state of ageism around the world, the World Health Organization has noted that “ageism is prevalent, ubiquitous and insidious because it goes largely unrecognized and unchallenged" (WH0, 2021, p. IX).
- Instruction about lifespan development in the educational system in the United States and other countries tends to focus on early development through adolescence.
- There is little education about lifelong aging in primary and secondary schools, colleges, and even in professional health and service programs leading to careers working with older adults (Crawford, 2105; Levy, 2016; McGuire, 2017; Montepare et al, 2020; Whitbourne & Montepare, 2017).
- Given pervasive stereotypes of middle to late adulthood in the mass and social media, individuals in the United States and other countries have instead been miseducated about aging and adulthood.
- Thus, instruction is needed to address misunderstandings and myths (stereotypes) about aging and middle to late adulthood.
- At the same time, instruction is needed to increase awareness and understanding of ageism along with other isms and how interlocking systems of privilege and bias maintain stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination in a society.
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