Deakin University and Federation University, Australia
Learn, Cook, Grow! Empowering older adult learning through transformative pedagogies and multiliteracies, learning about food insecurity, for health and wellbeing
In the post-pandemic era of Australia, as in the rest of the world, and against a backdrop of global aging social, environmental and health challenges, addressing the need for community wellness has never been more important (Schmidt-Hertha, Formosa & Fragoso, 2019). Australians are experiencing a level of financial difficulty that is impacting individuals’ and families’ ability to afford the necessities of life. Food security, or food insecurity, is becoming increasingly prevalent as more people access essential food items from food banks, welfare agencies, schools, Neighbourhood Houses and community centres. This paper outlines a case study of older adult learning in a cooking class delivered in a Neighbourhood House in Tasmania. These centres provide pre-accredited, informal, and incidental learning opportunities for adult learners, often returning to education for the first time since secondary school. The paper reveals adult learning in the “Learn, Cook, Grow” class as people attend a class to learn how to cook food and eat nutritiously and economically while furthering their knowledge about living healthily.
The data in this paper was generated from a larger study of adult learning in Australia, titled ‘Adult and Lifelong Learning in Australian Community Contexts: Learning Capabilities for Study, work and Life (Foley & Ollis, 2024). This paper draws on Jarvis’s (2006) theory of whole-person learning, which emphasises a change in learner identity occurs as adult learners use cognition to develop knowledge, have emotional responses to learning and are influenced and make meaning from the materiality of their life experiences. Our paper reveals learner empowerment and transformation interpreted through the lens of adult and lifelong learning and provides insight into addressing the growing need to promote and support healthy ageing.
We argue that the relationality of this multiple literacies social space, including pedagogies of care and support provided by teachers and volunteers. Provides a place for older adult learners to build relationships with others, improve literacy skills, forge new connections and friendships, reduce social isolation, improve health and well-being and build further community connectedness.