Speak up, break in and learn

And that's the way the nearly 500 students who participate in classes with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arizona like it.

In fact, it's an unspoken requirement that people contribute at least once in a two-hour class instead of just listening to the banter.

"It's called participatory learning," said Kenneth Greenfield, a seven-year OLLI veteran who does double duty as a student and class leader, as many participants do. "You get much more out of it than if you just sit back and listen."

This is the 20th year OLLI — formerly called Senior Achievement Through Growth and Education — has given people over 50 the opportunity to expand their minds in classes about literature, science, history or the arts.

For the first 19 years, the classes met in two small rooms, on East Second Street and North Euclid Avenue, and there were times when class sizes almost violated the fire code, said OLLI branch President Sandee Binyon.

Now the classes are held farther west, in the southeast corner of the annex at West Sixth Street and North Main Avenue. Now that the nonprofit organization has its own wing, it has been able to expand the number of classes it offers and allow more people to take them. The fall semester, which began in September, is not as popular as the spring semester but still brings almost two dozen people to each class.

The organization started as a way to keep retirees and those approaching retirement age from falling into the perceived stereotypes of older people, Binyon said.

"These people are looking for something beyond sitting at home," she said. "The scope of retirement is changing."

The classes at OLLI are chosen by a committee of volunteers. Classes are not really taught; they are led by a study group leader, who might have previous experience in the field or might spend months before the first class studying the material.

No grades are given, and no one has to cram for a final exam at the end of the 12-week semester.

There is a syllabus for the class, but for the most part the group discussion dictates the course's direction on a given day.

In Charles Peters' class on the history of the periodical, for example, a debate grows on the similarities between the coffee shops of 18th-century London and today's Internet cafes. Greenfield, 75, starts much of the discussion and said he feels stimulated when discussing various topics in the classes, which run Monday through Friday in three two-hour blocks.

"Not only do you give, but you take," he said.

OLLI students can access the university library by purchasing a CatCard. Education is further enhanced with guest appearances by UA professors, many of whom are returning the favor to an OLLI student who participated in a UA lecture based on that retiree's profession.

"It was incredibly valuable for us to have those professors come to speak to us," said OLLI member Ernie Cohen, 70.

OLLI members continue to contribute to the UA. Last weekend, about five of them helped interview 435 potential candidates for enrollment in the Eller College of Management's upperclassmen ranks.

CENTRAL

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The spring semester begins in January. The $225 fee covers membership in OLLI and is good for unlimited classes in Tucson and Green Valley. Green Valley residents can pay $50 per semester for Green Valley classes only. An additional text-and-materials fee may apply.

For more information, go to www.ceao.arizona.edu/seniors/olli.html or call 626-9039.