Social interactions of the elderly: Mapping pedagogical strategies for Distance

摘要

This research aims to map out possible pedagogical strategies for improve the social relations of elderly in distance courses. Around the world are increasing the number of the old-aged people, at the same time the interest in courses of continued education. The distance education is the one of viable ways for the elders, because allow an increase of best quality of life based in their interests and needs. However, a lack of studies about this subject and who contemplate the aged public is observed, particularly in the social interactions. Therefore, this research mapped possible pedagogical strategies for the distance education that can be adopted with elderly toward to maximize the social relations. The used methodology was case of study qualitative and quantitative. For the data collect, it was used a semi-structured questionnaire, the reports of elderly and participant observation. The participants were 16 elderly aged over 60 years who entered in course of digital inclusion. Through the course, the elderly participated, at distance, in a workshop about literary memories. In this process, it was possible to map pedagogical strategies that allowed greater social interaction among participants. In these mapped strategies, it is possible to observe the utilization of: synchronous and asynchronous tools of the virtual learning environment, the adoption of communication resources through mobile devices, such as WhatsApp, the necessity of face meetings, to remedy potential difficulties in the use of technological resources, the utilization of explanatory tutorials about the communication tools, the teacher intervention and mediation, and others. Social relations, present factors that instigate the elderly and contributing to their quality of life. This reality provides opportunities of depth research about this subject, especially in education.