Viking Magazine - September 2013 - 23

t's a cliché, but how many of us still cling
to that old mantra-you can't teach an old
dog new tricks? Maybe you repeat it as an
excuse for not trying something new, or maybe
you really believe it.
I
For years, Kari Berit-an expert in adult
learning and Director of the Norwegian Adult
Learning Programs for Concordia Language
Villages (CLV)-believed it, too.
" My message growing
up was, once you get past
high school, you're done, "
she says. " Older adults can't
learn a language. " That was
until 1989, when she was recruited
to teach a Norwegian
class to a group of seniors.
" I was not prepared at all
for the active, engaged older
adults, " she says.
That fi rst group of seniors
inspired Berit to return to
school and get a master's degree
in adult education. She's
since made a career writing
and speaking on older adult
issues, including language
and mental fi tness.
Berit has designed her
programs at CLV to play
to adult learners' strengths,
integrating study with the
knowledge and history
each student brings to class.
" Adult learners like to know
how this new piece of learning
has value for them, "
she says. " They come to the
class not to be fi lled, but to
share and to learn. "
Berit, who has been
known to go around the
room de-wrinkling students'
foreheads, also aims to keep
her classes fun and relaxed,
which fosters learning.
" We laugh a lot in our
class, " she says. " Does it go
off track? Absolutely, but
that's okay because when
we're laughing and having
fun, and we go back into
something we just worked
on, they do much better
because they're relaxed. "
Now in her 24th year
teaching Norwegian to adults
19 to 92 at CLV's Skogfjorden
camp near Bemidji,
Minn., she just laughs when
someone tells her, " I'm too
old to learn. "
" Here's the deal, " she says.
" It's defi nitely easier when
you're a kid. We might slow
down as we get older, but that
doesn't mean we get stupid. "
Need proof? Meet three
members who decided to
learn Norwegian as adults
and walked away with far
more than a working knowledge
of the language.
Kari Berit, Director of Norwegian
Adult Learning Programs,
Concordia Language Villages
she says.
BECKY
Connecting With Family
In 1990, Becky Distad
Rossi traveled to Norway
for the fi rst time equipped
with three years of high
school German and a few
Norwegian phrases she
picked up from a how-to
cassette tape.
" Meeting cousins, they
all spoke English, " she says.
" I thought, 'how selfi sh am
I to go to Norway and expect
them to speak English
to me?' "
That trip sparked her interest,
but Rossi, 52, who lives
in Poland, Ohio, and didn't
have access to Norwegian
classes or conversation
groups, put her language
ambitions on the back burner.
Then, about four years
ago, one of Rossi's Norwegian
cousins sent her a
series of study materials
from Norway. That's when
she committed to becoming
fl uent on her own. " I
was determined to learn, "
Go to Camp. During the
summer kids of all ages fl ock
to Skogfjorden to learn about
Norway, but for one week
in the fall and one weekend
in the spring, the camp is
taken over by adults. Visit
concordialanguagevillages.org
Adult Skogfjorden participants help
Kari Berit (right) introduce a meal.
Go Back to School.
Online study is a great
option, especially for those
without ready access to
Norwegian classes. The
University of North Dakota
offers two beginning
Norwegian courses.
Students not enrolled as
undergraduates must be
admitted as non-degreeseeking
students. Visit
arts-sciences.und.edu/
languages/norwegian.
Have a favorite Norwegian
language program for adults?
Share it at vikingeditor@
mspcustomcontent.com.
sonsofnorway.com VIKING SEPTEMBER 2013 23
http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org http://arts-sciences.und.edu/ http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - September 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - September 2013
