Which strategy would be most effective to address students' stereotypes about older adults?

Which strategy would be most effective to address students' stereotypes about older adults?

• A. Inviting students to video-record and share interviews with older relatives about their education, work, and service experiences.
• B. Discussing aging statistics in a lecture without student participation.
• C. Having students write essays about aging stereotypes.
• D. Displaying general surveys about aging without discussion.

Answer: (A)

Engaging students in direct, personal exchange with older adults through video-recorded interviews about their education, work, and service experiences provides concrete, individualized examples that challenge stereotypes. Hearing real stories helps students see the diversity of aging—different careers, levels of activity, contributions, and ways of learning—so they move beyond one-dimensional images of older people. This kind of interaction promotes empathy, reflection, and a more nuanced understanding, making attitudes more likely to change. Passive options like a statistics lecture without participation, essays about stereotypes, or surveys shown without discussion don’t invite students to connect personally with older adults or to rehearse new perspectives, so they’re less effective at reducing stereotypes.

Engaging students in direct, personal exchange with older adults through video-recorded interviews about their education, work, and service experiences provides concrete, individualized examples that challenge stereotypes. Hearing real stories helps students see the diversity of aging—different careers, levels of activity, contributions, and ways of learning—so they move beyond one-dimensional images of older people. This kind of interaction promotes empathy, reflection, and a more nuanced understanding, making attitudes more likely to change.

Passive options like a statistics lecture without participation, essays about stereotypes, or surveys shown without discussion don’t invite students to connect personally with older adults or to rehearse new perspectives, so they’re less effective at reducing stereotypes.