Based upon the experiences of New York City Community College (NYCCC) in conducting community workshops in consumer education for the elderly, this manual aims to guide the consumer education teacher in determining the needs of older students, in choosing and practicing appropriate teaching methods, and in locating materials appropriate to the aging. After introductory material on NYCCC's community workshops and the purposes of the manual, Chapter I describes the functions of needs assessment in consumer education for the elderly. It then examines the assessment process used by NYCCC for its consumer workshops and suggests several approaches to needs assessment, providing instructions for a lottery exercise as an example. Chapter II focuses on setting learning objectives, suggesting specific objectives and relating the manner in which NYCCC achieved these goals. Chapter III looks at instructional approaches and methods. It covers the learning characteristics of older adults and provides examples of the traditional and experiential techniques used by NYCCC, including discussion, lecturettes, small group discussions, brainstorming, role playing and simulation, field experiences, and many combinations of these. Chapter IV discusses the use of printed materials with elderly students and provides an extensive list of resources arranged by topic. The appendix provides instructions for various class activities and includes lists of possible discussion topics. (AYC)