Relational pedagogy places relationships at the heart of teaching and learning. But what can a relationship with an untrained elderly adult teach a young child? In 2022, researchers in Ireland studied the benefits of intergenerational learning, with convincing results.
What they did: The study collected responses from five early years practitioners, 70 children aged three to five, and 43 of their parents, attending five Irish early years settings. Over nine months in 2019, the settings visited services supporting adults generally aged 65 and older, in nursing homes, day-care services or independent living centres. These happened weekly, fortnightly, monthly or twice a school term. Sessions involved children doing varied activities with the adults, including talking, playing, singing, arts and crafts, and eating.
What they found: The children developed nurturing relationships with the elderly adults, which educators said made them happy. “[For children in the service] to be happy… that is one of the most important things,” said one educator. “Educators identified children feeling loved and cared for,” the study states.
The practitioners told researchers these relationships differed from those the children had with other adults in their childcare settings. They suggested the environment in elderly people’s settings was less hurried and so the adults were more available to give children attention.
Prior to the outings, some parents were concerned children would lose out on academic learning. They were worried about safeguarding or how children with additional needs might react. But practitioners anticipated and addressed parents’ concerns. For example, by taking autistic children on visits in smaller groups. Parents could also participate. In the end, they became “overwhelmingly positive” about the visits.
Practitioners had concerns about potential risks. Some voiced reservations about sharing a teaching role with untrained adults. But educators observed children dealt well with potentially challenging incidents, such as when one elderly adult spoke about war. “The next day they [children] wanted to know about the war,” said the educator. The reporters concluded that the “relatively complex” older adult environment played a role in “extending children’s capacity as capable learners”.
What does this mean for me? The results suggest adopting an intergenerational learning approach, or learning in the community, can offer highly enriching learning opportunities for children. If you would like to try it in your setting, follow the links below for ideas.
- ‘Intergenerational learning as a pedagogical strategy in early childhood education services: perspectives from an Irish study’: https://tinyurl.com/ybaa3esh
- Generations Working Together: https://tinyurl.com/3cnub4wy