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.
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