This study sought to answer the question, "How can intergenerational programs in the K-8 school setting facilitate service learning?". Two Seattle schools, one public and one private, were utilized to determine the components of successful intergenerational programs incorporating the whole school approach. Parents, seniors, administrators, principals, teachers, and students were interviewed and surveyed to determine their knowledge and understanding of various factors including community, community service, and service learning as well as attitudes and perceptions toward the different generations. It was found that topical national public policy has provided guidance for the development of state and local programs that build internal and external community in the K-8 school setting through implementation of Intergenerational Service Learning strategies.
A step-by-step guide on how to develop meaningful intergenerational programs, this user-friendly text provides pre-service and in-service teachers with an understanding of the importance of such programs. The author provides concrete lesson plans that can be used to begin a new program or to be a part of existing curricula.
The "intergenerational programming concept," now garnering increased interest in America, has been applied to Japanese society as a strategy for maintaining intergenerational and cultural continuity in the face of social and demographic changes. While Japan is known for its enduring and resilient family structure which provides support for people of all ages, the country's growing aged population, combined with a trend away from three-generation families and changing social values, exposes a need for new mechanisms beyond the family to promote intergenerational communication, support, and cultural continuity. The authors identify a rich geographically diverse set of intergenerational programs and activities that serve a wide range of human and community development objectives. Beyond promoting intergenerational understanding among participants, these initiatives function to help people to pursue their educational objectives, arts and recreation interests, desired states of health and welfare, environmental preservation and community development goals, and religious and spiritual well-being. Intergenerational endeavors constitute an integral approach for supplementing familial support systems and maintaining social cohesion in Japan as it enters the twenty-first century.
Intergenerational Programs: Understanding What We Have Created focuses on research efforts to design, improve, and evaluate activities among younger and older individuals while examining how intergenerational activities impact children, families, and older adult participants. The first single volume to reflect the current state of research knowledge in this area, this vital guide provides practitioners, program developers, researchers, and students with case studies, research findings, and models and examples of productive activities. It will help you guide short- and long-term program development, document activity effectiveness, and ensure program survival during fiscal hardships to give participants constructive and positive experiences. Discussing the opportunity to transfer experience and knowledge of older persons in our society to future generations, Intergenerational Programs: Understanding What We Have Created examines the challenges that may arise in providing meaningful activities for younger and older persons. This helpful book explores research methods, such as qualitative approaches with large, national data sets; observations; program histories; and qualitative analyses of interviews with small numbers of program participants to help you create appropriate activities and foster interdependence between these two age groups. Intergenerational Programs: Understanding What We Have Created will help you research programs and produce successful activity outcomes with such techniques as: using an ethnographic approach, involving a holistic perspective and using field-based data collection methods, to meet the challenges of creating programs among two different age groups and the social problems each group faces using constructivist and sociocultural orientations, which are traditionally applied to a “classroom learning,” to offer new ways of viewing and assessing learning in community-based programs understanding the positive effects grandparents can have on their grandchildren, including helping parents resolve children's behavioral problems and assisting in providing positive environments incorporating knowledge of drug abuse issues, problem-solving skills, feelings of self-worth, and academic goals into programs to benefit youths developing elder-care services in conjunction with businesses to improve the quality of life for the elderly and the workers, as well as decreasing workers’absenteeism, mistakes, and time used to make personal calls to elderly relatives who need careComprehensive and intelligent, this current book contains studies and research that explore the negative and positive aspects of certain activities, allowing you to learn from the experiences of others. This book provides research methods and evaluation measures to help you decide what kinds of activities are needed in order to best benefit participants. As a result, you will be able to create relevant programs, assess their effectiveness, and help join different generations in working together for an improved quality of life for all group members.
This open access book provides a comprehensive perspective on the concept of ageism, its origins, the manifestation and consequences of ageism, as well as ways to respond to and research ageism. The book represents a collaborative effort of researchers from over 20 countries and a variety of disciplines, including, psychology, sociology, gerontology, geriatrics, pharmacology, law, geography, design, engineering, policy and media studies. The contributors have collaborated to produce a truly stimulating and educating book on ageism which brings a clear overview of the state of the art in the field. The book serves as a catalyst to generate research, policy and public interest in the field of ageism and to reconstruct the image of old age and will be of interest to researchers and students in gerontology and geriatrics.
Loads of learning takes place in the classroom, but it is by no means the only place for students to gain knowledge and experience. This innovative resource introduces service learning and why it can be such a helpful tool for students, the elderly, and the larger community. Successful service learning projects are described throughout the book, which highlight how they work as well as the benefits of getting to know the often overlooked senior population within our communities. Forthright discussions of the challenges and benefits highlight why service-learning projects can be a satisfying, fun, and memorable way to learn.
First published in 1997. This work describes the relationship between intergenerational practice and theory by combining details about current programmes with developmental and societal information. It presents the components for intergenerational programs that impact on the field's history, current status, and future, the book introduces the basic theoretical information for this human service initiative.
Presents a case study of Project Dorot, a middle school intergenerational service learning program developed for the fifth grade at a private school in Chicago.
The underlying goal of today's focus on service learning is helping children experience joy in community service - in cooperating, helping, caring, and demonstrating civic responsibility - while engaging them in learning. It is also the main point of this incredibly practical new book. Truly a hands-on guide to every aspect of implementing "service learning", from organizing the very first project to building school/community partnerships, this resource provides the means to improving education for children of all ages. In it are over 400 involving activities and projects. Some of the projects can be completed in a short time, while others require significant time commitments. All are curriculum-related; drawn from the experiences of actual teachers around the country; and serve to build self-esteem, promote critical thinking skills, and enhance academic, social, and psychological development. For teachers and administrators working with children from kindergarten through junior high school and for parents, community agencies, and educators on all levels. Specific details show how to plan, select, and design projects of varying duration, and thorough guidelines explain how to implement the project. Separate chapters on community service with senior citizens, the homeless, multicultural groups, special children, and the environment provide what's needed to incorporate activities on these pertinent topics.
