Intergenerational Learning in the School

Author(s):

Petr Novotný(presenting / submitting)Karla Brücknerová(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 04 B, Professional Learning

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-03

09:00-10:30

Room:

B033 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Jenny Reeves

Contribution

The presentation deals with intergenerational learning in the school. Researching intergenerational learning in school environments (in basic and secondary schools), we wish to explore non-formal and informal learning within school curricula and activities for teachers, within support mechanisms for novice teachers provided by experienced teachers or mentors as well as within mechanisms of everyday sharing and cooperation (i.e. beyond intergenerational learning between adults and children). The importance and appeal of researching the topic of intergenerational learning in school is the stronger for the fact that developing teacher expertise and acquiring a non-formal status of an expert teacher is a slow and difficult process requiring expertise maintenance and renewal throughout the teaching career (Švaříček, 2011). This is another reason why the question how the specific situation in school is shared between generations (Lazarová, 2011) must be answered. It thus presents us with a relevant research goal.

Intergenerational learning as a research topic has been a relatively new addition to the educational sciences discourse despite its being an inseparable part of learning and education in the occupational and profession-related context. Hatton and Yeo (European Approaches to Inter-generational Lifelong Learning, 2008, p. 3) define intergenerational learning as “a process through which individuals of all ages acquire skills and knowledge but also attitudes and values, from everyday experience, all kinds of sources and in all ways in their own ‘lived worlds’”. The importance of intergenerational learning has recently been emphasized by many factors: population ageing, increasing chances of healthy old age, and prolonged job careers create opportunities for several generations meeting in the workplace; knowledge in its turn economy increases the need for creating, expanding and sharing knowledge; etc.

Research project "Intergenerational Learning in Various Social Environments" is supported by Czech Science Foundation (GA13-07234S). The objective of the project is to describe and explain processes of intergenerational learning in the workplace, at school and in the community – in three environments with a significant potential for this type of learning. The findings will help to develop the knowledge base and the – so far underdeveloped – theory of intergenerational learning. The main research question of the research is: What and how do members of different generations learn and which opportunities for mutual learning do they get in situations in their work life?

Method

The methodology of the project combines quantitative and qualitative techniques as required by the research questions. The methodological process consists of five steps following the logic of a sequential embedded design within mixed methods research (Creswell, Plano Clark, 2006; Bergman, 2008). The research team now has been accomplishing the first phase – empirical data collection. The aim of this phase is to arrive at a complete description and explanation of situations of intergenerational learning. The phase is designed to provide a support for the quantitative phase of the research in intergenerational learning as a little known phenomenon (comp. Hendl, 2005; Miovský, 2006; Yin, 2003). This is to be achieved by the research technique of so-called obserview, i.e. an observation of the behaviours and subsequent study of their interpretations by the participants through in-depth group interviews (Kragelund, 2009). A series of at least twelve independent observiews (the exact number of which will depend on data saturation) focusing on description and explanation of situations in which intergenerational learning takes place. The keys to selecting situations will be the involvement of several generations, time duration and reoccurrence of the situations, and a discernible opportunity for learning. The unit of analysis is a situation, guaranteeing a comprehensive approach to the phenomenon under study (Langová, 1992). The principles guiding the data analysis will be searching for regularities in learning situations (with emphasis on behavioural sequences and conditions leading to the same of similar behaviours), the need for attributing the learning situations to relevant social and cultural contexts, and finally, the need for interrelating the observed learning processes with social position (primarily generational membership). The research phase will seek to answer, among others, the following questions: The observation phase: - Who are the participants of intergenerational learning? - Who and from whom does learn in intergenerational contact? - What is the content of intergenerational learning? - What is the extent and what the nature of the agent’s involvement in learning processes? - In which conditions does intergenerational learning take place? The follow-up interview phase: - What is the learning content from the participants’ perspective? - In which situations do the participants identify their learning as such? - How do the participants perceive learning situations? - Which conditions hinder or support intergenerational learning?

Expected Outcomes

Preliminary analysis of data has revealed the nature of situations in which intergenerational learning occurs among teaching and other school staff. Whether these situations are formal or informal in origin, intergenerational learning is usually not an explicitly stated goal. The exceptions are situations connected to teacher induction and/or situations associated with mentoring. Efficiency of processes of intergenerational learning is also conditioned by wider contexts such as organizational conditions and quality of intergenerational relations. The key organizational prerequisites include the high degree of autonomy which is an integral part of the teacher’s work, as well as time pressure and its management. Intergenerational learning occurs where these conditions are managed actively and where opportunities for communication and cooperation among teachers in general are created. Quality of intergenerational relations is another prerequisite to intergenerational learning. What is very important is whether the relations are characterized by collegiality or rivalry, how the generations perceive one another, and respect of experience and knowledge by others. The topics of intergenerational learning are very diverse and concern all activities that are a part of the teacher’s job. Learning directed from the younger to the older generation typically concerns information and communication technologies while didactic skills are passed from the old to the young. The factor critical for the success of the whole project will be creating a model of intergenerational learning reflecting the entire process of learning from its initiation through the input by individual generations to the application of what has been learned by the teacher in her/his work. The model is currently in the first stage of its development and will be presented at a conference.

References

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Author Information

Petr Novotný (presenting / submitting)

Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts, Dept. of Educational Sciences, Czech Republic

Karla Brücknerová (presenting)