 In Europe, key social and educational policies aim at promoting lifelong and life-wide learning as a way to foster active citizenship across all ages and social strata. The role that various types of public spaces, such as museums, local community centres and areas, computer clubhouses, can play to promote intergenerational social ties and societal learning is paramount. Researchers and policy documents (Hatton-Yeo and Ohsako, 2000; Prensky,2001; Newman, 1997) identify a divide between generations and the need to integrate ageing populations through lifelong learning. We need innovative solutions to prevent societal fragmentation as the demographic of Europe change. Information and Communication Technology (ICT), particularly mobile technology, provides new opportunities to achieve this. Although ICT may be present in the scene, there is still a lack of consolidated knowledge on its role to enhance (or to undermine) intergenerational learning processes and the deriving social dynamics. Furthermore, the emphasis placed on the virtual properties of ICT has often obliterated the important role played by physical spaces: these are constitutive components both of the learning experience itself and of the inter-relational dynamics stimulated by the learning experience. The goals of the Puente project are: - to elaborate methods and a conceptual model for the design of innovative learning environments specifically targeting intergenerational learning in informal learning contexts, such as museums, computer clubhouses and local community centres
- to understand the conditions for transferring these methods and conceptual model to formal learning settings, in particular to primary and secondary schools.
- to identify ways in which ICT can support Intergenerational Learning
- to provide guidelines for the design of learning environments, in which young and old can grow in connection.
The Research Approach Case studyIn the framework of a case study methodology, We conducted five sets of action research covering nine settings in six countries. Puente did not engineer the contexts: the already existed and in some cases the intergenerational learning contexts already existed too. Puente researchers engaged with local actors to serve local needs and to accommodate therequirements of the research project.we have worked in close collaboration with six the fieldwork sites to analyse their current practice and elaborate ways to enhance them through the use of ICT and propose new scenarios for intergenerational learning.
Co-Design
In parallel to field study, we have organized co-design sessions, in each site, aiming at actively involve end-users and organizers of the activities as stakeholders in the different phases of the design process of IGL scenarios. The co-design sessions aimed at contributing to elicit the dimensions and the key features of intergenerational learning activities, to highlight the potential for ICT to support these activities and to come up with design principles for ICT to be seamlessly introduced as a support of meaningful learning and rewarding experiences for people of different generations. As in PUENTE our role as researchers is not limited to the mere observation of phenomena, co-design sessions also aimed at intervening upon and re-orienting IGL activities in the sites involved.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 September 2008 )
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Overview 
