What is the Intergenerational Classroom?
The Intergenerational Classroom brings together older and younger learners to rewrite age-bounded social narratives and facilitate knowledge exchange, mentorship, and collaboration between individuals of all ages. The course aims to foster meaningful cross-generational connections, reduce ageist attitudes, and build a more inclusive community. By participating in the course, older adults can regain a sense of connection and fulfillment by applying and sharing their skills and knowledge. For younger students, this opportunity for experiential learning puts ‘aging into context,’ shifts perceptions of what it means to grow older, and challenges ageist stereotypes.
Mission
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Foster meaningful cross-generational connections
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Reduce ageist attitudes
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Build a more age-inclusive community
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Raise awareness of issues in aging
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Amplify the voices of older adults​
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Introduce younger adults to opportunities in gerontology and geriatrics
​​“An age-friendly world enables people of all ages to actively participate in community activities and treats everyone with respect, regardless of their age. It is a place that makes it easy for older people to stay connected to people that are important to them. And it helps people stay healthy and active even at the oldest ages and provides appropriate support to those who can no longer look after themselves.”
(World Health Organization, 2017)
Course Format
Over the duration of approximately twelve sessions, the Intergenerational Classroom covers the fundamentals of health and aging.
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Session topics include:
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Theories of Aging
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Health, Illness, and Injury
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Aging and Disability
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Aging and Cognition
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Social Isolation and Loneliness
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Caregiving and End-of-Life Care
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Seminar-style sessions offer opportunities for collaboration and hands-on engagement with the lecture material. A series of discussion prompts, known as “Age Cards,” encourages the exchange of perspectives on (sometimes also controversial) topics such as views on aging across different cultures or medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Furthermore, the older adults are formally enrolled as students, which allows them access to the syllabus, textbook, and lecture materials and makes them eligible to complete all assignments and assessments. Students are expected to do the assigned readings (from a variety of sources, including current journal articles) prior to each session to maximize engagement and understanding of course concepts.
What's Next
Following its success in 2023, and after implementing learner feedback, the Intergenerational Classroom is now running for its second year at Christie Gardens Apartments & Care.
We are also in the process of formalizing the Intergenerational Classroom model to scale our initiative to other retirement communities looking to provide this opportunity to their own residents. The model will include the components and support necessary for classroom implementation and content delivery, while also leaving room for customization according to the setting, context, and needs of the students and residents.
In the longer term, we hope to translate the Intergenerational Classroom model to other contexts, such as healthcare and employment settings, that would also benefit from generational exchange and mentorship.