Training to intergenerational dialogue and solidarity

Intergenerationality is a great challenge for all developed countries since the elderly population is growing, both in terms of their age and of their percentage presence in our societies. The solidarity between different generations is becoming so important that we can consider intergenerational dialogue a fundamental goal for us to aim at, developing those skills that allow us to act properly as citizens in the "ageing societies". Any context and activity with an educational purpose (formal or not formal) should deal with intergenerational dialogue. This paper first suggests some reflections on the main theoretical issues that put intergenerationality at the core of the educational debate on elderly education. Once the theoretical background has been outlined, it presents an analysis of some educational contexts and activities aimed at developing intergenerational activities. These experiences involved elderly people together with learners from other generations. The experiences that have been carried out highlighted that some contents and teaching methodologies appear to be more effective to meet the needs of elderly and young learners and to promote the dialogue between them. In particular, the methods involving significant tasks and stimulating both cognition and perception fostered the dialogue between the different generations and allowed each learner to get more involved in the process. These experiences can help to define some appropriate teaching and learning strategies for promoting intergenerational dialogue and solidarity.