Young adults hold many stereotypes about aging and older adults that formal education cannot always address. Interaction and community engagement projects with older adults can challenge and dispel stereotypes young adults hold about older adults. This semesterlong project is designed for undergraduate students in interpersonal and relational…

This article focuses on intergenerational communication and provides a practical approach for how teachers and administrators can implement intergenerational programs in their schools. A discussion of the social and cultural implications of intergenerational communication is offered, and a review of literature regarding intergenerational programs…

Faculty members constantly struggle to integrate "learning" and "doing" in the classroom in order to increase their students' understanding of course concepts--the interpersonal communication class is no different. The Library of Congress Veterans History Project seemed perfectly adapted to the goal of bringing interpersonal communication theories…

Discusses the role played by senior adults in an undergraduate class, "Social Work Practice with the Aging," transactions occurring between senior adults and students, and how the class evolved to its present format. Reviews the literature regarding senior adults in higher education and the intergenerational classroom. Includes an evaluation of…

To broaden the scope of a letter writing unit for seventh graders, a real-life component brought together two groups who could learn from one another, youngsters (who usually did not have living or nearby grandparents) and the elderly in a convalescent home. Students selected their pen pals on the basis of biographical data and similar interests…

The article describes a 5-day winter camping expedition experienced conjointly by two groups: one a blend of able-bodied and physically disabled adults, and the second consisting of sexually exploited adolescents who were placed in a group home setting. The first group were members of Wilderness Inquiry II, a community based adventure program that…

This paper describes the activities and results of a year-long intergenerational electronic communication project. The fundamental purpose of the project was for two distinct generational groups in the same geographical community--second grade students and senior citizens--to get involved in a dialogue featuring discussion topics generated by the…