Unit 5: Creative Ageing - Opportunities and Outlook

group of older learners with sombreros

2.0 Inter-generational Language Learning

This first activity focuses on inter-generational language learning. 

Step A

To start with, watch a video featuring an interview with the primary teacher Francesca Boyle from St Winning’s Primary in North Ayrshire. (If you would like to watch this video with closed captions, please switch these on in the YouTube player by selecting this icon icon: box with lines) She speaks about the work she has been doing with her pupils that led to her winning the Scottish Education Award in 2017 in the ‘Making Languages Come Alive’ category. With this prize Francesca and her pupils were awarded for their innovative collaboration with Lingo Flamingo. 

Please note: Francesca mentions 1+2 in the interview. 1+2 is the name of the language policy introduced by the Scottish Government in 2012. 

  1. When watching the video, take notes in your learning diary specifically on what the children taught the care home residents and the strategies they used when teaching their session. 

  2. How does Francesca describe the impact of the inter-generational session on the care home residents? 

Then compare your notes with our model answer.

Step B

  1. Are there any ideas or strategies presented in the video which you might want to try out in a language learning session?

  2. How could you extend this way of intergenerational language learning to include storytelling elements?  Either develop a concrete idea for a short teaching sequence or mention some more general thoughts on storytelling in care work sessions.


Compare your notes with our model answer.