2 Intergenerational learning between children and grandparents in East LondonThis study investigates the learning exchange between 3-6 year old children and their grandparents, in Sylheti/Bengali-speaking families of Bangladeshi origin and monolingual English-speaking families living in East London. The following concepts from sociocultural theory are applied to this new area of intergenerational learning:'scaffolding', 'synergy' leading to mutual benefits for the young child and their caregiver, 'syncretising' of knowledge from different sources, 'funds of knowledge' within communities, and the transmission of knowledge or 'prolepsis' between generations. Methods include an initial survey at a primary school to establish the range of learning activities taking place at home between grandparents and children, followed by case studies of nine families through interviews, videorecording and scrapbooks. Qualitative analysis of the data reveals how learning interactions are coconstructed by children and grandparents within a relationship of mutuality in which touch is a particularly significant mode of communication. The intergenerational exchange develops concepts and skills that complement children's school learning, and involves cultural continuity as well as change.

This survey aims to give a broad overview of the way peer support is currently used in English primary and secondary schools, and to highlight common patterns. Regional strata samples of schools were selected from an online database. Questionnaire data were obtained from 240 schools (130 primary and 110 secondary), of which 186 had peer support schemes. An adjusted estimation (which makes some correction for non-response error) suggests that 62% of schools are using a structured peer support scheme. The survey results also give an indication of some common patterns and commonalities in the characteristics of existing schemes, as well as some differences between primary and secondary schools. The implementation of peer support is often multi-dimensional, particularly in secondary schools after a scheme had been running for some time. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research and in terms of the nature of school-based peer support programmes.

This study aims to provide a comparative account of teachers' experience and views of their role when using digital games in primary classrooms in England and Italy. Interviews and a survey administered online and in hardcopy were used to find out teachers' perceptions of game-based learning and how these impact upon their role as a teacher. This research also considers the interview findings in relation to the dynamics between curriculum design, learning culture and practice when implementing game-based learning. A strong link was found between how learning is designed to incorporate digital games, the theories and strategies that have been used in the context of a given curriculum and how these are realised in practice within the classroom. The research also showed that teachers are aware that their roles when using new technologies in education have changed. However, because of the lack of necessary training, teachers are not clear on how to adopt these changes. In some respects the curriculum was regarded to be flexible enough to accommodate game-based learning, however, in other respects it was felt that a more radical reform this would be needed. The difference in country-specific curricula, pedagogy and practice highlights the need for a flexible model or approach of embedding digital games into primary classrooms in a way that is sensitive to context. Some practical guidelines based on the current work are also provided.

Grandparents play a significant role in childcare and one activity that frequently occurs within this context is story-reading. However, relatively little attention has been given to the potential part that grandparents can play in terms of language and literacy development of young children. This article reports on work investigating the interlingual and intercultural exchanges occurring in a home setting in East London.In particular, it focuses on how the traditional heritage pattern of story and rhyme reading by a grandmother of Bengali origin is fused with evident practices experienced by her six year old grandchild. The data not only reveal the multiple worlds inhabited by the grandchild during story-reading but also the syncretism of these worlds on a number of levels. This paper contributes to the small but growing body of investigation into the reading styles occurring within families from different cultural backgrounds. (Jessel et al., 2004: 19) (Bengali speech has been transliterated and is in italics) KeywordsGrandparents are rarely considered as expert language and literacy teachers of young children at home. This is particularly the case when families have migrated and the older generation does not speak fluently the language of the host community. Even when grandparents are recognised as mediators of the heritage language and culture, it is assumed that interactions will not be in the language of the host country and that the learning practices and corresponding cognitive demands are likely to be very different 4 from those of the mainstream school. In Britain, such neglect of grandparenting skills may in part be due to the pressure on teachers to send school work home in order for parents to practise with their children for national tests they must sit at age seven and eleven. Within this paradigm, only activities directed by the school count as relevant and valid learning; activities that by necessity exclude different languages as well as the skill of translating and interpreting both written and oral texts.This paper sets out to question the above paradigm. Through the detailed analysis of Sahil and his grandmother Razia reading a story together, it shows how both generations syncretise languages, texts and interaction patterns to produce dynamic and linguistically rich practices. These practices involve not only the teaching of skills needed for school, but a wealth of additional skills on the part of the grandmother. We see how grandparents modify their language and cultural practices in the light of the child"s knowledge, which is very different from their own. Not only, therefore, do they hand knowledge down across generations, but they blend traditional practices, language and knowledge with the new skills in English that their grandchildren are more competent to share. Finally, we see clearly how a young child like Sahil, with the help of his grandmother, has access to multiple worlds and ways of knowing as he steps into his London school. Learning in Cross-Cultural Contexts: ...

This study investigated whether use of peer support initiatives in three secondary schools was related to Year 7 students' positive perception of social support from peers and self-esteem. Results suggest that the use of these frameworks was related to higher perceived frequency of social support from other students, but not close friend support or self-esteem. The findings also provide support for a buffering model based on victim status. The relationship between the use of peer support schemes and well-being variables was stronger for bullied students. Using structured peer support schemes may provide protection from the negative associations of victimisation. Ó