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.

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: ...

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Intergenerational learning events around the computer: a site for linguistic and cultural exchangeThe computer is widely recognised as a cultural tool with the potential to enhance learning, and children are considered to develop ICT skills with particular facility. However, young children still require assistance in order to gain the maximum educational benefit. This study investigates how such assistance was given to 3-6 year olds by their grandparents, in Sylheti/Bengali-speaking families and monolingual English-speaking families living in East London. A multimodal analysis of videorecorded computer activities reveals the reciprocity of teaching and learning taking place between the generations. In each case, grandparents and grandchildren combined their resources in order to negotiate the activity, with adults usually providing knowledge of literacy and numeracy whilst children helped with computer skills. The intergenerational exchange was especially evident in Sylheti/Bengalispeaking families, where grandparents were less familiar with English or with the computer and operated bilingually with their grandchildren to co-construct learning. However, the support offered by grandparents was found to have common elements in all families, as they helped children to structure the learning event, maintain concentration and accomplish tasks relying on linguistic and cultural knowledge.

In many cultures, elders are revered within the extended family as a source of wisdom gained from long experience. In Western societies, this role has been marginalised by changes in family structure, and grandparents' significant contribution to children's upbringing often goes unacknowledged. A research study with families of 3-6 year olds in East London reveals how grandparents from a variety of cultural backgrounds passed on knowledge about growing fruit and vegetables to their grandchildren through joint gardening activities. Children learned to identify different plants, and to understand conditions and stages of plant growth. Grandparents from Bangladesh introduced children to a wide range of fruits and vegetables, and concepts were reinforced through bilingual communication. Analysis shows that these intergenerational learning encounters fostered children's scientific knowledge in ways that supported and extended curriculum work in the early years.