Tools and Techniques to Enhance Intergenerational Learning
By Lisa Cox & Isabella Trimble ‘25
A project seeking to explore the role of different experiential learning tools and techniques led to unique results and conclusions.
Whether young (18-49), old (50-64), middle-old (65-84), or oldest old (85+ years old), experiential learning using tools and techniques such as micro memoirs and Guided Autobiography (GAB), Exploring Your Spirituality Portfolios, or AARP’s “Disrupt Aging in the Classroom” curricula can help people, across the life course, acquire insight and support.
Guided Autobiography and Micro Memoirs
Essentially, an autobiography is the story of a life told by the individual who has lived it. A Guided Autobiography (GAB) is an empirical methodology developed by gerontology pioneer Dr. James Birren that helps people prepare their personal histories by using memory-priming questions to help group members recall memories and organize them in telling their stories.
🔑 Micro memoirs are similar, shorter versions of GAB writings also based on using the 9 universal life themes.
An assortment of probes, called “Sensitizing Questions” or memory priming, are offered to help learners and GAB participants create their brief two-page stories or micro-memoirs.
For example, for the “Major Branching Points in your Life” theme, to provoke recall of a lifetime of memories, GAB participants are asked, “What was the earliest branching point in your life that you remember?”; “Who influenced the direction of your life in a major way?” and “Has your background been an advantage or a disadvantage to you?”
The benefits of GAB and micro memoirs are many. One tangible benefit is that people who engage in GAB write their autobiographies and can then share them with their family and friends or use them to interact with students in classroom settings. In classes using the same themes, students read their writings aloud to older adults in attendance. While GAB is not therapy, the process of sharing is therapeutic.
Research on the GAB group process has documented the positive benefits of reflecting on universal life themes, sharing stories and hearing feedback from others (Campbell & Svensson, 2015). Sometimes, other participants observe aspects of your story that you had not considered. Comments about the challenges or difficulties one has experienced, or one’s creative problem-solving approaches can be surprisingly affirming and informative.
Writing an autobiography provides the opportunity to discover, clarify and deepen the meaning of a lifetime of experiences. A book that may guide GAB participants in crafting their autobiography is Writing Your Legacy: The Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Your Life Story by Dr. Cheryl Svennson and Richard Campbell (Campbell & Svensson, 2015). It is a practical guide designed to help individuals write their autobiography with step-by-step guidance, prompts and exercises that encourage reflection on key themes. The book is based on the Guided Autobiography approaches developed by Dr. Birren and his mentee, Dr. Svensson.
Stories are containers that hold our tacit knowledge, the knowledge we possess without knowing that we know it... We tend to forget our tacit knowledge because it only surfaces when needed. By sharing life stories, people can see evidence that they know more than they think they do."Lisa Cox
In the wider community, GAB groups have been modified according to specific target populations of interest, such as veterans or nurses. For example, one community organization has freely offered a group called SOAR (Stories of Adversity and Resilience) to help members process challenges and losses.
Many certified GAB instructors now exist globally, and these experienced instructors can offer their services to create and run GAB groups and trainings. Ideally, GAB groups sized 6-10 people work best for both online and in-person gatherings. Participants do not have to be seasoned writers. Respect is expected, and confidentiality is honored. The focus is on sharing stories, not perfect grammar.
Educators and helping professionals alike, such as social workers and others, ought to become familiar with the value of storytelling and the group modality of GAB. Fortunately, GAB groups are easy to form, inexpensive to facilitate, and rewarding to experience.
AARP’s “Disrupt Aging in the Classroom” Curricula
Other tools can be used to foster intergenerational education and learning. For example, AARP has developed a “Disrupt Aging in the Classroom” curriculum, wherein select trained older adult members of AARP attend in person or via Zoom with classes of students from elementary school to university settings.
The “Disrupt Aging in the Classroom” curriculum can be tailored for university students who are especially interested in the social sciences and healthcare—career paths that typically require close work with older adults.
A goal of AARP’s curriculum is to challenge students to assess their perspective on their aging process, understand the importance of older adults’ roles in society and explore the concept of ageism and strategies to combat it. Students also have the unique opportunity to meet older adults outside of their families to gain firsthand insights into the aging process. Such interactions foster a more positive understanding of aging and encourage students to see older adults as individuals with diverse experiences and contributions.
A book entitled “Disrupt Aging: A Bold New Path to Living Your Best Life at Every Age” by Jo Ann Jenkins and Boe Workman, may also be instructive. This book redefines aging as a dynamic and natural process and highlights how life after 50 can be one of the most fulfilling stages of life. Ideas found in this book challenge traditional perceptions of aging and shift readers' mindsets to view aging as a time of growth and opportunity (AARP, 2020; Jenkins, 2024). This perspective can help foster a more positive and empowered approach to aging for themselves and their communities.
Exploring Your Spirituality Portfolios
Students in courses about “Aging and Spirituality” and clients of helping professionals—like social workers–report enthusiasm when asked to do activities that help them explore their spirituality. Written portfolio assignments that process learning from these activities help students, clients and older adults explore their spirituality and can broaden their horizons to promote growth and learning.
“Exploring Your Spirituality Portfolios” have been used with students and older adults to enhance their understanding of aging and spirituality. In both 6-week and 15-week university classes, students have completed readings, assigned activities and written formal portfolio entries.
Ideas from author Dr. Nelson-Becker (2018) are used, as she includes sections entitled “Exploring Your Spirituality” at the end of each chapter of her book Spirituality, Religion, and Aging. In her chapter “Spirituality, Religion, and Health” (pp. 247-248), Nelson-Becker asks readers to explore their spirituality concerning touch, taste and savoring.
An activity that resonated with me was ‘Exploring Your Spirituality: Gratitude.’... This reflection has not only helped me appreciate my personal relationships more deeply but also inspired me to carry this sense of gratitude into all aspects of my life.”Isabella Trimble '25
For the “Exploring Your Spirituality: Touch” activity, students are asked to explore how touch plays a role in their emotional and physical well-being through a series of questions. Students are asked to reflect on these questions and share their experiences with touch in their portfolio essays. Examples of questions students are asked include: “What are your personal boundaries?” and “When do you welcome touch and when do you not?” Through these responses, students of all ages gain a deeper understanding of their boundaries and preferences in response to touch.
An activity where students use their sense of taste to reflect on spirituality is “Exploring Your Spirituality: Taste and Savoring.” This activity asks students to revisit previously tried foods and focus on the tastes, textures, smells and memories associated with those foods. Sample questions include: “How does food enhance your life?” and “What have you tasted that was ambrosia-like food for the Gods?” This activity allows learners to understand better how foods can shape their outlook on life. It also encourages students to explore the meaningful connections between sensory experiences and their spiritual journey.
Student Reflection
Master of Social Work student Isabella Trimble shared the following:
“When I was a student in my SOWK/GERO 3620 Aging and Spirituality course, I had the opportunity to engage in activities to explore my spirituality and to create my own portfolio based on activities found in Nelson-Becker’s (2018) book. Writings in my portfolio helped me reflect on my own growth and experiences in relation to spirituality, religion and my future aging realities.
“Each week, I realized how, as a student with a hectic schedule filled with work, classes and other responsibilities, I often forgot to take a moment to breathe and show gratitude to the people and opportunities around me.
“An activity that resonated with me was ‘Exploring Your Spirituality: Gratitude.’ This exploratory activity encouraged me to reflect upon what I was grateful for in my life and how I could nurture a mindset of gratitude moving forward. I vividly remember writing about my deep gratitude for my family. Their support and love were at the heart of my reflections, and this made me aware of how impactful they have been on my life. This reflection has not only helped me appreciate my personal relationships more deeply but also inspired me to carry this sense of gratitude into all aspects of my life.”
Conclusion
Stories are containers that hold our tacit knowledge, the knowledge we possess without knowing that we know it. A unique mixture of experience, skills, strengths, aptitude, feelings and more, tacit knowledge is difficult to write down or communicate to others. We tend to forget our tacit knowledge because it only surfaces when needed. By sharing life stories, people can see evidence that they know more than they think they do. Revisiting stories can increase self-esteem and confidence.
Intergenerational learning can be truly magical and fun for both students and older adults. When class assignments encourage writing micro-memoirs, engaging in guided autobiography (GAB) storytelling and exploring spiritual activities, students give voice to where they find meaning in life. When small groups comprised of young people and older adults are used to process/analyze memoirs, GAB and spirituality exploration portfolios, greater insight and enhanced learning emerge.
About the Contributors
Dr. Lisa Cox is professor of Social Work and Gerontology within Ƶ’s School of Social & Behavioral Sciences and the author of several books, including “Narratives on Positive Aging: Recipes for Success.”
Isabella Trimble is a current Master of Social Work student and graduate assistant to Dr. Lisa Cox. She is set to graduate May 2025.
Emojis, Slang and (no) Punctuation: Finding the Balance in Communicating Across Generations
By Stacey Clapp | SPRING 2024 ISSUE
The key to healthy partnerships in team environments is more than communication: it's comprehension as well. For this issue, Stacey Clapp, director of Strategic Communications, decided to focus on intergenerational communication and offered tips for avoiding miscommunication in both the workplace and the classroom.
Have you ever felt like you need to enlist a translator when you’re communicating with students? Or that younger coworker or “seasoned” colleague in another department?
That’s because the rules of communication are changing with each generation, and work is the one place everyone —from boomers to Gen Z— come together. These changes can have a big impact in the workplace and classroom.
Tips to Communicate Across Generations
So, how should you communicate with a multigenerational workforce?
It’s important to use multiple communication channels, including email, social media and videoconferencing to provide options for employees to choose a space where they are most comfortable. Be sure to tailor language so it is appropriate for the platform. When possible, personalized communication will make employees feel valued.
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References
AARP (August 20, 2020). Disrupt aging classroom: Changing students’ conversations and perceptions on aging. American Society on Aging
Birren, J.E., & Cochran, K.N. (2001). Telling the stories of life through guidedautobiography groups. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Birren, J. E. & Deutchman, D.E. (1991). Guiding autobiography groups for older adults:Exploring the fabric of life. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Butler, R.N. (1963). The life review: An interpretation of reminiscence in the aged. Psychiatry, 26, 65-76.
Campbell, R., & Svensson, C. (2015). Writing your legacy: The step-by-step guide to crafting your life story. Writer’s Digest Books.
Jenkins, J. Disrupt aging: A revolutionary approach to thinking about aging. Retrieved on September 16, 2024, from
Nelson-Becker, H. (2018). Spirituality, religion, and aging: Illuminations for Therapeutic Practice. SAGE.
