intergenerational learning between children and grandparents in east London

This study investigates the learning exchange between three— to six-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, `syncretizing' 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, video-recording and scrapbooks. Qualitative analysis of the data reveals how learning interactions are co-constructed 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.