Elon alumna Ashley Davis, current senior Ginni Fischer and associate professor Cindy Fair had an article published in the spring 2011 edition of Childhood Education.
“‘It makes them so happy’: Fourth graders’ reflections on intergenerational service learning” analyzed written essays and a group discussion focused on the experiences of a group of fourth grade students who had visited residents at an assisted living facility over the course of a year.
Students were able to articulate lessons learned about themselves and their elderly service learning partners. Students demonstrated complex understanding that transcended simplistic thinking.
They learned that, just like themselves, the elderly have individual likes and dislikes, and that it is not possible to easily categorize “all older people.”
Davis is a human services studies alumna and current activities coordinator at Twin Lakes Memory Care Facility. Fischer is a current human services studies major and Honors Fellow.
Fair serves as chair of the Department of Human Service Studies.