National Research Alliance on Intergenerational Learning

The National Research Alliance on Intergenerational Learning was formally established on December 15, 2023, at the Fourth National Forum on "Integration of the Five Aspects of Education" held in Jinshan, Shanghai. In the context of China's social and educational development, the Alliance's research focuses on the construction and development of intergenerational relationships between the elderly and the youth, providing new ideas for actively responding to the aging of the population, new resources for cultivating talents with innovative spirit and practical abilities, and new assistance for promoting changes in the way of educating. The Alliance brings together university education theorists, primary, secondary and high school teachers, students, parents, and principals, teachers and students of universities for the elderly, and cooperates with more social organizations to strengthen theoretical research, develop an autonomous knowledge system in the field of intergenerational learning, and jointly explore new directions, paths and ecology of collaborative educating. The first rotating chair school of the alliance is Tinglin Primary School.

Since the establishment of the National Research Alliance on Intergenerational Learning, nearly 70 organizations and individuals have joined, and the results are fruitful: in June 2024, the Quality Learning Ecosystems Team of the UIL went to Tinglin Primary School in Jinshan District, Shanghai, to carry out a research on the "Intergenerational Learning" project, which reflects the international community's concern and recognition of the Alliance's work. In July of the same year, the first member meeting of the National Research Alliance on Intergenerational Learning with the theme "Intergenerational Learning for Better Education" and the Regional Intergenerational Learning Research Workshop of Jinshan District were successfully held in Tinglin Primary School, which provided a platform for exchanges and cooperation among the member schools and individuals. During the same period, the Call for papers themed "Intergenerational Learning for Constructing a New Ecology of Education" and its award ceremony were successfully held, which stimulated in-depth thinking and practice sharing of intergenerational learning from all walks of life. Zhang Beilei, Party branch secretary and principal of Tinglin Primary School, undertook the project of municipal-level titled "Practical Research on Intergenerational Learning Practice in the Perspective of Integration of the Five Aspects of Education", which clarified the importance and urgency of integration of the five aspects of education and intergenerational learning in the current education environment, and actively explored the pathways to achieve integration of the five aspects of education in intergenerational learning.