Artigo Revisado por pares

Modelling and close observation: ways of teaching and learning between third‐generation Bangladeshi British children and their grandparents in London

2010; Routledge; Volume: 30; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09575146.2010.484799

ISSN

1472-4421

Autores

Eve Gregory, Mahera Ruby, Charmian Kenner,

Tópico(s)

Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare

Resumo

Abstract Studies on child development in cross‐cultural contexts generally contrast child‐rearing practices in traditional or non‐Western with those of Western societies. Thus, they show how non‐Western communities tend to emphasise the importance of interdependence and collectivism between family and group members; Western communities focus rather on the role of the individual and achievement within a competitive milieu. Similarly, close observation by younger siblings of older children and caregivers who 'model' tasks to be learned are usually concepts referring to non‐Western groups, whilst those detailing 'scaffolding' tend to focus on the caregiver/child dyad in the West. This paper questions the value of such binary divisions when studying the learning taking place in the homes of third‐generation migrants to the UK. Using examples of children, their younger siblings and their grandmothers in London, it shows ways in which the older generation skilfully syncretises traditional and Western teaching practices and how each child responds appropriately to the tasks in hand. Keywords: close observationmodellingsyncretismcross‐cultural contextsintergenerational teaching and learning Acknowledgements This research was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (Kenner, C., Gregory, E., Jessel, J. Arju, T. and Ruby, M.) Intergenerational Learning Between Grandparents and Young Children in East London (R000220131) (2003–2004). Notes 1. Four studies have been funded by the (ESRC) Economic and Social Science Research Council: Family Literacy History and Children's Learning Strategies at Home and at School (1994–1996), Siblings as Mediators of Literacy in Two East London Communities (R 000 222487) (1998–1999), Intergenerational Learning Between Grandparents and Young Children in East London (R000220131) (2003–2004) and, most recently, Developing Bilingual Learning Strategies in Mainstream and Community Contexts (R000221528). 2. This was the famous march led by the fascist Oswald Mosley to destroy Jewish shops and businesses – the area was largely Jewish. However, residents of the area turned out en masse against both the police and the march, blocking the road from further advance. The 'battle' was generally believed to mark the turning point in anti‐Jewish sentiment and British fascism before the Second World War. 3. The area of Spitalfields and St George's to the west of the Borough (closest to the City) had been the centre of migration to Britain from the eighteenth century (the era of religious persecution of the Huguenots from France following the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685), the persecution of the Jews in the nineteenth century, largely from Eastern Europe, the economic migration from Bangladesh in the twentieth century, and, most recently, asylum seekers fleeing persecution in Somalia. 4. Analyses from earlier studies can be found in Gregory and Williams (Citation2000). 5. 'Emic' as opposed to 'etic' descriptions start from the interpretation of events by the participants of the research rather than those of the researcher(s) (Conteh et al. Citation2005). 6. The toddler is the daughter of Anayet's maternal aunt. 7. 'Nanu' means maternal grandmother and has been left untranslated.

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