
Can Talking to Older Adults Make Students Better Citizens?
From MindShift Podcast by KQED
September 9, 2025 · 23 min · Season 10 · Episode 5
About this episode
This episode explores the benefits of intergenerational programs in schools and strategies for enhancing student interactions with older adults.
Interacting with people from different generations has been shown to accelerate students’ social skills, improve literacy, and provide valuable lessons about history and culture. However, many students have limited opportunities to engage with older generations. And when these interactions do happen, they often remain one-sided or surface-level. In this episode, MindShift explores intergenerational programs at two schools, highlighting their benefits and uncovering research-backed strategies for creating impactful and enriching experiences for all involved.
Topics covered
- intergenerational programs
- social skills
- literacy
- history
- culture
- education
Keywords
- intergenerational
- students
- social skills
- literacy
- education
- history
- culture
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MindShift, KQED
More episodes of MindShift Podcast
- Shafia Zaloom: Sex Ed and Becoming the Askable Parent · June 9, 2026 · 30 min
- Ross Greene: What if Bad Behavior Isn’t the Problem? · May 13, 2026 · 29 min
- Who Misses Out When Tutoring Starts Too Late? · April 14, 2026 · 16 min
- Randy Porter’s Middle School Jazz Band · March 10, 2026 · 18 min
- Scott R. Levy: How School Boards Can Strengthen Our Democracy · February 10, 2026 · 28 min
- Financial Literacy in The Digital Age With Lillian Zhang · January 13, 2026 · 24 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the MindShift Podcast podcast page.