Montreal elementary students teach, bond with seniors over tech lessons

Every week, 12-year-oldstudents at a Saint-Lonard elementary school get to switch roles and become teachers.

The Grade 6 students at coleWilfrid-Bastien pair up with senior citizens from local retirement homesto teach them about technology and social media as part of a program dubbed Inter-ge.

The program has allowedseniors to decipher the workings of Facebook, YouTube and FaceTime, even if some were a little skeptical at first about their young teachers.

"When I came hereI wanted to learn how to use social media, I wanted to learn how to use YouTube," said Francine Goudreault, who recently retired.

"At the beginning, I found it a little odd [having] Grade 6students as our teachers," she said. "But now I love it."

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The lessons are personalized, and vary based on need and skill level.Inter-geis not a mandatory part of the curriculum at Wilfrid-Bastien, but creator and teacher PierrePoulinsaid the majority of his class participates.

During the fall session, studentLuciana Diaz slowly taughtparticipant Gilles Lebrun how to use a tablet, while a classmateshowed an 81-year-old woman how tocontact her loved ones in Italy through FaceTime.

"I love working with seniors," said Diaz.

Nicole Pedneault,who helps run the program from the Centre des ans du rseau d'entraide de Saint-Lonard, a resource centre,says seniorsaren't as shy when they are taught by children.

Initially, some participants in the program couldn't even turn on a computer, Pedneault added. The courses have helped them become more proficient in the digital world.

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Learning on both sides

Inter-gemakes it possible for young students to share their knowledge and passion for technology while also learning from their older pupils.

"Ithelps me understand the elderly," said one of the students inthe project. "I thought they were stricter and meaner."

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The project has also helped build close relationships, like the one between Fernande Forest and Grade 6 student Daniel Ardiles.

"I love this little boy," said Forest. "We talk about his family, we talk about my family. We talk about our personal lives."

Poulin told Radio-Canada thatInter-gealso gives students a chance to flourish outside of regular classwork.

He hopes to change the structure eventually so that seniors will produce and present their own videos to show to the class.