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Module 4 Supporting Family Learning . Home visits.

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Module 4 Supporting Family Learning . Home visits.

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I agree that home visit system should be created at least at a city municipality level if not national one. We don‘t have such a thing in our country. Sometimes teachers do that on voluntary basis, but I believe it to be unfair because teachers are never compensated for this extra effort. However, I am 100% sure that such visits help to bridge school and home gap, which is vitally important to students success and should be made primary.

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Module 4 Supporting Family Learning . Bringing learning into the families

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Module 4 Supporting Family Learning . Bringing learning into the families

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Thank you for great ideas. I have always been learning together with my students and often from them, in particular things with technologies, but have never considered involving parents. Our teachers have experience including them into international projects.  What is more, we organise a trivia contest and sports day for mixed student-parent-teacher teams. However, parents participation is very low. Now I understand that it is crucial to help parents enjoy lifelong learning by providing opportunities to learn from their own children.

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From my own experience, all problems can be overcome whenever a constructive dialog takes place. Sometimes you can feel that parents tend to be hostile, but if you explain the situation in a respectful way and together with parents you decide on the solution, they change their attitude.One book – one community

Family Literacy Night

Let‘s code & program with us

Question for the teacher on twitter

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Module 3 Challenges of involving parents in school activities

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Module 3 Challenges of involving parents in school activities

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Higher secondary education institutions face the same problem - lack of parental invovement or engagement, in particular in educational activities, due to parents considering their children adults. They usually enjoy their childrens' achievements without being involved actively in the process.We cooperate more with parents working in universities. They help us organise visits and lectures in the educational establishments they work.This helps students to make up their minds while choosing a university and future profession.

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Module 3 Parental involvement in educational activities

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Module 3 Parental involvement in educational activities

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Since our school is for senior students, our parents are not so eager to collaborate. The main activities that they take part in are as follows:

1. Erasmus+ and other international school exchange projects

2. School community events

3. Trivia contest for students, parents and teachers

4. Visits to museums, work places.

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I'm Rasma from Lithuania. I am a teacher of English and deputy head teacher. I work in higher secondary education. Parents are not willing to collaborate because they consider their children to be independent and nearly or already adults. I hope to learn new effective ways how to involve parents in their chtildren's teaching and learning.

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I've joined this course because parental involvement in school life is one the main problematic areas in our school. Parents are not willing to collaborate, but have high expectations for their children's academic results, which, on the other hand, is impossible without their support and help. Therefore, I hope to learn new ways of encouraging parents to be more active in school life and their children's learning process.

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1. Since the chat with Max was effective the first time, I would definitely have a word with him once again.

2. Involving him into the school play and trip would help Max feel less isolated.

3. I would ask other colleagues if they've encountered the same problem and would ask for advice if they've been more successful.

4. I would invite parents to school and would try to discuss the problem.

I believe the best way to handle situations like this in school is to have a clear action plan for all teachers (like the one mentioned by the teacher from Malta).

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Module 1 How we currently engage parents

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Module 1 How we currently engage parents

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In our school we have meetings with parents at the beginning of a school year and term meetings, when we inform them about school requirements, projects, term results. Also, we have open school days twice a year when parents come to school and meet all subject teachers. We have an electronic register with an effective message system. Plus, teachers make phone calls. School community events involve and engage parents at least twice a year. Parents are active in following our school facebook account where we post all the news and events. Our school page is not so popular though.

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is to develop a plan of action to be implemented in school.

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Module 2 A list of Do’s and Don’ts when building a relationship with parents

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Module 2 A list of Do’s and Don’ts when building a relationship with parents

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DO‘s

1.       Meeting at the beginning of a school year: getting acquainted, collecting parents expectations, introducing school year plan, projects and working on a communication plan (when and how the teacher and parents are going to keep in touch).

2.       Regular meetings at least once in a semestre.

3.       Being discrete.

4.       Regular informing parents on their children‘s achievements and activities via chosen social platforms (or by using letters, if needed).

5.       Making parents responsible for contacting the teacher before the set date (mutually decided while preparing a communication plan).

6.       Organising training for parents (in the school library) and community celebrations, trips.

7.       Using different questionnaires throughout the school year to find out parents‘ opinions and ideas for deeper cooperation.

DON‘Ts

1.       Discussing individual student problems during meetings.

2.       Feeling pressured to make an important decision, evaluation, or assessment during a parent meeting or conversation.

3.       Presenting only concerns to parents.

4.       Disrespecting or ignoring parents‘ opinions, ideas.

5.       Being not available at a set time for parents.

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Module 2 Difficulties of communication due to different socio-economic status

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Module 2 Difficulties of communication due to different socio-economic status

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Communication with parents with different backgrounds is always a challenge because parents of lower social status usually show less interest in school life. To involve or even engage them the teacher must put more effort, e.g. make more phone calls or write more emails, messages, focus on positive things about their children not negative (at least till parents become more open and willing to collaboarate). Parents' encouragement is very important to help keep their self-esteem. In our country, in school we usually don't face many language or cultural differences.

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Module 2 Webinar Communicating and sharing with parents

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Module 2 Webinar Communicating and sharing with parents

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I missed it, but hope to watch the recording when it's available:)

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Module 2 My favourite ways of communicating online

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Module 2 My favourite ways of communicating online

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messenger
posting in closed Facebook groups
e-register message system

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Module 2 Communication channels I use with parents

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Module 2 Communication channels I use with parents

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1. e-register message system
+ you can inform parents whenever you log in the register, no need to remember to do that later.
- not all parents check e-register regularly.
2. Messenger
+ you can inform parents right away and get their response.
- not all parents use Messenger.
3. telephone
+you can reach all parents and get feedback right away.
4. email
- takes time to get in contact (to wait for an answer).
5. online questionnaires (e.g. IQES online)
+ fast response from parents.
-not all parents feel comfortable with online tools.