GTS 3.7.1
Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process.
I have had a range of experiences regarding this standard. Firstly, my experience as a tutor has allowed me to find different ways to work closely and communicate with parents/carers of my students, resulting in improved confidence, support and learning. It demonstrates my understanding of a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process, particularly in relation to study plans and developing productive and effective habits in class and at home, that ensure the student is maximising their time and resources. An artefact which supports these statements is a testimonial written by one of the parents of my students (see figure 3.7a), with whom I used strategies like constant communication via phone calls and written messages, as well as face-to-face consultations.
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Figure 3.7a - this is a testimonial of one of the parents of a student I tutor. She outlines how I work with her and provide weekly plans and emails to ensure she is actively involved in the learning of her child
Nicola has been a great mentor and has provided my child with a great deal of guidance and knowledge during their time working together. I have particularly valued her dedication to planning the study schedules and assessment tasks of the student, closely communicating with myself to ensure my son is on task and feels confident with a strong support system. Nicola always likes to make sure that I am aware of the tasks and content that my son is working on, so that I can help or provide any guidance when she is not around. She does this through text messages and emails after lessons where she gives a summary of the lesson and provides any resources and plans that I may need to access to help my son. Thank you Nicola!
Figure 3.7b - Video Clip from Youtube of a strategy to involve parents/carers in mathematics education
As part of my teaching philosophy, I discussed how important it is for me to create equal opportunities and access to education for as many students I am able to help, contributing to the global equity in education movement. Thus, I aim to incorporate as many strategies as I can to actively involve parents/carers in the educative process. In my study of the Professional Learning course at UTS, I was given a range of resources that illustrated these strategies. One resource I particularly enjoyed was a video clip of a school in NSW that was offering mathematics lessons for parents/carers (see figure 3.7b), so that they could understand the concepts and theory being taught to the students and hopefully help them at home if they required it. This reduces tension and anxiety of the students as it contributes to forming a more supportive educational network for them to maximise their learning and achievement potential. It greatly resonates with me as mathematics is one of my disciplines and it also creates equal opportunity for students of lower socio-economic background who cannot afford additional help such as tutoring. Having parents/carers better educated in the students’ learning and theory, allows for equal access to education and opportunities for both the parents/carers and the students, as they can help in improving knowledge and understanding.
It is extremely important to involve parents/carers in the educative process because they offer invaluable insights into the students, which play a key role in developing and implementing specialised and effective learning plans and strategies. As stated by Jones (1991), having parents/carers become meaningfully involved in the educative process will result in high levels of achievement and more importantly, fosters a positive mindset towards schooling and learning. She also emphasises how important this is for students coming from low socio-economic and minority backgrounds, as parents/carers feel welcome and can confidently participate in numerous ways, forming strong positive relationships between schools and families.
I am particularly interested in the strategies explored by Jones (see figure 3.7c) as they are proven to be universally beneficial. I aim to include some of these strategies in my teaching practice, such as school-home communication which informs parents/carers and helps them help the students learn at home. Workshops and parent/carer support groups, as well as effective involvement programs, are the other strategies I aim to implement, as they will not only help with learning, but, will create a strong community which students will greatly benefit from holistically.
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Figure 3.7c - These are screenshots from Jones' (1991) Publishment, with some of the examples of strategies to involve parents/carers in the educative process
Impact Statement
In my time teaching, I have needed to engage parents/carers in the educative process in order for students to meet and hopefully exceed curriculum requirements and course outcomes.
The engagement of parents/carers is crucial as students often require support and structure at home, to consolidate their learning and encourage independent work.
An example of when I made an impact on a student, was during my second practicum, where I observed that a student in year 7 with identified needs was struggling to recall previously-taught concepts, and not producing any homework that I was setting for the class. I made a phone call home to the student’s parents in order to discuss the concerns I held in regards to the student’s academic progress. During this phone call, the student’s parents and myself created a plan whereby the student would show their parents the homework from that day (written in their diary under my instruction in class), and their parents would provide support by reminding the student of the process of answering those particular maths questions. I also encouraged their parents to positively reinforce their child’s efforts, in order to create a positive study and homework routine and habits, which will ensure that the student becomes more independent.
After a week, the students began producing more and more homework, which saw their participation in class increase, as they felt more confident to answer questions and offer their solutions. This was a huge win, as the student was previously very timid and would refuse to participate in class-wide activities. This also saw the student’s assessment mark improve from an average of less than 50% last year, to 76% in the most recent task.
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Below is a testimonial from the parent of that child.