Families, Schools and Communities - Coursework Example

Families, Schools and Communities Chapter 9 Why talk with parents about how children learn? Isn’t that the responsibility of the parent? It is important to talk with parents about how children learn. This is because every parent wants their child to excel but most are not properly guided on how they can help in the process. Children learn a lot from their homes; they develop habits, interests and identity from their homes and parents are people who help in the process. When teachers help parents, they inadvertently help themselves and most importantly the child who becomes more receptive towards learning (198-220). Discuss and list some ‘fun’ and ‘easy’ ways that families can engage children in learning. a. Literacy Families can teach literacy to their children by communicating with them both verbally and non-verbally. For this, They can play games such as peek-a-boo, I Spy, Monopoly etc. Interact with children while travelling by showing signs and billboards; Watching television and talking about the content. (218-220) b. Science Children view the world differently than adults and they are on a learning spree where they love to explore the world themselves. Therefore fun and easy ways to engage them include: Discussing everyday objects and the science behind them; Taking them on an exploring spree; Learning together and exploring ideas and interests (220-221) c. Mathematics Just like science, Mathematics is all around us. To learn this subject, parents can help by Singing songs such as Five Little Monkeys; Read books such as The Doorbell Rang; Discuss mathematical concepts in the morning such as the time of the day and patterns. Play games such as brain teasers and board games; Encourage a can-do attitude. d. Social Studies Social Studies teaches about the society and the culture. Parents in this subject should encourage a tolerant attitude towards different societies. Parents can help in this subject by: Asking children to draw map of house or neighborhood; Teach family history through collage; Asking to calculate costs of favorite meals (225). e. Health, Safety, and Nutrition This aspect of education is often ignored even in families that regularly visit the hospital. Parents can inculcate the love of this subject by: Reading picture books related to health and safety; Inculcating a good physical workout in the daily lives of their children. f. Arts (include dance and music, too) Arts help in developing self-identity of the child. It also helps in developing problem solving skills. Fun and easy ways to engage the child in arts are: Visiting a museum together; Taking the children to a live musical or dance performance (226). Why is it important to consider the social and emotional development of the young child when you are talking about optimal learning? What do you remember about healthy brain development? It is important to consider social and emotional development because it helps in building confidence, relationship building, self-control, enthusiasm for learning, cooperation, control over aggression etc. Healthy brain development occurs when the child is supported emotionally and socially as relationships help a lot in the learning phase (227) Chapter 10 How do you determine what material family members will find necessary and useful to learn about? This can be determined by conducting surveys from the parents. These surveys are known as Needs Assessment Survey. These help understand how the family functions. It asks general questions such as the amount of time that child spends in front of the TV, the activities that the child engages in while at home etc (234-236). Review DAP: What are some current expectations for family involvement in high-quality child care programs? The expectations include understanding the needs of the parents and collaborating with them. Also it should be ensured that such programs help both the parent and the child as the objective is to encourage child learning through parental support. Furthermore, dialogues with the parents should be encouraged so that they can voice their opinions properly (237). Review some of ‘topics’ suggested in Chapter 10. Pick one or two and talk about how you might set up a parent night or event around the topic. One suggested topic was limiting television. An event around the topic would include developing a presentation for the parents to explain how television impacts their children. The parents would be asked to attend a presentation. At the end of the presentation, a dialogue would be opened up so that parents can discuss effective strategies and issues they face when limiting television. Another suggested topic was the value of play for young people. In this event, the parents would be asked to attend a play night with their children. Games such as Scrabble, Monopoly etc. would be played during the event. At the end of the events, flyers would be distributed that explain the important of play for their children. Chapter 11 What are some ways you might become involved professionally in your community One can become professionally involved in the community by enlisting in local schools boards, trustee boards, advisory boards etc. What are the benefits to being involved in and knowing your community? Knowing your community and getting involved in it helps to understand the problems that children and their parents are facing. It would allow us to mold our approaches to suit the needs of the people that we are serving. Why is it important to continue to grow as a professional? What is meant by professional development and what are some ways to go about it? It is important to continue to grow as a professional so as to allow for us to better service our community and pave way for improvement in our respective fields. It is also important to prevent mishandling of the children from their care givers. Read More