In an ever evolving educational landscape, it’s not just teachers and students who play vital role; parents are equally significant stakeholders. Parents are required to support their child’s educational journey and be equipped with an understanding of pedagogy. Furthermore, parent education fosters a culture of life-long learning as the parents set a powerful example for their children as parents are the child’s first and most influential teachers.
Many parents are not familiar with the evolving educational standards, educational terminology, curriculum standards, classroom practices, resources available and evaluation tools and techniques. Parental expectations are shaped by a myriad of factors like cultural background, socio-economic status and aspirations for their child. Understanding and acknowledging these diverse expectations is essential for building trust and rapport between teachers and parents. Misaligned expectations between teachers and parents can lead to misunderstandings, frustration and disengagement on both sides.
Parent Workshops and seminars:
Schools need to conduct workshops and seminars about curriculum standards, teaching methods, learning theories, educational trends and approaches to assessments. Each workshop can focus specific topic like inquiry based learning, differentiated instruction, socio emotional learning.
Parent learning circles or groups
Facilitate small learning groups and provide structured discussion guides, reading materials, multimedia resources. Encourage peer to peer learning, conduct question answer sessions and collaborate with participants by sharing insights, experiences and practical strategies for supporting their children’s learning. Incorporate case studies and group discussions to facilitate active participation and deeper understanding of educational practices.
Partner with local educational institutions and experts to develop and deliver courses tailored to parents needs
Technology integration
Leverage technology to deliver education pedagogy resources and support to parents. Develop interactive e–learning modules, applications, webinars, podcasts and video tutorials covering key pedagogical concepts.
Parent teacher collaboration
Initiate collaborative projects-co-design learning activities, create educational materials and educational events. Encourage parents to voice their expectations, concerns and suggestions and provide opportunities for educators to explain the rationale behind pedagogical choices. Their feedback and inputs are essential to align educational practices with parental expectations.
Parent observation opportunities
Offer opportunities for parents to observe classroom activities and teaching practices. Provide guided reflection sessions following observations allowing parents to discuss their observations, ask questions and seek clarifications from educators.
Parent teacher dialogues and Feedback Loops
Schedule regular meetings and chats. Establish feedback mechanisms such as suggestion boxes, online surveys or anonymous feedback forms to gather input from parents on education pedagogy initiatives and programmes.
By implementing these detailed strategies we can create a comprehensive and inclusive approach to educating parents about education pedagogy. Though it is a complex process it can be achieved by fostering open and respectful communication, building empathy and creating cultural competence.
