Welcome to my blog! I hope you enjoy this post!
Hi! I hope you are doing well. I am Julia Park and I am an Early Childhood Education major. I am currently a senior at Millersville University! Time flew by so fast, but I am thrilled to share all of the amazing information I have been learning.
In my last post, I wrote about the use of class discussions in math class. In this post, I will be sharing information about parent involvement in education!
Why is Parent Involvement Important?
Parent involvement is very beneficial for all involved. When a parent or family member is involved in a student’s learning, students feel much more supported at school.
Through parent involvement, a connection between home and school forms, creating a sense of community and comfort for the child. Having the support of this community increases children’s motivation and engagement in class.
Teachers can also encourage parents to extend students’ learning at home to deepen their child’s understanding of mathematical concepts. This practice at home will lead to more success in and out of the classroom.
As the blog continues, I will be providing examples of how teachers can connect with parents so that they can help them support their children at home!
Ways to Communicate with Parents
Communication with parents/families is the main factor in increasing their involvement in their child’s education. It is so important to make families feel welcomed and included in the school community. Actively reaching out to parents/guardians will show them that you care about their child’s learning journey. The following are ways teachers can communicate with the families of their students:
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- Introduce yourself to families at the start of the year and keep them updated throughout the year.
- When we are not in a pandemic, in-person meetings are great for getting to know the families on a deeper level. Personalities are much easier to read when individuals are in the same environment.
- Because we are in a pandemic, video chatting seems to be a very useful form of communication. Zoom and Google Meets are just two examples of programs teachers can use to meet with parents virtually!
- Emails, newsletters, and blog posts are awesome ways of keeping the families updated on important news or to share information about current concepts their students are learning about.
- Phone calls are also a way to communicate and keep in touch with parents.
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Before committing to any particular form of communication, it is very important that you make sure that it is the best option for the families. When introducing yourself at the start of the year, ask about their preference as to what form of communication would be most useful for them!
Other Ways to Support the Parents
Parents might have been taught mathematics differently than how their children are being taught. Acknowledging this is helpful because everyone’s learning experiences are different and families should not be expected to understand their children’s mathematical learning right away.
This is why keeping parents informed about the math their students are learning in school is very important. When parents understand the math their students are learning, they will feel much more equipped to support their children at home.
It is important to also keep parents updated about their student’s progress in math class. By having knowledge about their student’s progress, parents can create a more specific goal of what they should be practicing at home with their child.
The image above provides a helpful link for parents on how to support their child’s learning at home. It is a great resource to share with families! Another resource teachers can provide for families is a webpage that lists awesome websites that help support children’s learning in math at home!
Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you learned a lot about the importance of parent involvement in math education! I love thinking of ways to strengthen the school community because it is so helpful for the child. I really appreciate you checking out my blog! Thank you for reading! Goodbye for now!
-Julia 🙂