Did you know that your attitude as parents towards education has a profound impact on how well your children will do at school?
Two of Australia’s leading researchers on parent engagement are Dr Linda Willis and Professor Beryl Exley from Griffith University. They recently spoke at a workshop in Brisbane on the topic.
“What we know from the research over the last 50 odd years, is that when parents are engaged in their children’s learning, children do better, they have better well-being, better learning outcomes, and better achievement. And the schools are more successful too,’’ said Dr Willis.
The two experts went on to list other benefits of parent engagement which included:
- an elevated sense of self-efficacy
- strengthened belief in the importance of education
- heightened aspirations for learning at school and beyond
- improved academic, social and emotional skills.
Parent engagement takes many forms. Traditionally it is seen as volunteering for a reading group or helping at our Funfest but rich parent engagement goes even further. “Parent engagement is about deepening and strengthening relationships between parents and schools/teachers in ways that bring parents closer to their children’s learning,” Dr Willis said.
The article included a fact sheet with five ways to help your child at school and included:
- Read together. When your child is young, reading to them boosts their literacy skills but it remains important in the primary school years as well, as it fosters an enjoyment of reading and builds their confidence. But don’t stop there! If your teenage child observes the adults in their life reading for pleasure, it encourages a life-long love of books and learning.
- Have lots of conversations with your child. Talk with them about what they are learning, what they are interested in and what’s going on in the world around them. Sharing family stories and reminiscing about family members and family times is also beneficial.
- Have high (but realistic) expectations and aspirations for your child. Believing in your child and their abilities will help form a child’s beliefs about what they can achieve at school and beyond.
- Create a positive and productive environment for your child to complete their homework. Create an appropriate space for them to work, keep interactions and conversations about homework positive and ensure any rules about homework match the school’s expectations.
- Immerse your child in a cognitively stimulating environment. This means exposing your child to lots of interesting activities and experiences: visit museums, art galleries, go on bush walks, surround them with books and other interesting material at home and expose them to cultural and community activities.
You can read the full article here.
At Glasshouse Christian College we understand the value of parent engagement and the positive impact it has on the learning of our students. Let’s partner together to help your child reach their full potential academically, emotionally and socially.
Mike Curtis, Principal