Poster #164 - Family Engagement: A Collaborative Approach to Make Learning Visible

• In Event: 1-061 - Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Section - Prevention and Interventions

Integrative Statement

School readiness is a rising concern among parents, educators, and policy makers. Despite this, there is often a lack of consensus on defining and supporting school readiness, as well as an increased attention on child learning outcomes (Blair & Raver, 2015; Brown, 2013; Buis, 2014; Ladd, Herald, & Kochel, 2006; Mehaffie & Fraser, 2007). Research indicates family engagement is a central component in children’s academic success (Durand, 2011; Mendez, 2010; Pelletier & Brent, 2002), yet collaboration between teachers and parents often wanes and the divide between home and school widens (McAllister, Wilson, Green, & Baldwin, 2005; Robinson-Zanartu, & Majel-Dixon, 2013; Tveit, 2009). As a result, parent and teacher perspectives on the education of young children may differ, resulting in discontinuity on how children are prepared to enter formal education. This qualitative study examined Journey of Discoveries, a new prototype model based on New Zealand’s early education formative assessment, Learning Stories supports family engagement. This study examined the influence of Journey of Discoveries, a novel narrative observation approach, used between parents and teachers, to capture children’s learning through written or audio recorded stories.

Journey of Discoveries is an innovative observation practice used by early childhood educators to document young children’s learning and development. This new approach is based on New Zealand assessment method, Learning Stories (Carr, 2001; Carr & Lee, 2012). Family engagement and the role of parents in the education of children is an essential component that leads to positive academic outcomes (Bulotsky-Shearer, Wen, Faria, Hahs-Vaughn, & Korfmacher, 2012; McWayne, Campos & Owsianik, 2008).

Journey of Discoveries are written or audio recorded observations made by Early Head Start teachers, home visitors, and parents. Similar to narrative storytelling, Journey of Discoveries is used by early childhood teachers and parents to collaborate through the sharing of written observations that describe and document children’s development and learning experiences (see sample, Table 1).

Journey of Discoveries provides the opportunity for partnership through the sharing of written narrative observations. These observations are unique, as they are written directly to the child in the first person narrative. Instead of writing about a child, educators, parents, and family members write to the child regarding how they see learning transpire. Teachers encourage parents to provide a written or audio recorded response back to the child about the teacher’s observation. Also, parents and family members are encouraged to compose their own Journey of Discoveries and teachers write a response back to the child about the parent observation.

Findings show Journey of Discoveries supports family engagement practices through the following themes: (a) celebrating children’s learning; (b) emotional responses to learning; (c) sharing of learning as stories; (d) process of reflection; (e) viewing children’s learning holistically; (f) honoring of diverse voices; and (g) parents role as leaders. This research findings suggest the use of Journey of Discoveries as a potential observation model for parents and educators to collaborate and support family engagement in children’s education.

Author

• Annie White, California State University Channel Islands
  Presenting Author