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Engage families for anywhere, anytime learning
Abstract
As society expects children and youth today to explore content-area topics in depth and to develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills, out-of-school settings are becoming increasingly important to individual learning. These settings, which include libraries, museums, digital media, and after-school programs, are evolving into extended classrooms. In this context, it is no longer appropriate or fruitful for educators to focus family engagement solely on what happens in school; educators must reimagine this concept within the many opportunities now available for anywhere, anytime learning.
... Instead, opportunities to extend and integrate learning across settings are encouraged (Caspe et al., 2011). It is the shared responsibility of schools and communities to inform families and offer information about children's learning (Weiss and Lopez, 2015). Thus, family engagement, in part, hinges on the success of teacher and family communication. ...
... The notion that a positive relationship with two-way communication between teachers and families is foundational for advancing children's outcomes is supported in the research (Christenson and Sheridan, 2001;Marvin et al., 2020;Weiss and Lopez, 2015) and a central tenet of human ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1977). Human ecological theory emphasizes the bi-directional influence of multiple systems and is the guiding framework for this study because the theory identifies the development of communication and relationships between the home and EC teachers as influential to the child's learning and development. ...
... Family engagement and communication are evolving as digital media offers extensive opportunities to connect and collaborate with families (Weiss and Lopez, 2015). New electronic technologies available can include, but are not limited to, email, social media, ePortfolios, mobile apps, and texting (Higgins and Cherrington, 2017;Snell et al., 2020;Stratigos and Fenech, 2021). ...
Communication between teachers and families in early childhood is a key aspect of successful teacher-family engagement. The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate how teachers communicated with families in early childhood classrooms and what they communicated about. This study of 31 teachers working with children birth to age five, primarily in the Midwestern U.S. examined how they described communication with families using semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that teachers used multiple formats to communicate with families about children’s daily routines, developmental progress, and other relevant information. Teachers preferred in-person communication although challenges occurred due to classroom dynamics and the global COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Technology such as apps and messaging emerged as an efficient way to reach most families, however difficulties facilitating reciprocal communication with families were described. Further research is needed to identify successful communication strategies for both teachers and families, thus building higher quality teacher-family partnerships.
... Moreover, providing children with practices that are consistent across ECCE and home environments improves children's school readiness ( Landry et al., 2017 ). Through engaging in children's education, families can also motivate children to improve their relationship with teachers and peers ( Dearing et al. , 2008 ;Weiss & Lopez, 2015 ). On the other hand, interactions shared between families and ECCE center staff can provide them information about children's day-to-day experiences and contexts. ...
Family engagement in early learning and education is considered a key predictor of children's development. However, little is known about the link between family engagement in early learning opportunities in sociocultural diverse contexts, particularly in low- and-middle-income countries. This study examined the associations of family engagement in home learning activities (e.g., reading books, naming things) and in early childhood care and education centers (ECCE; e.g., attending meetings or workshops, helping inside the classroom) with young children's emergent literacy and numeracy, social-emotional functioning, motor development, and executive functions, as measured through direct assessment. Data came from a nationally-representative sample of public ECCE centers in Colombia serving 3–5-year-old children (N = 3069). Multilevel model analyses showed that home-based family engagement was associated with higher emergent numeracy, emergent literacy, social-emotional functioning, and motor development, whereas center-based family engagement was associated only with higher emergent numeracy and literacy development. These results suggest that interventions and policies designed to improve family engagement in early learning opportunities both at the ECCE centers and at the home could have positive and independent effects on early childhood development.
... more suitable, the rest disagreed due to family commitments. 8 It is established that a healthy teaching environment is favoured by uninterrupted, easy interaction between students and teachers. Students suggested that WhatsApp is the perfect tool for both parties to connect across different contexts of their lives. ...
Objective: This study aimed to explore the use of the WhatsApp instant messaging as a source of learning for postgraduate students enrolled in Master of Health Profession Education. Study Design: Mixed Method Study. Setting: University of Lahore. Period: January 2017 to January 2018. Material & Methods: Eighteen students filled the questionnaire after giving informed consent. This was followed by eight individual interviews of students consenting for interview. Results: The findings of the research suggest that the use of WhatsApp instant messaging may assist students in learning as it fosters a social constructivist environment. This environment supported students in reinforcing various concepts by enhancing interaction within the groups, among teachers as well as assimilation of the content material shared. Conclusion: WhatsApp is perceived to be an acceptable supplementary application for educational purposes, if used appropriately.
... The increasing fragmentation and isolation of knowledge by disciplines have become an obstacle to tackle complex problems such as teaching and learning (Wertsch 1998), which require to consider the socio-cultural context in which take place the educational processes. Thus, science education has the challenge to connect sciences with everyday life of people, showing that it is useful beyond the academic spaces (Weiss & Lopez 2015). ...
Science and technology museums have been adopting a science communication perspective that goes beyond the simple presentation of information. Through engagement, museums also facilitate the creation and exchange of political and cultural meanings, ideally among diverse social groups. The current study explores students’ views about the relationship between science and technology and everyday life. The research was carried out as part of the assessment of an after-school program led by a science museum and oriented by the situated learning theory. Over 1900 urban public-school students in 5th to 9th grades completed questionnaires and were observed in the activities. Analyses revealed that the students identified different practices associated with scientific work, which allowed them to explore how science works and how it could be related with their everyday life. Further, results suggested that non-formal educational environments could foster interest in science and technology by involving socio-cultural context.
... The process of forming and developing interests is highly contextual and deeply tied to identity and the values that cultures and communities place on topics and activities (Azevedo 2011;Hidi and Renninger 2006;J€ arvel€ a and Renninger 2014). Researchers have found that adult and peer relationships play a critical role in exposing youth to new areas of interest and in fostering interest development (Barron et al. 2009;Weiss 2015). In other words, interest-driven learning is not a matter of learners simply doing activities they find fun or intriguing; but rather it is a ...
Multiple reasons shape how young people and families choose to participate in informal learning programs at museums and other settings. Youth interest is likely a factor, but so might be geographic proximity, institutional affiliation, household income, and race/ethnicity. We examined the relative impact of these factors through a comparative study of two art programs; one a small, neighborhood-based organization focused on art and STEM, and the other a program in a well-established art museum. The smaller program tended to draw youth from closer geographic proximity. Interest in art drove attendance at both programs, but institutional membership was also important. Demographic factors also were a factor, and race/ethnicity was more strongly associated with program placement than household income. We discuss the importance of better understanding of such factors as museums and other programs continue to grow as important sites for learning.
Front-line educators are arguably critical to the visitor experience at museums and science centers across the country. However, little research exists to inform staff facilitation strategies or professional development efforts. In this article, we describe the results of a qualitative study of 63 staff-family interactions in a science center, focusing particularly on the role of adult family members. We observed three distinct phases of interaction, during which adult family members acted as gatekeepers to deeper staff engagement. The results suggest that in order to successfully facilitate family learning, museum educators must carefully consider the role of adults and the unique social context of museums learning.
Between- and within-family changes in 4 dimensions of
parent involvement in children’s learning were examined
from prekindergarten to kindergarten and from
kindergarten to first grade. Children’s literacy, language,
and mathematics skills were individually assessed at prekindergarten
entry and end of first grade. Parents’ provision
of cognitive stimulation decreased overall from
prekindergarten to kindergarten (d � �.26) and from
kindergarten to first grade (d��.53), and variety of outof-
home experiences increased from kindergarten to first
grade (d�.30). A substantial percentage of the sample increased
or decreased their participation in home-based or
school-based activities. The degree of change in parent provision
of cognitive stimulation from kindergarten to first
grade and variety of out-of-home experiences from prekindergarten
to kindergarten predicted children’s first-grade
mathematics skills. Increases in home learning resources
from prekindergarten to kindergarten were associated with
higher first-grade mathematics outcomes of children with
lower prekindergarten-entry mathematics skills.
The importance of intellectual talent to achievement in all professional domains is well established, but less is known about other individual differences that predict success. The authors tested the importance of 1 noncognitive trait: grit. Defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, grit accounted for an average of 4% of the variance in success outcomes, including educational attainment among 2 samples of adults (N = 1,545 and N = 690), grade point average among Ivy League undergraduates (N = 138), retention in 2 classes of United States Military Academy, West Point, cadets (N = 1,218 and N = 1,308), and ranking in the National Spelling Bee (N = 175). Grit did not relate positively to IQ but was highly correlated with Big Five Conscientiousness. Grit nonetheless demonstrated incremental predictive validity of success measures over and beyond IQ and conscientiousness. Collectively, these findings suggest that the achievement of difficult goals entails not only talent but also the sustained and focused application of talent over time.
As the incomes of affluent and poor families have diverged over the past three decades, so too has the educational performance of their children. But how exactly do the forces of rising inequality affect the educational attainment and life chances of low-income children? In Whither Opportunity? a distinguished team of economists, sociologists, and experts in social and education policy examines the corrosive effects of unequal family resources, disadvantaged neighborhoods, insecure labor markets, and worsening school conditions on K-12 education. This groundbreaking book illuminates the ways rising inequality is undermining one of the most important goals of public education-the ability of schools to provide children with an equal chance at academic and economic success. The most ambitious study of educational inequality to date, Whither Opportunity? analyzes how social and economic conditions surrounding schools affect school performance and children's educational achievement. The book shows that from earliest childhood, parental investments in children's learning affect reading, math, and other attainments later in life. Contributor Meredith Phillip finds that between birth and age six, wealthier children will have spent as many as 1,300 more hours than poor children on child enrichment activities such as music lessons, travel, and summer camp. Greg Duncan, George Farkas, and Katherine Magnuson demonstrate that a child from a poor family is two to four times as likely as a child from an affluent family to have classmates with low skills and behavior problems - attributes which have a negative effect on the learning of their fellow students. As a result of such disparities, contributor Sean Reardon finds that the gap between rich and poor children's math and reading achievement scores is now much larger than it was fifty years ago. And such income-based gaps persist across the school years, as Martha Bailey and Sue Dynarski document in their chapter on the growing income-based gap in college completion. Whither Opportunity? also reveals the profound impact of environmental factors on children's educational progress and schools' functioning. Elizabeth Ananat, Anna Gassman-Pines, and Christina Gibson-Davis show that local job losses such as those caused by plant closings can lower the test scores of students with low socioeconomic status, even students whose parents have not lost their jobs. They find that community-wide stress is most likely the culprit. Analyzing the math achievement of elementary school children, Stephen Raudenbush, Marshall Jean, and Emily Art find that students learn less if they attend schools with high student turnover during the school year - a common occurrence in poor schools. And David Kirk and Robert Sampson show that teacher commitment, parental involvement, and student achievement in schools in high-crime neighborhoods all tend to be low. For generations of Americans, public education provided the springboard to upward mobility. This pioneering volume casts a stark light on the ways rising inequality may now be compromising schools' functioning, and with it the promise of equal opportunity in America.
Social capital theorists have shown that inequality arises in part because some people enjoy larger, more supportive, or otherwise more useful networks. But why do some people have better networks than others? This book argues that the answer lies less in people's deliberate "networking" than in the institutional conditions of the churches, colleges, firms, gyms, and other organizations in which they happen to participate routinely. This book introduces a model of social inequality that takes seriously the embeddedness of networks in formal organizations, proposing that what people gain from their connections depends on where those connections are formed and sustained. The model is illustrated and developed through a study of the experiences of mothers whose children were enrolled in New York City childcare centers. As a result of the routine practices and institutional conditions of the centers - from the structure of their parents' associations, to apparently innocuous rules such as pick-up and drop-off times - many of these mothers dramatically increased their social capital and measurably improved their wellbeing. Yet how much they gained depended on how their respective centers were organized. This book identifies the mechanisms through which childcare centers structured the networks of mothers, and shows that similar mechanisms operate in many other routine organizations, from beauty salons and bath houses to colleges and churches. The book makes a case for the importance of organizational embeddedness in the study of personal ties.
Out-of-school time (OST) programs represent a vital opportunity and resource for learning and development for children and youth. Given the potential of city-level OST initiatives to support participation, and against the national backdrop of inequitable access to quality OST programs for older youth from disadvantaged communities, The Wallace Foundation commissioned this research study. To understand how to promote sustained participation in OST programs, this study examined the program characteristics--both program practices and structural features--associated with high participation and retention that were employed by OST programs, primarily serving disadvantaged youth, in six cities that have worked toward building OST initiatives. In particular, this report addresses how OST programs keep middle and high school youth engaged over time (i.e., the duration of participation) and how the supports that city initiatives provide can help foster youth participation, with the assumption that programs can have a potentially greater impact if they are able to work with these youth over an extended period of time. Appendices include: (1) Cities and Initiatives; (2) Youth Participation Community of Practice; (3) Respondent List; (4) Sample Selection and Description; (5) Analysis Description; (6) Twenty-Eight Programs/Organizations Interviewed; and (7) Practices and Features of High-Retention Programs. (Contains 31 tables, 23 footnotes, and 72 notes.) ["Engaging Older Youth: Program and City-Level Strategies to Support Sustained Participation in Out-of-School Time" was written with Diana Lee.]
Adolescents often pursue learning opportunities both in and outside school once they become interested in a topic. In this paper, a learning ecology framework and an associated empirical research agenda are described. This framework highlights the need to better understand how learning outside school relates to learning within schools or other formal organizations, and how learning in school can lead to learning activities outside school. Three portraits of adolescent learners are shared to illustrate different pathways to interest development. Five types of self-initiated learning processes are identified across these case portraits. These include the seeking out of text-based informational sources, the creation of new interactive activity contexts such as projects, the pursuit of structured learning opportunities such as courses, the exploration of media, and the development of mentoring or knowledge-sharing relationships. Implications for theories of human development and ideas for research are discussed. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel
Family involvement bibliographies
- Harvard Family
- Research Project
Family engagement in anywhere, anytime learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project
- M E Lopez
- M Caspe
Finding time together: Families, schools, and communities supporting anywhere, anytime learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project
- C Patton
- M Caspe
Families, time, and learning
- S M Bouffard
- H B Weiss
Makeshop: Family engagement in exploration, creativity, and innovation
- J Werner
- L Brahms