Welcome to tonight's #edchatie discussion on "Parents voice in education are we doing enough?"
Before we begin, please introduce yourself and remember to add the hashtag into all your tweets for the next hour
Fred Boss, 2nd level art teacher currently with @NCCAie
Looking forward to discussing "Parents voice in education are we doing enough?" - although it's a slow start on tonight's #edchatie
#edchatie as a teacher I find it depends on school structure & in particular management on how well parents interact & feel listened to - like everything you can have all the policies in the world but the reality depends on the dynamics of the people on the ground
Tonight on #edchatie we discuss "Parents voice in education are we doing enough?"
I think it's important that parents have a chance to be consulted at national & school levels about direction of education for their children
#edchatie I think a question to be asked is HOW to involve parents more in the overall education debate. Saw it with the new Junior cycle - in the early days parents of those NOW going through it weren't engaged as their children were still in primary ...1/2
I agree re people on the ground, unfortunately I think less and less parents seem to have the time to commit as they are so busy with their own working lives #edchatie
Parents should be consulted of course & have an input but do they really care? Spoke to a couple on Sat who have a child in 1st year and it was the first they had heard of the new Junior Cycle. #edchatie@JCforTeachers
Tonight on #edchatie we discuss "Parents voice in education are we doing enough?"
I think it's important that parents have a chance to be consulted at national & school levels about direction of education for their children
We place a lot of emphasis on information transferring with the child - standardised testing, report card etc. Perhaps more awareness needed re the transition itself - the new English programme in JC in particular strives to build a bridge between primary and secondary #edchatie
#edchatie it's not they don't care as such but when it was first being mooted their child was in primary so anything "junior cert" related went completely over their heads. Media has a role in that as emphasis was on teacher (dis)satisfaction & not getting whole message out there
It's good that parents are becoming aware of the continuity from Primary to Post Primary.
Are we still at the awareness raising stage though?
#edchatie
We place a lot of emphasis on information transferring with the child - standardised testing, report card etc. Perhaps more awareness needed re the transition itself - the new English programme in JC in particular strives to build a bridge between primary and secondary #edchatie
My son's school use ePortal -I can see his grades, any messages re behaviours, homework, weekly events in the school and his attendance record #edchatie
As a parent, your relationship with primary may be fractious, and you may want your child to make a new start without carrying forward his previous school history #edchatie
We're halfway through tonight's #edchatie discussion about "Parents voice in education are we doing enough?" and discussing ways schools can involve and communicate to parents more
Depends on the parents to be honest - there is a lot of information out there for people who wish to inform themselves. I find parents are at different starting points - I guess we need to find ways to engage everyone - Junior cycle involves a very new discourse #edchatie
Or who have the technology... My sons school told us that there would be no more emails, and that we would in future have to communicate via an "app", which my phone did not support. #edchatie
In reply to
@GoStressbusterz, @CiarraiKM, @mssweeneyhomeec
We've seen great work with eportfolios - really make learning visible and getting parents to engage as the audience has huge potential - my colleague @miriambergin has begun a similar journey using Google ePortfolios in @colmhuirecoed#edchatie
In reply to
@CiarraiKM, @mssweeneyhomeec, @miriambergin, @colmhuirecoed
Unfortunately not on the system my son's school uses. Would be ideal if this could be facilitated. For me, the advantage is the ease of logging in anytime and anywhere - then making a note to contact the relevant teacher etc. where necessary #edchatie
#edchatie so true. My current school do a huge amount of work engaging parents in a positive way with the school. It's never ending and successes are small but for those few families it's so worth it. Little things like cookery classes for parents have been successful
In reply to
@GoStressbusterz, @DpDonal, @JCforTeachers
That's a good point - and everyone deserves a fresh start.
I think parents can also carry bad/good experiences from their school days with them too
#edchatie
As a parent, your relationship with primary may be fractious, and you may want your child to make a new start without carrying forward his previous school history #edchatie
#edchatie Róisín, teacher of JC and LC English in a Gaelcholáiste. Parents councils vary in their voices, some parents may not know of their existence/ other parents struggle to be nominated such is level of interest. Depends on school context, esp senior management attitude
I also think there could be simple screencasts that would help parents less familiar with the various MIS/SIS platforms - the interfaces can often be unfriendly and confusing-a walk through a spurious student profile could really support parental engagement #edchatie
A very good point Fred, often there is a very High affective load in the parent school relationship, particularly with students from non-academic families #edchatie
Sometimes I think awards evenings or celebrations can be good - sometimes parental involvement focuses on negative issues - much more comfortable to engage in the first instance with your child's school for something affirmative #edchatie
In reply to
@CiarraiKM, @mssweeneyhomeec, @DpDonal, @JCforTeachers
#edchatie Yes working on eportfolios & google classroom to connect with parents...did a survey, parents like google classroom but most opted for notifications once a week rather than daily!, I need to have more AFL results going home to connect with parents, its work in progress
In reply to
@GoStressbusterz, @CiarraiKM, @mssweeneyhomeec, @colmhuirecoed
I also teach in adult ed. Its often surprising how small some adults store of computer skills is, even if they can handle Facebook, they often have a very perilous journey once they move away from its welcoming shores.. #edchatie
In reply to
@GoStressbusterz, @mssweeneyhomeec, @CiarraiKM
This is so true - technology can break down barriers for those with in their comfort zone but build higher walls for those not yet comfortable with new technology #edchatie
To make this really effective, would parents need some training on how to contribute comments if that is part of the process? two stars and a wish is a great way of giving feedback to younger kids...if parents could also do this it would be wonderful for kids #edchatie
In reply to
@miriambergin, @GoStressbusterz, @mssweeneyhomeec, @colmhuirecoed
#edchatie sorry am late..working on construct2! I think connecting with parents is even more important now as the curriculum is changing and we need to bring parents with us on those changes...so they see and understand the value of the new skills sts will obtain
I think the new reporting guidelines for second level may help - focus on ongoing reporting, making learning more visible for parents - intention being to show where the student is, where they need to go and some brief insights into how to get there #edchatie
In reply to
@CiarraiKM, @miriambergin, @mssweeneyhomeec, @colmhuirecoed
#edchatie On one hand I want to involve parents more when posting notifications on the other I am aware of the new Data protection legislation and am conscious of what I post with that in mind...
In reply to
@CiarraiKM, @GoStressbusterz, @mssweeneyhomeec, @colmhuirecoed
Interesting and possibly wishful thinking! What will happen if schools do actually go to the bother of doing the survey and what is it really aiming to achieve? #edchatie
GDPR posing a lot of headaches in advance of next week 😬 O guess policies etc. will change in the coming years to 'protect'schools whilst also encouraging parental engagement #edchatie
In reply to
@miriambergin, @CiarraiKM, @mssweeneyhomeec, @colmhuirecoed
GDPR compliance may be a challenge, if a parent puts in a request for all the data you have on them. Many cool educational tools will pose challenges in the face of such a request. #edchatie Heard of one parent who wanted copies of all emails related to their child it Took Days.
In reply to
@conpower, @GoStressbusterz, @CiarraiKM, @mssweeneyhomeec
That is an interesting one Laurence. A lot of admin in that esp. if a teacher is looking after admin of a domain. How would you know you have found them all? #edchatie
In reply to
@CuffeL, @GoStressbusterz, @CiarraiKM, @mssweeneyhomeec
Yeah imagine we were the HSE! @HSELive still working on paper files vans driving to archives etc. Book into the maternity and drag your big folder around the place. #edchatie
In reply to
@GoStressbusterz, @CuffeL, @CiarraiKM, @mssweeneyhomeec, @HSELive
We're into the famous final five minutes of tonight's #edchatie discussion on "Parents voice in education are we doing enough?"
Any last thoughts/suggestions?
