| Unit name | Working with Parents and Carers for Inclusive Education |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM0062 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jo Rose |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit will investigate enduring issues in the field of parental involvement and inclusive education. A range of policy initiatives relating to parental involvement will be presented, and an underlying theme will be to explore how schools can strengthen their relationships with parents, with a focused exploration of frameworks on involving parents of children with special educational needs. The unit will explore parents' involvement with pupil learning and adjustment (including parental support for children with learning difficulties) and the extent to which parental engagement and pupil achievement are related. Specific intervention schemes for parents of young children with learning disabilities will be considered together with programmes for promoting literacy and/or mathematics learning. There will be a critical review of certain themes and assumptions that are reflected in some initiatives ('hard to reach parents' or 'hard to reach schools'), together with an examination of work involving parents from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds.
Unit Aims:
This unit aims to provide students with an overview of policy initiatives, research findings and key frameworks in the field of parental engagement, with particular reference to parents of children with special educational needs. It will present a range of differing intervention models in order that links between parental involvement and pupil learning and adjustment can be explored.
A key aim of this unit will be to develop students understanding that one size does not fit all in the field of parental involvement. Linked to this is the aim of extending students ability to analyse critically a range of policy and research-based initiatives so that students can reflect on and develop their own professional practice.
Upon successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate their knowledge of policy initiatives in the field of parental engagement with particular reference to the involvement of parents of children with special educational needs/disabilities;
2. Identify strengths and limitations in a range of reported parental involvement interventions;
3. Develop their understanding of involving parents from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds and the importance of adopting a range of flexible approaches;
4. Evaluate associations between parental involvement and pupil learning and adjustment.
This unit will be taught using a blended approach consisting of a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities including seminars, lectures, reading and discussions, and involving both independent and collaborative group work with peers.
Formative assessment will be provided by group sessions during which students will give presentations on the proposed structure, core models/frameworks and key readings of their chosen focus for the written assessment task, and during which students will receive feedback from other participants on these three aspects. (ILO 1-4)
Summative assessment
1000 word pamphlet, presenting their design of an intervention for parents from a specific population (eg EAL, parents of children with SEN, etc) to support their child's learning 25% (ILOs 3 & 4)
3000 word essay to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of an existing parental involvement project or approach, or a critical comparison of the strengths and limitations of two different approaches. 75% (ILOs 1-4).
Department for Education/Department for Health (2015). The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (0-25). Available for download https://www.gov.uk/government/publications
Feiler, A. (2010) Engaging ‘Hard to Reach’ Parents: Teacher-Parent Collaboration to Promote Children’s Learning London: Wiley-Blackwell
Goodall, J. and Vorhaus, J. (2011) Review of Best Practice in Parental Engagement. DFE RR-156. Available for download https://www.gov.uk/government/publications
Hornby, G. and Lafaele, R. (2011) 'Barriers to Parental Involvement in Education: An Explanatory Model', Educational Review, 63: 1, 37 — 52
Miller, S. (2010) Supporting Parents: Improving Outcomes for Children, Families and Communities. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Sandler, I. N., Schoenfelder, E. N., Wolchik, S. A. and MacKinnon, D. P. (2011) Long-Term Impact of Prevention Programs to Promote Effective Parenting: Lasting Effects but Uncertain Processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 299-329
