How Parents Influence The Student Language Learning Process
You know we can't deny the role of parents in education for children. Parental encouragement and support for learning activities at home combined with parental involvement in schooling are critical to children’s education. A growing body of research shows that building effective partnerships between parents, families, and schools to support children’s learning leads to improved learning outcomes. Parents are the first and continuing educators of their children. Research also shows that teacher quality, including standards and training in parental engagement, is important for facilitating effective parental engagement.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Trang H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Parental Engagement Structure
Considered broadly, parental engagement consists of partnerships between families, schools, and communities, raising parental awareness of the benefits of engaging in their children’s education, and providing them with the skills to do so.
Parents influence matters at different levels. For instance, whether or not parents invest in early childhood education matters hugely for cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
At the basic education level, parental engagement can include involvement in school management committees or parent associations, interactions with teachers, and support for school and homework.
At higher levels of education, parents may provide specific advice on subject choices and preparation for higher education, vocational education or links to employment.
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Parents and Educational Institutions
Besides actions directly related to their own children’s education, parental preferences and decision-making can have a strong influence on education policy. The most motivated parents and parent groups can influence education decisions, such as support for different types of education provision, curricular content, and public expenditure allocation decisions.
Some parents may think that it is the teachers’ role to teach, not theirs. But such a belief does both the parents and the children a disservice. Children don’t start and stop learning only during the school day. They are always attuned to learning, at home, with friends, and through other influences.
It is important for parents to be the steering wheel on the vehicle of learning, providing guidance and information along the entire journey, so that their children stay on course and are not distracted or dissuaded from reaching their academic potential.
The importance of parental involvement has been well documented for some time. Studies continue to indicate that a parent’s role in children’s learning is critical to their academic achievement.
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Parental Help Throughout Students’ Development
Many of the studies further show that the most important time to get involved is when children are at the elementary level of schooling. These early years provide parents the most opportune time to explore the world with their children through a variety of fun and helpful learning activities. Exploring nature, reading books together, teaching children basic tasks such as gardening, cooking, building, and so on, are all meaningful activities that reinforce children’s desire to continue to learn new things.
As children get older, parents should continue to be involved in their kids’ schoolwork and ensure that they are engaged in their education.
Part of being involved in your children’s lives includes ensuring they are engaged and challenged in their educational environment, as well as supporting their learning along the way. Look for more ways you can be involved in your child’s education, including reading to the younger children, helping them with their homework, and looking for ways to learn outside of the school day.
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It’s also important that children enjoy the learning process. If your child is not happy in school, consider other alternatives such as online learning. Online schools also allow parents to have a greater role in their children’s education.
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