The Benefits of Parent Involvement in TEFL Teaching
When a child is born, parents are their first teachers and the people responsible for educating their children in the first few years of their lives. Young children pick up on the gestures, phrases, words, manners, etc., that their parents use every day, which in a sense, makes the parent the first teacher a child has. This is the parent's job until the children are enrolled in a school program. When the child enters a school program, the educator's main role is no longer on the parents. Instead, parents have a new partner, the teacher; however, the parent's job is not finished. It is only changing. Just because the parent's job modifies when the child is enrolled in a school program doesn't mean that their involvement in the child's education is finished. Rather it is just beginning.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sladjana M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
When Should Parents Get Involved in TEFL?
According to a joint policy statement issued in May 2016 by the U.S Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED), the relationship between parents and school should begin in the early years of the child's life. The policy statement was released on the topic of 'Family engagement from early years to the early grades to recognize the crucial role parents have in promoting children's success starting in early childhood. The policy statement had repeated the findings from an earlier report known as 'A new wave of evidence' from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory in 2002. The report does the day remains the most relevant analysis, which used 51 studies on parent engagement and student academic success. The individuals who reviewed the previous findings took backgrounds and incomes into consideration and included studies covering all grades, all regions of the country (The United States of America), and a diverse population. The study concluded that parent engagement in the education of their children led to the following (Melissa Kelly, 2019):
- Higher grades and test scores, and enrollment in higher-level programs
- Increase in earned credits and promotions
- Improved attendance
- Improved behavior and social skills
- Increase in enrollment in postsecondary education (college, university)
- Considering the above policy and the results from a previous study, the engagement of parents in education has had a positive outcome on children and their view on education.
What's a Parent's Role in TEFL Education?
Every child has the potential to be successful. However, contributing factors can affect whether or not the child will have success in the future in education and life in general. The parent's, role is to provide guidance and information throughout the education of their children to stay on course and not become distracted from reaching their academic potential. Many studies show that the most important time a parent should be involved in education is when their child enters the elementary level. These years provide parents with the best opportunity to the world with their children through fun and helpful learning activities that will help their children in the future years. Some activities that could help the child's learning are: exploring nature, reading books together, teaching basic tasks such as gardening, cooking, building, etc. ( Learning Liftoff, 2017). Based on an article that was written by Learning liftoff (2017), the benefits of parental involvement in a child's learning behavior include the following:
- Parents and children enjoy a deeper interaction.
- Children who received schooling at home tend to do better on standardized tests.
- Children show improved self-esteem and self-worth, improved confidence, and better behavior.
- Children complete homework more easily and consistently.
- Children receive better grades on tests and attendance.
- Parents are more aware of what their children are learning and can pinpoint key areas or subjects that the children may need additional help in
Parent-Child Relationship
Aside from the sole importance of parental involvement in education, being involved in the child's education is just as important. Even though the child grows and learns different things, the parent's role as a learning model never goes away. On August 16, 2012, PBS kids released an article that includes different ways and explanations that the parent can be involved in their children's educational development. Ways of involvement can include:
- Being a role model for learning
- Paying attention to what the child loves
- Tuning in to how the child learns
- Practicing what the child is taught at school
- Setting aside time to read together.
- Connecting what the child has learned to everyday life and the world.
- Keeping TV time minimum
- Not over-scheduling the child.
- Learning something new yourself
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Parental involvement in child education is extremely important for reasons that have been addressed throughout this essay. Based on different studies, many positive results in the success and use of full potential have been reported when they are involved in their child's education. Parents who support their children, help guide them throughout their educational career, who are interested in their child usually have children who reach their full educational potential, making them successful individuals in their future lives.
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