My Focus: Why Whānau Engagement?

 "Although we are already in an undulating teaching and learning phase. I believe that keeping in communication with our whānau is going to continue to strengthen partnerships between home and school". 

Anita Unka 2022

My area of focus is to strengthen whānau engagement so that parents and teachers have a shared responsibility to help their children learn and meet educational goals. 

Last year was an interrupted year for our all teachers and learners.  It was a disruption of routine, emotions and our teaching and learning momentium. Connecting with whānau has moved from face to face to virtual connecting. The nature of the connecting has being more of an emphasis on the child's wellbeing, verses student achievement. 

I don't want to loose momentium with my writing flexi connects this year. As I felt we were able to connect with families to share their child's progress of their writing. The conversation have been student led with the support of the teacher. Although we are already in an undulating teaching and learning phase. I believe that keeping in communication with our whānau is going to continue to strengthen partnerships between home and school. My focus is aligned with our Strategic and Annual Plan 2022

"Increase participation and belonging through nurturing a culture of inclusion for whānau and other community.":

Stonefields School 2022

What's the research saying? Some common challenges are:

 

What teachers and parents perceive a partnership to looks like. Helen Timperley and Viviane Robinson talk about creating a learning culture partnership. As often parents see a hierarchy between the teacher and parent, and in fact equal sharing of power if important to meet the needs of the learner. It is important to work together for the child. 

ERO's report on Learning in a Covid world, the impact of COVID on schools January 2021

Is saying that due to Covid the nature and culture of parent engagement is taking a hit. Moving from face to face to Virtual engagement. The demands on families workload increased, less time to engage with their child's learning. A quote from the ERO report, secondary student reiterates this.

By continuing to take focus on strengthening home school partnerships will help to create a culture of having a shared responsibility for our families. Taking the time to find out the needs and the challenges of our whānau is going to help us best support our parents to walk along side us to support their child. The desired change I would like to see is home school partnership strengthened and student achievement shift at a positive rate.

Initially I have measured this shift in writing, but I feel it is difficult to seperate Reading and Writing in terms of giving feedback to our learners. So I will look to measure it in Literacy. Both Reading and Writing. 

Also as part of our Strategic and Annual Plan 2022 is how our teachers are using the Learning Process to promote and engage learning.

This Connects with Manaiakalani's Learn Create Share Model of designing our learning to promote and engage student achievement. Every year my Inquiry reflects this design, which I will continue to promote.

After writing this post a feel I have more of direction and feel reaffirmed that their is still work in investing time into strengthening whānau engagement.