Learning Outcome a)

Learning Outcome a) Communicate with parents/caregivers, families/whanau and community.

Evidence One
Reading Reflection
Reading: Brooking, K. (2007). Home-school partnerships. What are they really? SET, 3, 14-17.

This reading talked about the implementation and success of home-school partnerships and how they are really working in New Zealand schools. Home school partnerships were an initiative set up by the government to create a focus group of parents and teachers where both could help one another to include each other's literacy teaching practices into their own practices. It is believed that having parents play are more prominent roll in a child's school life will help increase their achievement. The ministry found that many schools were finding success using the home-schoool initiative but there were some problems. In many schools, there was not an equal partnership between parents and teachers. Although parents were listening to and taking on teachers ideas surrounding teaching and learning, teachers were not fully adapting to parent's practices. To ensure better sucess for students, there needs to be an alignment between home and school learning which means teachers and parents together need to inform each other about what is happening at both home and school. Then teachers can take learning or cultural practice of the student and incorporate these into the classroom to ensure this alignment is taking place.

For my future teaching practice, this reading made me think about the partnerships I will form with parents of my students. I need to be aware of not taking a power position over parents and that we both equally share the responsibility of the child's learning. Therefore I will be open to listening to parent's ideas and practices and including these in my own classroom to benefit the child. I will endeavour to create a friendly and comfortable environment with parents, where they feel welcomed into the classroom and are able to express their concerns. I will be sure to address any concerns they have and work with the parent to solve any problems regarding the child's learning.