The County Clare VEC Clare Adult Basic Education Service is funded by the

1. Clare Family Learning ProjectReaching the hard to reach:Intergenerational learning through innovative family learning programmesMary Flanagan Co-ordinatorClare Sheahan Resource Worker Friday 4th June 2010 The County Clare VEC Clare Adult Basic Education Service is funded by the Department of Education and Science with assistance from the European Social Fund as part of the National Development Plan 2007-2013.

2. Intergenerational learning …is about the transmission of knowledge and behaviour, patterns, beliefs and learning from one generation to the next (Gadsden:2002)

3. There is strong evidence of the intergenerational transfer of disadvantage from parents with poor literacy, language and numeracy skills to their children. Family learning can play a key role in helping to reverse this process. (National Centre for Research and Development :2008)

4. Clare VEC Structure Adult Basic Education Department of Education Vocational Education Committee Second level schools Adult Education Centre Adult Education Officer Adult Literacy Organiser Basic Skills English Language Family Learning Workplace

5. Activity Use the stick!

6. Between the ages of 5 and 16, children spend only 15% of their lives in school

7. Effects of parents/effect of schools achievementparents /school effects age 7 0.29 / 0.05 age 11 0.27 / 0.21 age 16 0.14 / 0.51 from Sacker et al (2002)

8. The influence of parental involvement on a child’s learning is eight times more important than any other factor, such as occupation of parent, in increasing a child’s achievement in school (Feinstein and Symons 1999:51)

9. Background • Denny Taylor first coined the term ‘family literacy’1983 - literacy happening in the home • Andrea Mearing in UK suggested the phrase ‘family learning’- 1996. Wider context including programmes aimed at disadvantaged parents and their children, with embedded literacy and numeracy

10. Clare Family Learning Project Family Learning 2000 Family Literacy 1994 Wider Family Learning 2010 • Family Learning Pack produced • Small booklet produced • Pilots run countywide • Focus on early years • Huge potential for growth • To reach those least likely to engage in education • DVD • Guide to programmes in Ireland • Website updated regularly • Family Learning in Action • Wide variety of programmes to meet the diverse needs of our learning community • Portable, affordable and adaptable

11. Child Literacy and Social Inclusion Report National Economic Social Forum November 2009 • Clare Family Learning Project mentioned as an example of good practice (Section 8.34) • Some of the more integrated and focused areas are in Family Literacy … family literacy (nationally) is showing positive signs of development … (Section 8.32 Community Initiatives ) • FL…can help to overcome barriers to learning felt by adults and children who find it difficult to relate to school learning • Clear outcomes needed for each stage of delivery- DEIS • An area-wide family literacy strategy could help

12. Key points in family learning • Parents are the first and most natural teachers of their children • The home is a very valuable learning place • Builds social networks for parents • Encourages parents to become lifelong learners

13. Family learning is intergenerational • Early years • Primary school • Second level • Lifelong learning

14. Who are our parents/carers? • Adults with low literacy levels • Unemployed • Refugees / Asylum seekers • Low skilled workers • Travellers • Single parents • Rurally isolated

15. A family learning approach to developing programmes • Affirming what parents are already doing at home as valuable (valuing and building on existing home literacies) • Encouraging parents to become involved in their child’s education at an early age • Helping parents develop strategies for extending their children’s emergent literacy and numeracy skills • Clare Family Learning Resource Guide 2000

16. continued… • Building a partnership between home, school and community in order to maximise support to parents • Providing parents with opportunities to improve their own literacy and numeracy skills • Fostering the notion of lifelong learning • Clare Family Learning Resource Guide 2000 • These inform all courses in family literacy

17. Activity – 5 minutes • Examine range of programmes available • Choose a programme that might meet the needs of your community • What group is it suitable for? • Why? Clare Family Learning Project embeds literacy and numeracy skills in every programme in a natural way

19. What makes a family learning programme successful? • Partnership • Informal / non formal structure • Interesting topics - Meeting the needs of groups • Building on existing knowledge of learners • Practical activities • Nurturing parents learning then they in turn can help their children learn • Experienced and well trained tutors • Flexible provision, times, locations

20. Working in partnership • Schools recognise the benefits of parental involvement – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in School Initiative (DEIS) • Community groups: Use of premises, can provide link people • Health Service Executive: PFLAG • Social Services: Social workers • Libraries: Use of premises, promotion • Network meetings used to promote work

21. Innovative family learning programmes • Dads and lads • Weekend action for dads and children Themed programmes • Sewing for the family • Growing together • Making puppets • Family stories in a box • Car mechanics • Families and active citizenship

22. Positive involvement by fathers in their children’s learning is associated with… better mental health, higher quality of later relationships, less criminality, better school attendance and behaviour, and better examination results. Dept of Health and Dept of Education and Skills 2004 National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services. London: DoH, p.69.

23. Insect boxes Frames Puppets

24. Fun Science Experiments

25. Games and gadgets

26. Sewing for the family

27. Growing Together

28. Car maintenance

29. Family stories in a box

30. Making puppets

31. Activity • Work in groups • Think of a time when you stood up for yourself • Draw item on jigsaw piece • Share with group

32. My Family • My Community • Citizenship • Voting • Our Government

33. Voter Registration Display - Ennis

34. Meeting a local candidate before the election to discuss relevant issues – inspired by the display wall where students placed their issues prior to the election

35. Families and Active Citizenship Class Discussion on the political parties and their leaders FACE IT Handbook

36. Voting on Election Day

37. Learner Comments… • How do I register to vote? • Who will I vote for ? • What are the politicians going to do for me? • I felt good knowing about voting • I didn’t know I could vote for more than one person • I was happy to get my polling card in the post

38. Outcomes of the Pilot Project • Six learners voted for the first time as a result of attending the classes • Some learners identified issues for local action • All learners asked questions and raised issues with the local politicians • Learners were observed engaging in political discussion among themselves • All learners reported greater understanding and enthusiasm for becoming more active citizens

39. Becoming an active citizen

40. Launch of Traveller Life booklet

41. Current research • At home with literacy: A study of family literacy practicesNALA Dublin 2010 • Policy Brief on Family Literacy - NALA Sept 2009 • Raising Aspirations and Realising Potential European Family Learning Network 2008 • Families, learning, impact and the national agendas – NIACE Conference 22/23 January 2009 • Ofsted Family Learning Summer 2009 • Assessing the impact of family literacy programmes - October 2009 www.nrdc.org.uk • Journal articles 2009 Aontas and NALA journals • Bringing Literacy Home(2010)KaiLonnie Dunsmore and Douglas Fisher Editors International Reading Association:USA (Brice/Taylor) • Essential Readings on Early Literacy(2010) compiled and introduced by Dorothy S. Strickland.

42. National/ International work • Trained over 450 family learning tutors to date • Run family learning workshops nationally and internationally • Quarterly family literacy e-newsletter • Website as a resource • Next training will take place autumn 2010

43. A formula for family learning • Guide parents to identify and develop opportunities for learning in and around the home • Support parents to develop strategies for extending their children’s literacy and numeracy skills • Nurture parents learning then they in turn can help their children learn

44. Wider benefits of family learning 2 for 1 (parent and child) examples: • Parental learning models positive attitude toward education for children. • Increased parent child interaction on literacy and numeracy activities. 3 for 1 (parent, child and community) examples: • More active citizens in communities • Cultural integration of migrants

45. Family learning is… …a successful way to hook parents into becoming lifelong learning role models for their children