Nawal Qarooni
Að byggja betra samband á milli heimila og skóla
Í fyrirlestri sínum fer Nawal yfir það hvernig fjölskyldur leggja sitt af mörkum í læsislífi barna sinna á margvíslegan og fjölþættan hátt. Hún leggur áherslu á og segir okkur frá leiðum til þess að kynnast nemendum og fjölskyldum þeirra betur og inngilda þannig þeirra reynsluheim í skólastofuna. Hún leggur til útvíkkun á skilgreiningunni á læsi, ræðir um upplifun barna með fjölbreyttan menningar- og tungumálabakgrunn og fær okkur til að velta fyrir okkur hvernig þátttaka fjölskyldna í læsisnámi lítur út.
“Sometimes the most important work we do is to bring families into the fold aims to further engage caregivers with their students at home and in their communities.”
— Nawal Qarooni
Spurningar og svör frá Sli.Do
Q1: In the fast pace of society, how can we "sell" parents the ideology that this matters and encourage them to make space/time for these caregiving moments?
We can do this by building relationships with caregivers to tap into their authentic senses of what they want for their children. By asking how success is defined for their kids (and why), we can better understand what they hope to achieve in education for them. And then together, we can build a better collaborative atmosphere in slowing down, intentionally exalting process instead of final products alone, elevating what children are already doing well, and remembering that all children develop differently, in their own time/ places/ spaces.
Q2: How can we reach out to families who are introverted or not excited about participating in a program like this?
Think of it less as a “program” and more as a new way of communicating and weaving family literacies and experiences into what we are already doing as classroom teachers (and caregivers). If, when you start a school year, you do it with family interviews and asking more questions (instead of telling families what they need to do differently with their kids), then the fabric of our relationships with caregivers just changes over time.
Q3: How do you get parents to attend classes?
Vary the time of day and day of the week; ensure other children (siblings) can attend; extend the invitation to families, not just parents (but extended family; cousins; family friends too). Remember that if families cannot attend, it’s likely because they have a life barrier, and our jobs are to reduce those, not make additional demands. You might offer transportation or food, too, if you realize those are issues that get in the way.
Hver er Nawal Qarooni?
Nawal Qarooni er kennari, kennsluráðgjafi og rithöfundur sem styður heildræna nálgun á læsiskennslu þar sem við fáum fjölskyldur með okkur. Að aukki vill hún að við víkkum út skilgreininguna á hvað læsi er, en Nawal er einmitt höfundur bókarinnar Nourishing Caregiver Collaborations (Að rækta samstarf umönnunaraðila) sem ræðir um hvernig heimili og skólar geta unnið betur saman í sameiginlegu námi barna og ungmenna.
