parent engagement
This page highlights how schools can foster strong relationships with parents throughout the school year.
For tips on what to do when families initially arrive, choose the First Steps Tab above, click on the Welcome and Reception page and review the Welcoming Parents section.
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/3677733159
PARENTS AS PARTNERS IN THE LEARNING
How Parents Help Their ESL Children Learn English
From setting up a work space and encouraging regular study routines to reading regularly with their children in either language, this short post outlines simple, but important tips that can be shared with parents.
Help Parents learn English as well
What tools, activities or community services can you recommend to parents to help them build language proficiency? As one example of a learning support, Readlang is an online tool that can translate words & phrases live on any web page and turn searched words into flashcards (free with the option of a premium upgrade).
Five Principles with Twenty Examples for Engaging ELL Families
This brief ACSD Express post outline five guiding principles for how to engage with families and provides a table of samples initiatives sorted by grade level that teachers and schools can undertake to communicate effectively with families and spark more engagement.
Engaging ELL Families: 20 Strategies for School Leaders
This post from All About Adolescent Literacy invites school leaders to reflect on the following topics: knowing your ELL population, integrating cultural traditions of your ELL families in your school community, creating a welcoming environment, showing that you value families' native language, finding ways to communicate more effectively with parents and thinking outside the box about parent involvement in your school.
ABCs of Family Engagement
This 6 page article from WIDA, an American organization who seeks to advance academic language development and achievement for youth who are culturally and linguistically diverse, outlines 6 key considerations for building relationships with families and strengthening family engagement practices.
Use Translation Tools to Communicate with ELL Families
1. Google Voice provides the option of signing up for a private number and sending texts to parents in multiple languages. For more information, visit this blog post.
2. Remind sends text messages to families and it can translate messages into more than 70 languages.
3. ClassDojo is a free tool for K-8 that helps build a community. Teachers can track positive behaviours; students can build digital portfolios where they add can photos and videos to showcase what they've been learning; and parents can be sent the story of the day or a private message. Parents can translate any messages home with one click.
2. ClassTag is a free online tool that helps teachers send messages home including newsletters, group and 1-1 messaging, sign-up sheets, etc. and it will automatically translate all of the communications into a parent’s preferred language. Parent replies are translated back to English. For more information, visit this blog post: 11 Easy Ways to Automate Parent Communications with ClassTag.
Research has debunked the myth that bilingualism confuses children and delays language development. In fact, there are major academic, social, and cognitive benefits for children learning multiple languages. Encourage parents and caregivers to continue communicating with their child in her home language. Explain that it is OK for the child to switch between languages, and in fact, this exercise in executive function gives her brain a great workout! Grapeseed Blog, April 2016
SHARING ESL Benchmark results WITH PARENTS
These Benchmark Summary Sheets have added visuals to facilitate communication with parents:
PARENT INFORMATION
Resources:
Alberta Education: ESL K-6 - Parent Information Page including a link to Parent Tip Sheets for newcomers to Alberta
Alberta Government: My Child's Learning: A Parent Resource - Learning English as a New Language (2 page guide)