Pen Green Centre for children and their families

 The aims of this module are to enable students to…

• Understand the importance of positive and respectful partnerships between parents and practitioners.
• Recognise how partnership working with parents establishes a culture of learning for all those concerned with young children’s learning and development.

This module involves developing skills and confidence through the technique of a semi-structured interview to listen to the views and ideas of families in relation to their child’s leaning and development. This module builds on the learning from the Parents’ Involvement in their Children’s Learning module by considering the importance of trust and authenticity in relationships with parents. You will be expected to document the learning that has taken place for the parents during the previous module. The aim is that this way of working will become embedded in practice and subsequent families will be able to be supported in this way. 

Reading, referencing and ethical considerations are discussed throughout the module, and you will be supported to analyse the interview and report your findings.

This module is assessed on coursework (pass/fail).

 Assessment will be via a presentation.

The expectation is that students attend all scheduled learning and teaching sessions.

If there are exceptional circumstances which result in a student being unable to fulfill this, the student should discuss these with the Course Lead.

Programme/module requirements, including those attendance, must be met and students are responsible for making good work missed through absence.

Knowledge and Understanding:

Successful students will typically:

• Know and understand the rationale for, and approaches to, building equal and respectful partnerships with parents and with the child’s wider family members.
• Know and understand how their values and beliefs reflect their attitudes to engaging with parents with regard to involving parents in their children’s learning.

Skills and Attributes:

• Successful students will typically:
• Know and understand how to engage ethically with parents and the child’s wider family members in order to support children’s learning effectively.
• Know and understand how to undertake a semi-structured interview with a parent and communicate the findings.

Scheduled Teaching, campus−based activities in general teaching spaces (e.g.lectures, 20 seminars, tutorials) 10 hours

Scheduled campus−based activities in specialist teaching spaces (e.g practical classes, 25 workshops, demonstrations) 5 hours

Directed independent study 35 hours

Self-directed independent study 100 hours

Total hours 150

This module will be taught through a series of lectures and practice-based experiences. You will be supported to develop your techniques in semi-structured interview methods and reflect on how you currently listen to the views of families. The module extends the learning from the Parents’ Involvement in their Children’s Learning module so that you will be able to demonstrate practical awareness of sharing child development theory with families and truly consider the parents’ voice.