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| This article first appeared
in the September 2003 issue of Literacy
Today (issue no. 36). |
A learning
holiday
Nan Jackson
| Nan Jackson,
coordinator of Rochdale's Partnership Education Service, explains
how their new family learning pack has enabled Pakistani and Bangladeshi
parents to work with their children during extended visits to their
home country, and bring knowledge about their heritage back into the
classroom. |
Over the past 11 years, Rochdale Partnership Education Service has developed
many ways of enabling
parents to be involved in their children's education. Parents and schools
have told us that they like a choice of ways to be involved in family learning,
including loans to use at home, programmes of family
literacy and numeracy, and creative activities outside in their communities.
In Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities there was a particular request
for work that children could do while on extended visits abroad to see their
families. Our team of multilingual family literacy/home-school liaison workers,
based in primary schools, worked with teachers to encourage learning during
these visits. We provided a diary, crayons, worksheets, reading books and
a disposable camera in a
special holiday bag that each family could take with them.
With funding from the Single Regeneration Budget, we were also able to produce
a full-colour, loose-leaf file of activities. This attractive activity pack
encourages family learning and enables children to find out about their
heritage and bring this knowledge back into their schools. Parents are also
engaged by references to their own culture. One said, "I liked the
pack because the photographs were taken in Pakistan. When I visited I found
the same place in the Shaliwar gardens and took my own pictures."
Before children go on holiday they seek permission from school and parents
are made aware of the need to minimise the disruption to their children's
education. The activity packs are not seen as an encouragement to families
to take children out of school during term time, but are a recognition that
on some occasions families will have to visit relatives and it is in everyone's
best interest to make this an exciting learning experience. As one headteacher
said, "This is a great resource for parents. We used to give them bits
and pieces and now we have a quality pack and photographs that children
talk about on
their return."
By working on the activities, children are gaining many literacy and oracy
skills; they are communicating, discussing, interviewing, sharing ideas,
and reading information, instructions, rhymes and print in the environment.
They are writing in their own diary and recording data and family stories.
There is also a recognition of other languages in the text and family members
are encouraged to contribute to the pack in their first language. Much of
this is recorded in the photographs the children and their families take.
The pack works particularly well for a number of reasons. Before families
leave, our home-school liaison workers talk with parents about using the
pack and emphasise the value of family learning. One worker said, "Children
and parents are excited by the attractive new folder. I used to have to
make an effort to contact them before they went on holiday. Now the children
tell me well in advance because they want their pack."
Schools add any books or materials relevant to their own curriculum and
packs are also individualised for each child by choosing specific topics
of interest. As the topics are about experiential learning,
children can achieve at different levels depending on the amount of adult
support. For this reason, they are not linked to a key stage but can be
adapted for children across the primary age range.
In the pack, the culture and language of communities are valued add shared.
Some of the rhymes and explanatory pages for parents are in Urdu and Bengali,
and children are encouraged to share and collect activities in both languages
and to learn from family members. Activities are open-ended and linked,
covering themes on weather, transport, local arts and crafts, making kites,
sharing rhymes and looking at the neighbourhood. There are also pages for
children's own reflections and drawings and a diary to record events.
The recognition of children's learning on their return to school is important.
Many families are prepared to give talks to groups or in assemblies. They
bring back wonderful artefacts and examples of print
that are unique contributions to the school's curriculum. The children's
diaries and drawings are a rich source of creative writing, and photographs
make inspiring and informative displays and books, documenting life in another
continent.
| The Activity Pack for Extended
Holidays Abroad has been modified for use in areas outside Rochdale.
It includes a 54-page full-colour,
loose-leaf file and an A4 envelope for collecting items to bring home.
£10 plus p&p. Contact Shamshad Ash 01706 747278. |
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