Introduction
Welcome to the ReadTwinning course on parental engagement!
Let's work together to connect children through shared interests to develop a love for reading.
Topic outline
Module 1: The ReadTwinning Approach: motivating children through interest-based learning
Purpose
The purpose of this module is to offer parent educators (and therefore parents) an introduction to the ReadTwinning Approach and its rationale, for parents to understand why it is important to motivate their children to read, as well as to become familiarised with the idea of forming reading groups based on shared interests.
Learning objectives
It is expected that upon completion of this module parent educators will be able to:
- Explain the need for parents to motivate students to read
- Discuss practices for enhancing children’s reading experience through interest-based learning
- Apply the framework - practical and theoretical - of the ReadTwinning approach
- Familiarise themselves with the tools of the ReadTwinning platform
- Familiarize themselves with the basic principles of parent education
- Apply general guidelines and practical strategies for leading parent groups
Expected/estimated time for completion: 3 hours and 15 mins
Outline of course structure and activities
Name of activity
Type of activity
Duration
Pre-requisite reading
20 mins
Watching short videos as preparation
25 mins
3.0 Module 1: The ReadTwinning Approach: motivating students through interest-based reading
Synchronous Meeting (F2F or online)
2.5 hrs
Description of the sections
1.1. Read: United Nations, General Assembly resolution, ‘Literacy for life: shaping future agendas’, (A/C.3/75/L.12) 26 October 2020.
This is a UN General Assembly resolution that emphasizes the importance of literacy for achieving human rights, sustainable development and lifelong learning. It underscores that literacy is crucial to the acquisition by every child of the essential knowledge and competencies that will enable them to address life challenges, and expresses deep concern that more than 617 million children and adolescents were scoring below the minimum proficiency levels in reading.
1.2. Read: ‘The ReadTwinning Guidelines’ (2020)
This publication describes the ReadTwinning approach. It provides teachers and parents with theoretical and methodological guidelines to implement the ReadTwinning activities through the appropriate use of ICTs and new digital technologies available via the project platform. Relevant pages: 6-20; 25-27; 39-51; FAQ section.
- 2.1. Watch: Reading Comprehension: Tips and Strategies for Parents
Why? To learn tips and strategies that parents can use to aid their children with their understanding of the book they are reading. These include literal recall, inferential understandings and critical thinking. The video includes sample questions for each of these three areas and useful distinctions between fiction and non-fiction and the relevant questions to ask for each.2.2 Watch: Tips for keeping children safe online
Why? To gain ideas, guidelines and learn about resources that can help parents keep their children safe when they are online.
2.3. Watch: How to motivate students to read - 7 fun reading apps
Why? To learn about various reading apps and platforms that can help motivate your children to read including access to free e-books.
Structure of the Presentation (Please find here the presentation of the synchronous session in pdf. For more information please see the Study Guide of Module 1)
Part 1) Basic principles of parent education
Part 2) The ReadTwinning Project: its rationale
Part 3) The Reading approach of ReadTwinning
Part 4) Hand's on: practical activities using the platform
- https://childandfamilyblog.com/how-parents-can-support-learning-at-home/
- https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/72775
- Responsible Use of Technology for Kids - First Mobile - Cyberbullying - Fake News - Online Privacy An extensive educational video for children to discover how to make responsible use of technology, internet and social media. Children learn how to use their phone responsibly, how to avoid cyberbullying, how to know what fake news are and how to spot them, and also how to protect their online privacy.
Module 2: Basic principles of parent education; recommended practices for promoting parental engagement and learning
Purpose
The purpose of this module is for learners to understand in what ways the theoretical concepts and educational practices of critical literacy, media literacy, informal learning, game-based learning, and literature circles form the pedagogical basis of the ReadTwinning approach.
Learning objectives
It is expected that upon completion of this module parent educators will be able to:
- Identify the basic elements of informal learning and playful learning especially in relation to home/family environment
- Identify the importance of playful learning regarding reading
- Suggest activities that consider informal learning and playful learning regarding reading at home and other places outside school
- Suggest activities with the use of technology tools for promoting learners’ engagement in reading at home and outside school.
- Familiarize themselves with literature circles (tandems) in informal learning settings for promoting their children’s love for reading
Expected/estimated time for completion: 4.5 hours
Outline of course structure and activities
Name of activity
Type of activity
Duration
Pre-requisite reading
15 min
Padlet activity
45 min
Synchronous Meeting (F2F or online)
2.5 hrs
Moodle forum
1 hr
Description of the sections
1.1. Read: The ReadTwinning approach-Guidelines, main study material of the module
- Literature circles (tandems) (sections 3.4.2-3.8, pages 20-24)
This part of the guidelines focuses on student reading groups (tandems): how to match young readers in order to establish effective reading tandems; what to read, the role of topic experts/tutors; activities of the reading tandems; the role of enhanced reading
Structure of the presentation (Please find here the presentation of the synchronous session in pdf. For more information please see the Study Guide of Module 2)
Part 1) Family, Literacy and Parental Engagement
Part 2) Approaching reading with parents - informal learning
Part 3) Approaching reading with parents through a playful perspective
- Considering the synchronous activities identify more strategies/practices that parents could use to approach reading as and playful activity
Informal Learning
- Parents – the masters of informal education https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/parents-masters-informal-education. This blog post considers parents as the child’s first educators and the masters of informal learning methods. Parents influence how a child develops their personal interests, establishes independence and builds a wealth of skills, including problem-solving and social skills.
- Michael Putman & Carolyn Walker (2010) Motivating Children to Read and Write: Using Informal Learning Environments as Contexts for Literacy Instruction, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 24(2), 140-151. The purpose of the study described in the article was to examine changes in motivation of students (ages 7-12) participating in a literacy-focused tutoring program that occurred in informal learning environments, including a museum and a cultural center. The following question was addressed: What is the impact of instruction occurring in the context of informal learning environments on children's reading motivation?
- Karageorgakis, T. (2019) What is Informal Learning? What is the difference between Informal and Formal Learning? How can Informal Learning be applied to eLearning scenarios? This article focuses on the definition, benefits and practices of informal learning .
Gamification and literacy
- Márquez-Gómez, A., & Alcantud-Diaz, M. (2019). Gamification or the Ludic Expectations of Literacy. Filoteknos, 9, 323-338. This article attempts to show how a close relationship between learning, literacy and entertainment (playful learning, gamification) can be achieved in primary school classrooms
- Marczewski , A. (2015). Game Thinking. Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play: Gamification, Game Thinking and Motivational Design (1st edition, pp. 15). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. The aim of this article is to present an umbrella term for the use of games and game-like solutions in non-game contexts, and to help the reader understand the differences between games, gamification, serious games and more.
- Kervin, L. (2016). Powerful and playful literacy learning with digital technologies. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 39 (1), 64-73. “The paper aims to draw upon captured instances of children choosing to use apps to show how they have playfully engaged with apps and in the process have demonstrated language and literacy learning” (p.66)
- The Power of Gamification in Education | Scott Hebert | TEDxUAlberta Scott Hebert is a teacher in Fort Saskatchewan, Canada. In this talk he addresses why the modern education system is experiencing an engagement crisis, and how we can solve it through a new approach in teaching.
- Gamify your classroom with these 5 amazing edtech tools ! This video presents 5 live educational technology tools (Quizlet, Kahoot , Classcraft , Plickers ,Padlet) that keep your students motivated.
- Identify the basic elements of informal learning and playful learning especially in relation to home/family environment
Module 3: The parent educator training pack: Digital inclusion for inclusive education and reading opportunities
Purpose
The purpose of this module is for parent educators to gain knowledge regarding meeting parents' diverse needs, understanding the audience and connecting with parents. Throughout this module parent educators will explore issues of children’ disengagement and how disengagement/engagement is related to issues of children’ inclusion, and more specifically how digital inclusion can be a key to engaging young learners to reading activities.
Learning objectives
It is expected that upon completion of this module parent educators will be able to:
- Identify possible disengaged students’ characteristics (who may be a disengaged student and why).
- Identify the basic elements of learners’ engagement in reading, especially in relation to home/family environment.
- Suggest activities with the use of technology tools for promoting learners’ engagement in reading at home and outside school.
- Define the added value of technology use in relation to learner engagement.
Expected/estimated time for completion: 4 hours
Outline of course structure and activities
Name of activity
Type of activity
Duration
Pre-requisites
30 min
Padlet activity
1 hr
Synchronous Meeting (F2F or online)
2.5 hrs
Wiki activity
1 hr
Description of the sections
1.1. Read: ReadTwinning approach Guidelines, main study material of the module).Strategies and suggestions of inclusive reading for all (sections 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 6.5, pages 29-31, 35-38).
This part of the guidelines focuses on the inclusive approach to reading taken by ReadTwinning by considering the diverse students’ needs and contexts such as linguistic, cultural and social differences, gender, disabilities.
Create a collaborative sticky notes board (padlet) on briefly sharing ideas
according to parents educators how could parents motivate their children to get engaged in reading? What can we learn from the covid-19 period experience on homeschooling and keeping children at home?
Structure of the presentation
(Please find here the presentation of the synchronous session in pdf. For more information please see the Study Guide of Module 3)
Section 1: Learners' Engagement and Participation in the Digital era: Digital Inclusion and More...
Section 2: Engaging parents' in the ReadTwinning approach
Activities During Class
Questions and Discussion Links:
- Who is more at risk for digital exclusion in education? Click here to provide 3 ideas
- What are the main challenges for engaging children in reading in the digital era? Click here to provide 3 ideas
Groups Links:
- Activity Part A: Padlet
- Activity Part B:
4.1. Identify good practices and evaluate reading activities in relation to learners’ engagement
Resource: Check on AT&ME [https://www.atandme.com/]
Wiki: Have a look at the resource provided and identify tools that can be used by parents to engage their children in reading. Enter one tool in the Wiki and write a few sentences on the added value of this in relation to accessibility, engagement, participation, and how it can be used by parents. Share any other good practices you have identified elsewhere that use technology for helping parents engage their children in reading and indicate the added value of technology.
Digital Inclusive Education
- Hoogerwerf, E.J. & Mavrou, K. (2020). Inclusive education and digital empowerment as part of wider societal challenges. In E.J. Hoogerwerf, Mavrou, K. and Traina, I. (Eds.). The Role of Assistive Technology in Fostering Inclusive Education. Strategies and Tools to Support Change. Routledge. The book provides a synthesis of political and theoretical discussions as well as practical experiences on the implementation of ICT-AT in education. Analysing international policy frameworks in relation to inclusive education and technology, it discusses examples of school self-assessment and action plan methodologies for digital inclusive education.
Student motivation in Literacy
- Irvin, J.L., Meltzer, J. and Dukes, M.D (2007). Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy (Chapter 1. Student Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement). This chapter presents the Leadership Model for Improving Adolescent Literacy, the interconnected elements of Student Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement. Well-researched connections between motivation, engagement, and achievement are discussed.
- Gunn, D. (2016). Accessible eBook Guidelines for Self-Publishing Authors. Accessible Books Consortium, WIPO. It will introduce you to the ways people with print disabilities like sight loss, dyslexia or a physically limiting disability can read using eBook technologies.
- Accessible Multi-modal Electronic Library
- Daisy readers / Daisy books (Digital Accessible Information SYstem).The DAISY Consortium was formed in May 1996 by talking book libraries to lead the worldwide transition from analog to Digital Talking Books.
Examples of good practices:
- AT&ME: https://www.atandme.com/
- CAST: Until Learning has no limits: https://www.cast.org/
- Daisy Consortium: https://daisy.org/ ;
- Centre of Excellence in Universal Desing, Ireland National Disability Authority: http://universaldesign.ie/home/
Module 4: Using the ReadTwinning platform and exploring the tools available
Purpose
The purpose of this module is for parent educators to learn about the ReadTwinning platform and the tools available.
Learning objectives
It is expected that upon completion of this module parent educators will be able to:
- Understand the purpose and structure of the ReadTwinning platform
- Understand how to register for an account
- Be able to connect with other users (Friends) via the platform
- Understand how to create and manage reading Tandems.
Watch the videos below to give you an overview of the platform and to understand how to use each of it's features.