| Unit name | Working with Parents and Carers for Inclusive Education |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM0062 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jo Rose |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit will investigate enduring issues in the field of parental involvement and inclusive education. A range of policy initiatives relating to parental involvement will be presented, and an underlying theme will be to explore how schools can strengthen their relationships with parents, with a focused exploration of frameworks on involving parents of children with special educational needs. The unit will explore parents' involvement with pupil learning and adjustment (including parental support for children with learning difficulties) and the extent to which parental engagement and pupil achievement are related. Specific intervention schemes for parents of young children with learning disabilities will be considered together with programmes for promoting literacy and/or mathematics learning. There will be a critical review of certain themes and assumptions that are reflected in some initiatives ('hard to reach parents' or 'hard to reach schools'), together with an examination of work involving parents from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds.
Unit Aims:
This unit aims to provide students with an overview of policy initiatives, research findings and key frameworks in the field of parental engagement, with particular reference to parents of children with special educational needs. It will present a range of differing intervention models in order that links between parental involvement and pupil learning and adjustment can be explored.
A key aim of this unit will be to develop students understanding that one size does not fit all in the field of parental involvement. Linked to this is the aim of extending students ability to analyse critically a range of policy and research-based initiatives so that students can reflect on and develop their own professional practice.
Upon successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate their knowledge of policy initiatives in the field of parental engagement with particular reference to the involvement of parents of children with special educational needs/disabilities;
2. Identify strengths and limitations in a range of reported parental involvement interventions;
3. Develop their understanding of involving parents from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds and the importance of adopting a range of flexible approaches;
4. Evaluate associations between parental involvement and pupil learning and adjustment.
This unit will be taught using a blended approach consisting of a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities including seminars, lectures, reading and discussions, and involving both independent and collaborative group work with peers.
Formative assessment will be provided by group sessions during which students will give presentations on the proposed structure, core models/frameworks and key readings of their chosen focus for the written assessment task, and during which students will receive feedback from other participants on these three aspects. (ILO 1-4)
Summative assessment
1000 word pamphlet, presenting their design of an intervention for parents from a specific population (eg EAL, parents of children with SEN, etc) to support their child's learning 25% (ILOs 3 & 4)
3000 word essay to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of an existing parental involvement project or approach, or a critical comparison of the strengths and limitations of two different approaches. 75% (ILOs 1-4).
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUCM0062).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
