How might we create a learning community where teachers, students and parents actively participate? Let’s forget meetings where parents just listen!
The aim is to create a set of community experiences where the three parts can be experienced together, allowing parents to finally play an active role. By letting them participate in several activities they can discover more about the schools approach, create a deeper relationship with teachers and actively follow the development of their children.
Bring parents to school!
The activities can be organized by the school, whilst getting the parents involved in the planning of activities. When activities are facilitated by teachers, parents can discover and understand the approach that is used on a daily basis with their children. From another perspective, parents can also share their knowledge and skills with the learning community.
Get them jam!
Design thinking could play a key role in the learning communities activities. Imagine a Design Thinking session with parents and children. They could further explore school topics with a design thinking approach and, by doing that, they have the possibility to discover new interests together as a collective group.
Furthermore parents can and should be involved in training workshops, coaching, support processes and mentoring, together with teachers in order to expand their capabilities and knowledge to face the day to day challenges of their children’s school problems.