For children to start learning how to read words in a book, they first grow and nurture the abilities required to determine the functions of language. Fast development takes place in the language locus of the brain during early childhood years (Mueller, 2005). Children below the age of eight develop the foundations for language and literacy growth by understanding that speech has ornamentation and images have connotations. Due to active early language development, it is a critical component of future success in reading.
Because parents contribute significantly to their children’s literacy development, they need information, resources, and support to assist their children to become competent readers. Emergent literary capabilities that facilitate the learning of children are the frameworks of letter mastery and alphabetical concept. Letter knowledge is comprehending the letter of the alphabet and noticing them on a page. The alphabetical concept is the idea of connecting letters with sounds and sounds with words. These skills can enable children to learn how to decode the text in print. Children will frequently start to recognize letters that are familiar to first like their name. There are many activities parents can do to encourage children’s emergent literacy skills (Mueller, 2005).
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Implementing a needs assessment is a methodical process of examining a populations or community to investigate the condition of the existing resources such as skills, interests, knowledge, and methods related to the purpose of the needs assessment. In other words, a needs assessment is an oriented analysis of the manner in which things currently are and the way in which something must be to fill the gap in services. The preliminary stage in developing needs assessment was to determine what information would be suitable to gather. After it was decided, techniques for collecting the data was measured alongside identifying who in the community could deliver the information. When the date was obtained, it was examined to inform goal context and strategy development.
Faires, Nicholas, and Rickelman (2015) posit that parent involvement continues to challenge practitioner involved in school reform in spite of being a needed part of most school improvements initiatives. The advantages of parent participation are evident. An expanding body of research demonstrates that productive parent involvement enhances not only student behavior and attendance, but also positively impacts student success. Regarding deciding what information to include in the workshop, we sat down as team members to discuss how we could empower families to utilize their knowledge and skills proactively to make the home-to-school connection better.
At the end of the workshop, a brief survey was administered. The survey gave the attendees an opportunity to share their immediate feedback on shared strategies. The workshop participants came to the program in the evening and spend approximately 2.5 hours learning reading strategies to assist their children at home. This readiness to sacrifice their valuable time demonstrated their devotion to home-to-school concept and gain resources and tactics to aid their children’s learning abilities. Furthermore, the attendees were provided with the opportunity to ask the facilitator regarding their children’ challenges with reading during the Q&A session. The implementor offered multiple important concepts and tactics to attendees during this session. These Q&A sessions demonstrated the willingness of parents to cooperate and carry out strategies from expert educationists so as to ensure a continuity of support for children throughout different backgrounds. In effect, the existing body of research has recognized how family-school partnerships help to improve student development academically, psychologically, and interactively (Faires, Nicholas, and Rickelman). On the other hand, the workshop might have exemplified an important difference if it had continued over a longer period of time. Attendees would have been capable of modelling their utilization of new strategies and practice acquired literacy skills with their children. Administering three sessions of a workshop is not adequate enough to make a considerable change in literacy progress.
One of the challenges of increasing the workshop session over an extended period is likely of workshop participation dropping as session continue. Also, by allowing additional time between the end of the workshop will enable the attendee to conduct learned approaches and recognize any possible impact. Permitting professional growth for tutors and school administrators on the significance and way to establish a home-school connection is necessary. A future session will provide more detailed information to the parent, educator and the administration regarding the importance of sharing responsibilities in education students. Besides, through any workshop geared towards reading, tutors can share tactics and resources with parents as well as provide Q&A session so that parents can raise questions relating to other reading resources. By collaborating in home-to-school paradigm, both families and learning institutions can offer constant expectations and support to children’s learning development.
On the other hand, providing family literacy workshops at different timeframes and dates can be more appropriate for the attendees. For instance, on top of offering them at evenings, giving repeat sessions on weekends may prove useful. This will increase the rate of participation in the study. Moreover, hosting the workshops at local community centers where most of the targeted families live can make the setting more beneficial for them. Lastly, providing family seminars on literacy and other collegiate topics will demonstrate great potential in assisting to better children’s reading success (Faires, Nicholas, and Rickelman, 2007).
References
Faires, J., Nicholas, W.D., & Rickelman, R. (2007). “Effects of Parental Involvement in Developing Competent Readers in First Grade.” Reading Psychology , 21(3), 195-215. doi:10.1080/02702710050144340
Mueller, S. R. (2005). Everyday literacy: Environmental print activities for children 3 to 8 . Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.
Sheridan, S. M., & Kim, E. M. (2015). Foundational aspects of family-school partnership research . New York, NY: Cham: Springer.
