“It takes a village to raise a child.” This African proverb seems to be even more relevant in this period. Parental engagement in school has become more vital for learners, especially with the shift in the educational landscape brought about by the global health crisis.
The topic was discussed in detail during the first session of the 4th Professional Development Series for Teachers on Parental Engagement presented by the Department of Education (DepEd) National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) in collaboration with Globe’s Global Filipino Teachers. The series seeks to define and differentiate parental involvement and engagement, share the benefits of engaging parents in their children’s learning, and identify the challenges that they face.
During the first session, it was suggested that when the school cultivates parental engagement, the students stand to benefit a great deal — leading to results such as increased academic achievement, better behavior in the classroom, and positive change in the child’s personality.
“Globe has always considered the provision of quality education a top priority. This commitment propels us to continuously evolve our learning programs. With the current circumstances, we are again helping our educators, students, and parents adjust to the demands of the times beyond connectivity,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.
Teachers also learned the difference between parental engagement and parental involvement when it comes to learning. A quote from ASCD, a passionate community of life-changing educators, served as an example for the significant learning point during the session.
According to an article released by ASCD Educational Leadership, entitled “Involvement or Engagement?” said: “We need to understand the difference between family involvement and family engagement. One of the dictionary definitions of involve is ‘to enfold or envelope,’ whereas one of the meanings of engage is ‘to come together and interlock.’ Involvement implies doing to; in contrast, engagement implies doing with.”
Participants learned that when schools involve parents, they are leading with their institutional self-interest and desires. On the other hand, engaging means leading with the parents’ self-interests to develop a genuine partnership. This elicits ideas about what both parties could do to help their child and the community better. Parents are also challenged to do something about what they feel is important to them.
Developing better parent engagement, though, is not without challenges. The session shared five reasons for the typical low parental engagement seen in schools across the nation. The top reason is time constraints, followed by language barriers, particularly among immigrants, lack of motivation, lack of knowledge, and inconvenience.
They also shared how better parental engagement can spark students’ interest in various activities. Teachers’ morale may get a boost, while parents can feel more confident asking questions and voicing out concerns.
The second part of the session involving “Parental Engagement: Exploring Parental Engagement Practice in the School” was also done last November 19, meanwhile the last two sessions on “Parental Engagement: Building a Strong Culture of Parent-School Partnership” are slated for November 24 and 26.
Catch the 4th series of the GFT at 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm via Globe Bridgecom, DepEd Philippines and DepEd NEAP.
The program is included in the supplementary professional training of teachers across the country in support of relevant topics not covered by the regular training conducted by the NEAP. It was recognized by NEAP as part of Learning Delivery Modalities Course 2 for Teachers.
Globe is turning the DTP modules into easily accessible self-learning materials available online in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), Plan International Philippines, and UNICEF’s SaferKidsPH.
DTP eModules
Catch the DTP e-Modules also by visiting the Globe Bridgecom YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/user/GlobeCSR Globe strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 4, which ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all, and UN SDG No. 17 on Partnerships for the Goals. Globe is committed to upholding the UN Global Compact principles and contributing to 10 UN SDGs.
