Course Description
In this course, students will examine how working with parents and guardians of children can help teachers to develop and better educate and care for children. Students will explore family life today and develop a philosophy of family involvement that they can use in their work. Students will understand the various types of families raising children today and will develop strategies for working with more vulnerable populations of families, to include gay and lesbian families, families living in poverty, and families raising children with disabilities and immigrant families. Students will also develop a culturally responsive approach to family involvement and learn how to support families through an effective communication and family involvement program. Note: Key Assessment Required. (3 credits)
Prerequisites
- ENG 101: English Composition 1
- ENG 102: English Composition 2
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Describe contemporary family lives.
- Apply family systems theories to working with families and communities.
- Explain the benefits to family involvement for teachers, parents and children
- Develop a parent education program.
- Examine the benefits and challenges experienced by normed, emerging and vulnerable families, children with disabilities and immigrant families.
- Create a plan to adopt a culturally responsive approach to family engagement.
- Evaluate strategies used to create a welcoming plan for families.
- Explore strategies for creating integrated family and school partnerships.
- Establish a community play for families.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Discussions (Weeks 1-8; 12 @ 20 points each) | 35% |
Assignments (Weeks 1,2,3,4,6,7,8; 6 @ points each) | 40% |
Key Assessment (Week 8; 1 @ 25 points) | 25% |
Total | 100% |
Required Textbooks
(Available through Charter Oak’s online bookstore):
- Coleman, M. Empowering Family-Teacher Partnerships. Sage Publications, 2013. ISBN-13: 978-1-4129-9232-9
Course Schedule
Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
1 | 1,2 | Topic: Contemporary Family Live & Developing a Guiding Philosophy
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2 | 3,4 | Topics: Benefits of Family Involvement for Children, Families and Teachers
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3 | 5 | Topics: Normed, Emerging and Vulnerable Families
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4 | 5 | Topics: Families of Children with Disabilities and Immigrant Families
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5 | 6 | Topics: Culturally Responsive Approaches to Family Involvement & Responding to Challenges
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6 | 7,8 | Topics: Empowering and Creating a Welcome Environment
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7 | 8 | Topics: Communicating and Organizing Family Involvement
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8 | 9 | Topic: Promoting the Well-Being of All Children
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.