Nacionales

The project operates family literacy courses in schools, community cen- tres, libraries, adult education centres and family resource centres, as well as in other locations throughout com- munities. The organization partners with these institutions to offer classes close to where participants live. The programme runs in approximately 20 different locations in County Clare each year. Classes take place from September to June. The table below provides an overview of the length of each type of course.

The average number of participants is kept small, at between eight and 10 parents per class, in order to allow all participants to learn at their own pace. The majority of courses are ‘parent-only courses’. However, ‘parent and child together’ courses are also available. Priority is given to parents who have not obtained a full second-level education to Level 5 or below in our National Qualifications Standard.

After taking part in family learning courses, parents have the oppor- tunity to progress onto accredited courses offering certificates at Quality Qualifications Ireland (QQI) levels 1 to 3. These courses teach content at a level equivalent to the halfway point of secondary school and last between 20 and 25 weeks. Parents can progress to QQI Level 4 or Level 5 through the organization’s further education services. QQI courses focus on specific areas, such as catering, childcare, healthcare, business and art, and are portfolio-based at levels 1–4, with exams at Level 5.

Monitoring and Evaluation

To date, Clare Adult Basic Education Service (within which Clare Family Learning is based) has been required to provide quantitative data to the government Department of Education and Skills. Currently, at national level, the further education and training sector is looking at ways of measuring the wider benefits of learning. The organization conducts mid-course evaluation of participants to gather feedback on their progress. Tutors also use ‘progression forms’, which help keep track of participants’ progress in terms of educational, economic, personal, social and family terms.

Course type Class meetings per _week Hours per week Total duration

Standard course 1 2 6 to 10 weeks

Accredited Quality Qualifications Ireland

courses 1 2 Up to 20 weeks

Intensive courses I 2 3 6 weeks

Facilitators

The facilitators who work for Clare Family Learning are either full-time or part-time employees. Every facilitator teaches between six and 10 learners, which means a small ratio of learners to facilitators. All facilitators are well qualified, with many holding an advanced degree in their area of expertise. Before they start working with participants, every teacher is re- quired to complete a two-day family learning training course as well as an adult literacy course. The average remuneration for facilitators is €45.25 (equivalent to US $51) per hour. Since 2000, the organization has trained 763 family learning tutors on the basis of its Clare Family Learning Resource Pack. This has developed to include a wide range of programmes. The focus of the programe’s tutor training is on the practical implementation of family learning programmes suited to the specific needs of learners in a locality. As a result, many family learning courses emerged from Clare’s work with parents and partners.

IMPACT AND CHALLENGES

Impact and Achievements

Clare Family Learning has made a substantial impact at local, national and international levels. Locally, Clare Adult Basic Education Service increased its outreach to parents by connecting with agencies which promoted the services to their clients (learners). Over time, the organization developed and improved resources and training to maximize the benefits to learners, while increasing cost-effi- ciency at the same time.

At national level, the organization has helped achieve recognition for family learning methodologies at government level. In addition, it has developed an extensive national network of trained staff. Both nation- ally and internationally, Clare Family Learning disseminates knowledge and resources obtained and developed from the programme, through publications and participation in European Union (EU) funded projects and other international exchanges.

For example, project staff showed participants from Norway, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, Estonia, Romania, Slovenia, France, England and Turkey how to imple- ment similar family literacy projects by sharing knowledge and resources. The organization has also presented the Clare Family Learning project at international events such as the National Families Learning Summit in Houston, Texas, USA. Through these outreach efforts, the programme has been adapted for use in Sweden, Norway, Germany and other parts of Europe.

Participants improve their literacy, build their confidence, find new talents and discover a passion for learning when they participate in the programme. They also benefit from meeting new people and experi- encing new cultures. Since some participants are migrants or have a Traveller community background, the classroom is a unique opportunity to form new relationships and learn about other cultures. These aspects of the programme empower par- ticipants who primarily come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Several research abstracts on the Clare Family Learning website discuss the effect of the Clare Family Learning project on participants. For example, researchers have found that the programme increases parents’ ‘understanding and knowledge about how children learn and develop cognitively, socially and emotionally’. Parents also became aware that they need to be a role model for children and create an environment at home that is conducive to learning. In addition, participants gained the confidence to take ownership of their children’s literacy attainment and to interact with school staff. The programme also has a positive effect on the mental health of participants because it gives them a reason to get out of the house, enables them to meet new people, and provides them with new experiences (Webb 2007). Figures on learner retention show how parents progress from informal learning to QQI Level 1, up to Level 3. In 2014, 45 per cent of the learners were new, 19 per cent had stayed for one or two years, 16 per cent for

between three and five years, and 20 per cent for five years or more.

LESSONS LEARNED

Clare Family Learning has found family learning to be a successful methodology in engaging hard-to- reach parents. Confidence is one of the key foundation skills parents need if they are to believe in their own ability to learn and be able to support their child’s learning. Family learning allows parents to become successful in small, easy-to-achieve tasks which encourage further participation (McGivney 2002).

Family learning highlights the impor- tant role of parental involvement. Many parents do not realise they play such an important role in their child’s education, especially parents of children aged up to three. The amount of oral communication and reading happening in and around the home impacts hugely on the child’s later achievements in school (Shiel, Cregan, McGough, Archer 2012 and Hart 2003).

The majority of parents who com- plete a family learning class continue onto other learning opportunities. This positive role-modelling of learning impacts on children (and other family members), leading to increased parental involvement in children’s learning, a key factor in ensuring higher achievement (Desforges, Abouchaar 2003 and National Institute of Adult Continuing Education 2013).

Parents value the social aspects of classes where they meet people, make new friends and create networks. Classes provide opportu- nities for cultural integration, as Irish, migrant and Traveller parents learn together.

The element of fun is important. Parents enjoy completing a task or making something in each class. There is a sense of achievement and completion. Many vulnerable parents did not have the experience of playing with their own parents and do not know how to pass this skill on to their children.

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Learning Families – Intergenerational Approaches to Literacy Teaching and Learning

Clare Family Learning project, conscious of the dangers of providing an overly feminised curriculum, developed its programme in order to reach fathers Courses such as Games, Gadgets and Machines and Weekend Action for Dads and Children were offered.

It is necessary to pilot courses on a smaller scale to see if they work. After piloting, courses can be scaled up to national level.

Clare Family Learning partners with local schools, agencies and communi- ty groups when implementing a new course. Such a partnership approach has been proven to maximize outreach to under-served families and to make the best use of limited funding.

The programme’s focus on helping children learn is the ‘hook’ which makes learning attractive to parents. This approach is useful because parents usually want to do what is best for their children.

Operating the programme in various changing locations has proven to be more efficient and cost-effective way to operate since it increases outreach and is less expensive than a centre-based model. Providing classes close to where parents live avoids the need for transport, which can be a problem in rural parts of the county.

CHALLENGES

Keeping up to date with the fast pace of change in the world of technology is difficult for parents. It can be hard to provide answers to complex issues such as online safety and bullying. As internet and smartphones are widely available, the issue of parental supervision and understanding (possible implications of the use of new online possibilities) is something that providers need to keep in mind. Ways of capturing evidence of outcomes and impact within family learning nationally, without a dedicat- ed focus on this specific area, can be difficult, with implications for future funding. International findings in this field show there is scope for better research (Brooks, Cara 2012).

In order to reach a younger cohort of parents, the programme needs to use new rather than traditional forms of media.

SUSTAINABILITY

Clare Adult Basic Education Service has struggled ro secure financial re- sources for the programme. National funding for literacy programmes has stagnated since 2009 due to the economic climate in Ireland. The programme has addressed financial hardship in various creative ways, including through the numerous partnerships established over the years.

The learning materials used by par- ents and their children are everyday objects that can be found in learners’ homes. This brings two positive results: learners are more likely to replicate educational activities outside the classroom if these items are already in the home (they are not required to purchase new items); and the costs of programme implementa- tion are not as high as they would be if new material had to be bought. The use of technologies also supports the sustainability of the programme. Clare Family Learning has developed and made available online several resources that are accessible to facilitators. Additionally, by including technologies that programme participants already own, such as smartphones, in the teaching-learning process, the programme not only increases learners’ participation, but takes advantage of an existing resource at no cost.

CONCLUSION

Clare Family Learning has been creative and innovative in reaching parents who are among the most isolated and disadvantaged. This non-threatening first step back into education is vital in engaging parents and can make a long-term difference both to the parents and their children.

SOURCES

■ Brooks, G, Cara, O 2012. Depart- ment for Business, Innovation and

Skills (BIS) Research Paper 93: Evi- dence of the Wider Benefits of Family Learning: A Scoping Review. Viewed 23 July 2015

■ Carpentieri, J, Fairfax-Cholmeley, K, Litster, J & Vorhaus, J 2011. Family literacy in Europe: using parental support initiatives to enhance early literacy development. London: NRDC, Institute of Education, pp. 221–222 ■ Central Statistics Office Census, 2011. Viewed 23 July 2015. ■ Clare Family Learning research abstracts n.d. Graduate Research Abstracts.

■ Desforges, C & Abouchaar, A 2003. The impact of parental involve- ment, parental support and family education on pupil achievement and adjustment. Department of Education and Skills.

■ Hart, R 2003. American Educator: Spring 2003: The Early Catastrophe The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3.f ■ Mac Gréil, M 1996. Prejudice in Ireland Revisited. National University of Ireland Maynooth McGivney, V. 2002. A Question of Value: Achieve- ment and Progression in Adult Learn- ing. NIACE, Leicester, p. 23.

■ National Adult Literacy Agency 2012, The Survey of Adult Skills – PIAAC results for Ireland 2012. ■ National Adult Literacy Agency 2012, Why are literacy levels low? ■ National Institute of Adult Contin- uing Education 2013. Family Learning Works. Final report of the Inquiry into Family Learning in England and Wales.

■ Shiel, G, Cregan, Á, McGough, A & Archer, P 2012. Oral Language in Early Childhood and Primary Educa- tion. Commissioned research report. Educational Research Centre, Dublin ■ Webb, J 2007. An Assessment of the Impact of Family Learning Programmes on Parents’ Learning through their Involvement in their Children’s Learning. Waterford Insti- tute of Technology.

CONTACT

Mary Flanagan Coordinator

Adult Education Centre, Clonroad Ennis, County Clare, Ireland Tel: 00353 656 897 645 Fax: 00353 656 840 515 Email: [email protected] Website: www.clarefamilylearning. org

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