Engaging Families in Learning

Lesson One: Introduction to Family Engagement

This introductory lesson provides a broad overview, looking at the variety of roles families play in their children’s learning. 

Lesson Two: Historical Perspectives on the Role of Families in Education

In this lesson, we look very briefly at the history of formal education to shed light on how parents’ and schools’ perceptions of the role of families in learning have changed over time. 

Lesson Three: Research Underpinning Contemporary Perspectives

Lesson Three looks at the body of research that underpins contemporary approaches to engaging families in their children’s learning.  

Lesson Four: Barriers and Opportunities

This lesson explores some of the most commonly cited barriers to effectively engaging families in their children’s education; including access to resources, cultural and linguistic diversity, parent education, work and childcare responsibilities and parent and child health. 

Lesson Five: Family Engagement Policies and Frameworks

Lesson Five examines the main documents and resources currently informing most schools’ family engagement strategies, including the Australian Family-School Partnerships Framework.  

Lesson Six: Future Directions for Policy and Practice

The purpose of Lesson Six is to look at current research in the field of family engagement, with a particular focus on what the latest research says about impacts on students’ academic outcomes. 

Lesson Seven: Strategies to Effectively Engage Parents

This lesson explores effective strategies teachers can use to engage families in home learning and in school-based learning.