Learn How to Cooperate with Parents for Improving your Students’ Motivation and Success
This article describes the coeducation MOOC for Teachers in France. It gives instructions to the learners on what and how they will learn about cooperation with parents. This article is written to the attention of teachers and future teachers who are also called “the learners”. At the end of this MOOC, you will be able to create and set up your own co-education program in your classroom.
Context and Instructional Purpose
The global goal of this MOOC is to spread the word about coeducation. Today, there is a real need for repositioning the parents-teachers relationship in France. School used to be the sacred temple of knowledge and the door was closed after students had entered it. Now parents are more demanding and need more trust in their relationship with teachers. It is proven that a good relationship between parents and teachers has an impact on the children’s success at school and on the school climate. In this sense, these objectives are aligned with two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations to end poverty, protect the planet, and go towards peace and prosperity: Quality Education and Reduced Inequalities. The instructional purposes of the MOOC are about defining coeducation and improving the cooperation between parents and teachers.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this MOOC, you will be able to create and set up your own co-education program in your classroom. The MOOC is divided into 6 online modules, each module takes around 2.5 hours to be completed and includes 4 activities. Here are the objectives per module:
Learning Outcomes
The learning objectives of these 6 modules are all aligned with the Bloom taxonomy pedagogical model and follow the hierarchy including knowledge, comprehension, application and analysis.
Needed Materials and Digital Resources
To follow the MOOC, you need to access to a fully equipped computer (text, audio and video readers; Internet access). To conduct the creative activities (usually activity #3), you need paper and pens for sketching and (optional) Lego or Playmobile packages, and access to free tools such as Canva.com or Powtoon or Paint, etc.
Expected Deliverables at the End of the Activity / Module
At the end of each of the 6 modules, you deliver a text, a video, a drawing or an art asset aligned with the ongoing topic of the module. Let’s take the example of the 4th module about the various postures and behaviors for communicating with parents. At the end of this module, you will deliver a humorous drawing making fun of a “typical” teacher who is welcoming parents. That way, by creating an asset, it anchors the various notions of communication with parents.
Journey for Each Module
Each module is structured around 4 activities:
- In activity 1, you will have access to theories via an online course gathering articles, definitions and reports to review (30 min).
- In activity 2, you will have access to testimonies, parents’, teachers’ or experts’ interviews via videos to watch (20 min).
- In activity 3, you will imagine and create your own assets. Depending on the module, it could be an invitation to parents, an agenda or a poster for your back-to-school parents’ meeting, a humorous drawing, etc. In order to help you with creativity, it may be requested to complete a few steps before achieving the objective. For example, you may use mind-mapping methodology, then create a 3D physical prototype like the figurine staging below, and finally be creative with a humorous drawing.(80 min).
- In activity 4, you will use the Discussion Forum in order to share your experience and projects with the other learners, to ask questions but also to discuss other learners’ questions. The Discussion Forum will also be used as an exhibit gallery for sharing your creative assets. Notifications for new comments on your discussions will be sent to you for facilitating your interaction with the learner community (30 min). A moderator will animate the discussion and learners community.
Timeline
It is recommended to complete each 2.5 hour module in 1 week (total of 6 weeks). However, you are allowed to complete up to 2 modules per week or 1 module every 2 weeks depending on your availability (from 3 to 12 weeks). A calendar will be suggested and reminders will be sent for you to stay motivated.
Assessment for Evaluation of Learning
The MOOC is divided into 6 modules and each module is divided into 4 activities. To validate a module, you need to validate the 4 activities. For articles reading and video watching, you will tick a box as soon as you are done. For asset production, you will import a digital asset. For Forum Discussion, new discussions and number of comments done to peers will be automatically recorded and a minimum number will be requested.
At the end of each module, a 10 question quizz will be a way not only to get a certificate but also review and get a summary of what was learnt in the module.
To validate the MOOC, the learners need to validate the 6 modules. At the end of the MOOC, you may get a certificate. Congratulations!
To Be Continued…
Once you have completed the MOOC, you may choose to receive new resources, more particularly in terms of articles and videos which will regularly update the modules. You may also choose to receive information regarding upcoming MOOCs on the same topic of co-education. Furthermore, as an alumni, you will still have access to the Discussion Forum and participate actively to the co-education learners community.
References
National Education, Youth and Sports Ministry (2022). Le numérique pour favoriser l’implication des parents.
https://eduscol.education.fr/2789/le-numerique-pour-favoriser-l-implication-des-parents
Sanabria, J. & Sánchez-Escobedo, P. (2017). Evaluación de un Modelo de Inmersión Gradual Educativo Digital. In Sumozas, R. & Nieto, E. (Eds.) Evaluación de la Competencia Digital Docente (pp. 123–133). Editorial Síntesis.
