7.1 Interactions between parental and children’s learning
These interactions can be categorised as follows:
- valuing: as a result of their own participation in learning, parents come to
give more value to their children’s educational achievement;
- understanding: parents come to understand more of what their children’s
education entails;
- supporting: parents are more able to offer support to their children, directly
in their studies or indirectly by involvement in their school;
- role modelling: parents supply a model as learner for their children;
- reciprocity: children help their parents, giving them motivation for or
support in their learning.
We start with a perverse effect. Some respondents have reacted to their own negative
experiences of school, and are doing things differently in order that their own children
will have a different and more positive experience. Evelyn’s negative experiences of
school have affected how she has approached her son’s schooling.
“ I was picked on by the teachers for being different and for being independent
and for standing up and speaking for myself, and that is what I will not tolerate
...My attitude is I don’t want him disrupting the class, I do want him doing his
work,, but I want it recognised that he’s independent, that he’s got a
personality. ”
A more predictable positive effect occurs when as a result of their own learning a
parent is able to show interest in their child’s learning and pride in their achievements.
Faith’s younger son is interested in history and asked her to bring home any treasure
that she finds (from her archaeology course dig). She has lots of books at home on
castles, which her younger son would take to school for his project work. He has also
benefited from her knowledge and books on ancient Egypt:
“ Yes, they’re doing a play at the moment about ancient Egypt, like their end of
term play, so I’ve managed to show what the costumes were like and what they
wore and they’ve had to make up their own costumes at school, so it’s been
quite beneficial. ”
A common motivation for adults becoming involved in learning was a desire to keep
up with children. The most common area in which this showed itself was in relation to
IT, as Denise illustrates:
“ You feel as if you’re part of the modern world .. I am conscious that I’m an
older mother .. Just keeping up with them, the latest technology that they’re
going to use. ”
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