Home learning environments
Chapter 4: Family Literacy in Group Settings
“It’s important to be a role model for your child and being positive about yourself.”
Parent on Museum Visit, Peterborough
Chapter overview:
This chapter focusses on work involving all family members, in group settings: mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings, meeting multiple learning needs, and using creative and meaningful ways of incorporating digital technologies used by parents. Finally, we consider how local communities can be family learning resources.
Chapter Objectives:
To consider ways of sharing ideas with parents to meet the needs of all children in group settings
To focus involving all family members in the setting community
To examine how digital technologies can aid interactions
To explore the use of community resources to support family learning
Chapter 4 Resources
4.5. Four films about storytelling
Further reading
Caspe, M. and Lopez, M. E. (2017) Seven Research-Based Ways That Families Promote Early Literacy. https://globalfrp.org/content/download/88/593/file/Early+Literacy+Brief_Final.pdf
Written from a US perspective, this report from the Global Family Research Project reviews selected research studies which identify successful practices in families to promote early literacy development. It also includes a reflective tool for considering present and future work with families.
Hamilton, P. (2021) Diversity and Marginalisation in Childhood: A Guide for Inclusive Thinking 0-11. London: Sage
This book considered a wide range of marginalized people, and the challenges of inclusive ideology and practice. It addresses the profound difficulties exclusion can have on lives and what might be done to address them.
Morgan, A., C. Nutbrown, and P. Hannon. 2009. Fathers’ Involvement in Young Children’s Literacy Development: Implications for Family Literacy Programmes. British Educational Research Journal 35(2):167–185.
This paper identifies the ways in which fathers are often the unseen, but no less active, parent when it comes to family literacy. It suggests that fathers are interested in being involved – but settings may need to find different ways to engage them.