Families, Schools and Contexts

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

• 4. Quality education
• 5. Gender equality
• 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

Objectives

Due to on-going changes in society, families and schools require a new educational approach that is more in tune with integrated proposals for child education. In recent years, many schools have tried to implement a model of open participatory centres that take into account families, the context and the community.

This subject provides theoretical foundations that underlie thisve, as well as the projects and practical experiences that allow us to extract clues from the shared educational work of the school with families and the environment. educational perspective, as well as knowledge of projects and practical experiences that will give an insight into the educational work of schools and connections with families and contexts. 

Learning outcomes

• The student analyses different models of families and knows about social and educative implications.
• The student knows the main theoretical elements of family and community relevance in formal education.
• The student can design programs in formal education that include pupils, teachers, families and community.
• The student can design programs to improve the family-school relationship.
• The students argue critically about their own educational practices, can establish links with other subjects and design improvement plans.

Competencies

General skills

• Know about, respect and promote basic rights of individuals.

Specific skills

• Analyse and assess the current educational system and its impact on the development of culture and a sustainable democracy.
• Analyse, reflect on and promote the importance of teaching within the educational community, cultural life and society in general.
• Carry out effective comprehensive tutorial supervision with school children and families in order to promote comprehensive skills training.
• Understand how to organise and participate in schools in order to improve educational quality through innovation and research projects with impact in and out of school.
• Work in contexts of diversity and inclusion in collaboration with families and other professionals and services, making use of strategies and resources to reduce barriers to learning and promote individual development.

Basic skills

• Students have demonstrated knowledge and understanding in a field of study that builds on general secondary education with the support of advanced textbooks and knowledge of the latest advances in this field of study.

Core skills

• Display professional skills in complex multidisciplinary contexts, working in networked teams, whether face-to-face or online, through use of information and communication technology.
• Exercise active citizenship and individual responsibility with a commitment to the values of democracy, sustainability and universal design, through practice based on learning, service and social inclusion.

Content

1. Education today
   
   1. Long life learning
   2. Institutions and (new) spaces of education
2. School and families
   1. Families and education: changes in historical perspective
   2. Educational functions and practices in family
   3. Parental styles:  typologies and debates
   4. Legal framework
   5. Family-school relationship and communication and ICT's
   6. Interviews
3. School and context
   
   1. Education 360  
   2. Educating cities and Educational city projects
   3. Family-school-community projects (Plans Educatius d'Entorn)
   4. Other projects
4. Gender perspective

Evaluation

The evaluation will be based on several elements.

1. Attendance and class participation (10% of the final mark). A resit is not possible
2. 2 group works (30% +30% of the final mark). 
3. Exam with notes (30% of the final mark). Based on cases, the exam will assess the student's capacity to enact practically subject key concepts and perspectives. A resit is possible.

Considerations

• For an optimal follow-up of the subject, attendance and participation in all class sessions and also in tutorials are required (individual and / or group)
• To pass the subject it is mandatory to pass all the activities and assignments
• There are no evaluation instruments or activities in which, once done, it is possible to raise note.
• Assigments presented beyond the deadline established by the teaching staff can not be re-evaluated. Recoverable activities only opt for 5. If after the recovery activities there is a section not passed, the subject is suspended.
• To calculate the final grade of the subject, it is necessary to pass with a minimum score of 5 points the two group works and the exam. The final grade of the subject will be calculated according to the percentages indicated regarding attendance and participation, group works and the exam

Methodology

The class sessions will be diverse, focusing on the concepts and key ideas of each topic, with the explanation from the professors with the support of PowerPoint presentations, images, videos and texts, on which activities will be appointed; and group assignments and group projects, its development and presentation.

The individual appointments/tutorials will focus on the learning process of the students.

Bibliography

Key references

• Collet, J, Tort, A. (2017). Escola, família i comunitat. Octaedro.
• Collet, J., Naranjo, M., Soldevila, J. (Eds.) (2022). Global inclusive education: Lessons from Spain. Springer.
• Crozier, G. (2016). Better together. Family, school and community partnership in urban context. Rotterdam.
• Epstein, J. (2001). School, Family and Community Partnerships. Westview Press.
• Weiss, H. et al. (2014). Preparing educators to engage families. Case studies an ecological systems framework (3 ed.). Hardvard Family Project.

Further reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.