Parent Empowerment for Family Literacy: the PEFaL experience

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Parent Empowerment for Family Literacy the PEFaL
experience

• Juan Camilleri M.Ed
• FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
• QualiFLY Malta Meeting
• Hotel Milano Due, Gzira
• 13 February 2006

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the problem

• How to reach vulnerable families that are
  invisible to the regular compulsory school and
  adult lifelong learning systems ?

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a viable solution

• Reaching out to
• adults-as-parents,
• and empowering
• them to help their
• children, starting a cycle of self
• affirmation that would lead to
• social and economic inclusion
• and lifelong learning

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rationale

• Europe and the world
• increasingly more
• knowledge-based
• Risk of widening the
• gap of exclusion
• Broadening definition of basic skills
• Empowering adults and their children to engage in
  meaningful participatory group-based and
  intergenerational learning experiences
• Literacy skills are not only empowering but also
  enabling (Freire)

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background

• The local Hilti experience through the FES and
  the ICPLS
• Benefits for parents and children alike
• Documented evidence of success overseas
  especially US and UK
• PEFaL is the first approved Socrates programme
  with a Maltese institution as coordinating body
• 3-year project 2001-2004
• Originally 8 partners eventually 6

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selecting a family literacy model

• Upskilling of parental reading skills through
  paired reading etc
• Cycle of Literacy model, with basic skills aims
  for parents and children
• Literacy practices in the family
• Family literacy as stepping stone for
  parent/adult empowerment
• The Maltese Hilti family literacy programme
  incorporates the last two concepts as Bridge to
  Empowerment Model

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Aims of Bridging to Empowerment Hilti Model
adapted in PEFaL

• Empowering parents as
• - co-educators
• - learners
• - parent leaders
• So as to promote their further inclusion in
  society as they become lifelong learners
• Helping children develop their literacy skills in
  a holistic and play-to-learn context

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a typical session Hilti and PEFaL
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communities serviced through PEFaL

• Families in special needs/
• inclusive environment (LT)
• Women forming support
• groups (MT, LT)
• Families coming from minority
• groups and multicultural settings (UK, BE)
• Families living in socially disadvantaged areas
  (MT, IT, UK, RO, LT, BE)
• Families with children at severe risk of
  educational failure (MT, RO, BE)
• Attempting to target fathers (MT, UK, LT, RO)
• A total of 36 parent leaders identified through
  PEFaL across countries

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main programme outcomes - 1

• a Training-of-Tutors Programme and related
  resource pack in-built tutor-training component
  
• two culturally differentiated basic skills
  training programmes for parents and children and
  related resource packs in line with EU
  transversal policies
• Formative and summative assessment protocols
• A concluding European Conference in July 04
• A core team of parent trainers formed and
  trained in six EU countries

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main programme outcomes - 2

• Multi-level publications
• A website for parent trainers and tutors
  participant interaction and access to the
  P.E.Fa.L. experience, programmes, tools and
  resources
• Adult education and basic skills specialists and
  institutions gaining insights into the P.E.Fa.L.
  approach and methodology
• P.E.Fa.L. has managed to put parent empowerment
  work and family literacy on the national agenda
  in Malta and many of the other project partner
  countries, especially Romania.

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training of tutors how?

• Reading pack with relevant current literature on
  family literacy issues various modules
  compulsory and optional leading to
  certification
• Parents and Childrens Basic Skills Programme
  packs based on the Maltese experience but
  purposely adaptable for cultural diversity
• Videos of typical session in various relevant
  languages
• Establishment of website and IT-mediated
  technical assistance
• Training seminar for coordinators and tutors
  integrated in September 03 meeting and National
  Conference
• Country and site visits by coordinating
  institution during planning and implementation
  phases
• Academic and technical consultancies

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training of parent leaders

• ICT-mediated input,
• discussions, mentoring
• and resources
• an intensive evaluative
• and training seminar on adopting a Lifelong
  Learning Portfolio in the concluding conference
  in Malta, July 04
• contact sessions with the co-ordinators of the
  respective participating institutions.

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difficulties encountered

• Language barriers
• Logistical difficulties
• IT and email communication proved to be more
  complicated than originally hoped
• Different level of ICT competencies and
  availability of computers
• Consistent monitoring of programme implementation
  related to quality control

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successful aspects

• Dissemination of literature
• provided a sound
• theoretical basis
• Training seminar was
• effective in providing real
• models of provision
• Site visits provided on-site mentoring, technical
  assistance and parental feedback through focus
  grps
• Academic consultant conducted an external
  evaluation and carried out optional case studies
  in MT and RO
• Technical consultant kept records of IT
  communication and responded to tutors and
  parents questions and comments

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numerical evidence of success

• 20 primary schools in local communities hosted
  family literacy programmes
• 64 trained and experienced family literacy tutors
  forming core teams in six European countries
• 30 family literacy programmes organised in the
  participating countries
• 419 families participated in family literacy
  programmes in the six countries
• 36 identified potential parent leaders from the
  six countries to support the core team of tutors
  in the dissemination of family literacy in their
  country.

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International and national dissemination

• International awareness
• and status through
• Pefal website
• Family literacy provision
• in RO and LT after PEFaL
• Sharing of expertise UK, MT
• National conferences held in MT, BE, LT and RO
• Overall ground-breaking impact
• Paved the way for the QualiFLY G2 project

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Il-Bniedem li ma jafx jaqra u jikteb ...hu lsir
tieghu nnifsu u ta l-ohrajn.He (sic) who does
not know how to read or writeis slave to
himself and to others.M.A. Vassalli Maltese
illuminist, linguist and writer1796