Are you a teacher, principal, school board interested in engaging more parents in education? Are you interested in improving student grades? Are you thinking that technology and the Internet would be helpful?
On Monday March 1, 2010, Mike Herrity, Assistant Headmaster at Twynham School, Christ Church UK generously shared the Skype air space with Matt Montagne, Cindy Seibel and Lorna Costantini. (2:00 am is more than generous) The recorded Parents as Partners webcast is full of some very powerful messages that will help schools, parents and teachers connect with each other and their students. Twynham School has 1600 students, 2000 parents and 200 teachers and has been named Outstanding – 3 times in the past 15 years for high performance.
For several years now under Mike’s guidance, Twynham School has been using Sharepoint as a learning platform. They started using the system with students and then when on to use this system to report to parents online. When you listen to the recording you will hear how they have also gone beyond the narrow definition of reporting – meaning sharing the data with parents – to a broader definition that focuses on how parents can be rich participants in the school community. The great thing is that more parents are engaging in their children’s school work, hard to serve families are engaging – students are engaged. How about having 83% of your students engaged online on a snow day!!
Quotes you will remember after you listen.
Listen first – design second
Focus on pedagogy over technology
Go beyond the data
End users are the focus
Three things you will want to emulate from the Twynham Model. Online reporting, Online options and Online mentoring. Subscribe to our feed and Download the recording to your ipod and listen to the entire show on the way to work. You’ll like the automatic red and green light reporting to students.
The referenced research paper from Warwick University.
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