Microsoft Word - 537-99Z_Article Text-1479-1-11-20180919.docx Volume  2,  Issue  1   2018   Allies  for  Education  2018,  1,  2   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family   Partnerships  to  Support  Mutual  Learning     Carolee  Koehn  Hurtado   Assistant  Professor  of  Education   CSU  Channel  Islands     Community  engagement  can,  and  should  be,  a  dynamic,  reciprocal  relationship  between  families  and   schools.  So,  what  might  community  engagement  in  schools  look  like  when  we  place  parent  voices  at  the   forefront?  Can  mathematics  be  a  context  for  this  type  of  community  engagement?  In  this  article,  we   share  our  journey  for  a  family-­‐school  partnership  that  began  with  parents’  vision  for  how  to  meet   educational  goals  for  their  students.     Beginning  our  Journey   This  journey  began  when  a  teacher  contacted  the  UCLA  Parent  Project  at  the  request  of  her  parent   community.  In  the  first  meeting,  twenty-­‐five  parents  shared  how  they  volunteered  at  the  school,  took   English  as  a  Second  Language  classes,  and  attended  all  parent  workshops  offered.  They  envisioned  more   –  as  their  children’s  first  and  most  important  teacher,  they  also  serve  as  a  strong  resource  for  their   children  academically.  They  voiced  that  deepening  their  own  and  their  children’s  understanding  of   mathematics  was  their  first  priority:  “Teach  these  classes  in  our  language,  so  we  can  better  understand.   This  is  not  another  way  for  us  to  learn  English.  We  want  to  do  mathematics  in  our  language.  Math  is  too   important,  I  don’t  want  to  miss  anything.  When  we  learn,  it  helps  our  children  learn  too.”    The  parents   had  already  begun  to  research  grants  to  fund  their  vision.     In  collaboration,  parents  along  with  Moffett  teachers,  an  administrator,  and  UCLA  co-­‐developed  the   goals,  agendas,  and  structure  of  our  work  together.  We  set  out  to  engage  parents  in  mathematics   through  problem  solving  and  conceptual  understanding,  drawing  upon  research  and  classroom  practice   informed  by  Cognitively  Guided  Instruction  (Carpenter,  et  al.,  2015).  Goals  included:   • Share  our  family’s  experiences  with  mathematics  and  learn  from  others’  experiences   • Engage  in  a  community  of  practice  where  we  work  on  mathematics  tasks  together,  share   problem  solving  strategies,  and  consider  how  to  support  our  children’s  mathematical   development  in  both  school  mathematics  and  at  home   • Promote  a  love  of  mathematics         Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support   Mutual  Learning   Carolee  Koehn  Hurtado   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     Moffett  Elementary  School  is  a  neighborhood  school.  Parents  believed  the  best  time  to  hold  the   workshops  would  be  immediately  following  the  start  of  the  school  day  since  many  families  walked  with   their  children  to  school.  Parents  worked  with  school  administration  to  invite  more  community  members   to  participate.  They  made  personal  phone  calls  and  hung  large  posters  at  the  school  entrance  to   advertise  the  sessions.  Everyone  was  welcome,  whether  they  could  come  to  all  of  the  sessions  or  only   one.     Community  Engagement  Through  Mathematics   We  scheduled  two  ten-­‐week  series:  the  first  to  start  at  the  beginning  of  the  academic  year  and  the   second  to  commence  after  the  Winter  Break.  Each  session  was  two  hours  in  length.  We  designed  these   sessions  for  active  engagement:  parents  participated  as  learners  and  reflected  on  how  their  experiences   (both  as  a  learner  in  their  own  schooling  experience  and  as  a  learner  in  these  sessions)  impact  their   views  as  a  parent  of  their  own  children  learning  mathematics.     Mathematics  we  explored  in  the  twenty  workshops  included:   Series  #1   Series  #2   Addition  and  Subtraction  Concepts   Fair  Share  &  Fractions   Choral  Counting  and  Counting  Collections   Geometry  Concepts   Grouping  Problems:  Multiplication  and   Division   Algebraic  Reasoning  in  Elementary  School   As  a  community  of  learners,  mathematical  dialogue  was  imperative  for  multiple  reasons.  We  grow  as   mathematicians  as  we  engage  with  others,  and  we  grow  as  people  who  can  support  others  through   sharing  our  own  and  hearing  about  others’  practices.     Parents  spoke  on  expert  panels  to  share  their  home  and  cultural  practices  around  how  they  engage  in   mathematics  as  a  family  and  requested  teachers  to  visit  the  workshops  to  share  and  answer  questions   about  classroom  practices  and  goals  around  mathematics.  Parents  often  tried  ideas  from  the  workshops   at  home  with  their  children,  such  as  posing  mathematical  tasks,  noticing  how  their  children  solved  those   tasks,  and  asking  questions  to  encourage  their  child(ren)  to  explain  their  mathematical  thinking.  They   would  readily  share  their  ideas,  noticings,  and  wonderings  with  the  group  at  the  next  session.  These   conversations  greatly  shaped  subsequent  workshops  as  we  learned  more  about  our  parents  and  their   children.   Workshop  attendance  averaged  25-­‐30  parents  every  week,  with  over  fifty  parents  attending  workshops   that  first  year.  Many  parents  did  not  miss  one  workshop.     What  We  Learned   Parent  involvement  in  schools  can  sometimes  be  limited  to  parents  volunteering  to  help  the  school  with   tasks  such  as  opening  car  doors  during  student  drop-­‐off,  copying  homework  packets,  and  chaperoning   field  trips.  At  Moffett  Elementary  School,  this  involvement  model  shifted  towards  more  authentic  parent   Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support   Mutual  Learning   Carolee  Koehn  Hurtado   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     engagement  as  educators  listened  intently  to  what  parents  were  interested  in  and  took  collective  action   to  co-­‐plan  workshops  around  parent  interests.     UCLA  started  as  an  external  partner.  Respecting  and  starting  with  their  voices  and  goals,  it  was   important  for  us  to  develop  relationships  with  parents  and  educators.  We  custom-­‐designed  these   workshops  based  on  community  interest,  and  continually  engaged  in  ongoing  debrief  and  reflection  to   make  adjustments  as  we  also  learned  from  our  participants.     Parents  often  shared  how  they  felt  during  and  after  the  sessions,  in  both  formal  and  informal   conversations.  Some  of  these  reflections  are  shared  below:   Family  Conversations   A  highlight  for  many  parents  was  the  stronger  connection  they  felt  with  their  children.  Parents  believed   participating  in  these  workshops  impacted  their  relationship  with  family:  both  with  their  elementary   children  and  older  children.  Families  engaged  in  mathematical  conversations  at  home  as  children  grew   interested  in  what  their  parents  were  learning.  Parents  and  children  could  each  share  their  problem-­‐ solving  strategies.  Parents’  and  children’s  confidence  grew.  A  parent  shared,  “Show  me  what  you   learned  mommy.  Let’s  do  math  together.”     Many  parents  noted  that  before  the  workshops,  children  would  say,  “You  can’t  help  me  with  my  math   work.  That’s  not  how  my  teacher  did  it.”  These  conversations  started  to  change  throughout  the  year,  as   parents,  children,  and  teachers  encouraged  and  prompted  for  more  than  one  way  to  solve  mathematics   problems.  More  mathematical  conversations  were  taking  place,  in  homes  and  at  school.     Impact  on  Mathematics  Identity   Some  parents  felt  successful  with  mathematics  before,  and  now  feel  even  more  confident  while  others   changed  their  perceptions  of  themselves  as  mathematicians  and  a  source  of  knowledge  and  support  for   their  children.  Through  reflection  and  interviews,  we  learned  a  lot  about  individual’s  dispositions.  A   parent  of  a  second  grader  revealed  that  there  were  many  times  she  struggled  and  felt  like  giving  up.  Yet,   her  tablemates  would  not  allow  themselves  to  move  on  unless  the  entire  group  understood.  She   revealed,  “We  are  becoming  a  team  with  other  moms.  I  was  embarrassed  because  I  did  not  have  a   higher  education.  I  would  see  other  moms  participating  a  lot.  There  was  a  time  I  said  I  was  going  to   leave.  Why  am  I  sitting  here?  But  it  was  worth  being  here.”  One  of  her  peers  added,  “I  saw  her  being   focused  and  persevering.  She  can  do  it,  but  hasn’t  realized  that.  If  we  don’t  have  opportunity  to  learn,   we  all  have  our  limits.  Sometimes  there  are  things  that  stop  us,  but  when  we  persevere,  then  there  is  a   change.”     Another  mother  reflected,  “Through  our  participation,  I  realized  other  things.  I  did  not  know  I  was  good   at  math.  Our  self-­‐esteem  went  up.  We  trust  ourselves  more.  We  interact  more  with  others  and  are  less   shy.  We  learn  from  our  mistakes  as  we  help  each  other.  We  learned  from  our  mistakes  and  maybe  our   mistakes  are  not  that  big.  We  are  becoming  self-­‐assured,  and  we  are  helping  our  children  become   confident  and  self-­‐assured.”   Another  parent  added,  “I  would  come  home  after  the  class,  and  my  husband  would  say  you  look  happy,   you  must  have  gone  to  math  class.”   Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support   Mutual  Learning   Carolee  Koehn  Hurtado   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     Developing  a  Culture  of  Problem  Solving  (as  a  learner  and  as  a  parent  supporting  children)   Participants  realized  and  appreciated  multiple  ways  of  solving  mathematics  problems  and  applied   reasoning  skills  to  other  life  situations.  Parent  comments  indicate  that  this  learning  has  translated  to   understanding  their  children  both  as  individual  learners  and  as  individuals  with  unique  approaches  to   problem  solving.  For  example:     “Before  I  used  to  try  to  show  my  child  how  to  solve  the  problems,  asking  him  why  do  you  take   so  much  time,  just  do  it  this  way.  Now  I  realize  the  kinds  of  strategies  kids  use  and  how  solving   problems  in  your  own  way,  in  a  way  that  makes  sense  to  you,  can  be  very  helpful”.     “The  teacher  (UCLA  facilitator)  told  us  to  get  in  the  shoes  of  the  children,  children  the  age  of  our   children,  to  see  how  they  would  solve  the  math  problem.  For  me  that  was  one  of  the  most   important  things  that  I  learned.  To  put  myself  in  the  shoes  of  my  child.”   These  parent  insights  support  the  notion  that  we  can  nurture  children’s  mathematical  development  by   starting  with  what  they  know,  celebrating  those  partial  understandings  and  building  on  what  they  can   do.  This  creates  spaces  for  learners  to  feel  and  be  seen  as  competent  as  we  broaden  our  notions  of  what   counts  as  knowing  and  understanding  (Franke,  2017).  For  many,  this  is  very  different  from  our  own   learning  experiences.     Many  adults  may  have  been  seated  in  rows  in  their  K-­‐16  mathematics  classrooms,  quietly  replicating   steps  the  teacher  demonstrated  to  solve  a  problem,  and  turning  in  work  to  find  out  if  it  was  right  or   wrong.  This  approach  to  learning  creates  dependent  thinkers  – students  who,  for  a  variety  of  reasons,   wait  for  the  next  instructions  on  how  to  proceed.  This  has  led  many  learners  to  believe  they  are  not   good  at  mathematics.  This  belief  can  occur  very  early.  My  own  niece  (from  a  different  school),  shared   with  me  that  her  little  sister,  who  had  just  completed  first  grade,  didn’t  like  math  anymore  because  she   always  had  a  lot  of  red  marks  on  her  math  paper.  These  red  marks  did  not  honor  what  she  could  do  nor   help  her  to  grow  as  a  mathematical  thinker.     Through  our  time  together,  Moffett  parents  gained  a  greater  understanding  of  school  mathematics   while  simultaneously  growing  as  a  supporter  of  children.  For  example,  a  parent  of  four  children,   commented  during  a  workshop,  “I  was  wondering  why  on  my  child’s  homework  last  week,  it  asked  her   to  break  up  12  into  a  10  and  a  2  to  solve  multiplication  problems  involving  12.  And  when  we  solved  the   problems  today,  someone  used  that  strategy.  I  see  how  thinking  about  12  as  a  10  and  2  made  the   problem  easier  for  her  to  solve  today.  And,  I  know  this  is  just  one  way  to  think  about  the  problem.”     Academic  Support  &  Leadership   Academic  support  can  be  seen  in  at  least  two  settings:  at  home  and  in  classrooms.  Parents  felt  better   equipped  and  confident  to  support  their  children  in  mathematics.  One  parent  shared  that  she  realized   that  although  the  teacher  in  the  classroom  has  many  students,  she,  as  the  parent,  is  her  daughter’s  first   teacher.  The  teacher  is  half  of  the  equation  and  the  parent  is  the  other  half.  Together  they  can  make  a   difference  for  her  child.     Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support   Mutual  Learning   Carolee  Koehn  Hurtado   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     Another  parent  described  her  personal  growth  over  the  year,  feeling  that  she  enhanced  her  skill  in   helping  her  child.  She  realized  there  were  many  parents  who  could  not  attend  the  workshops.  A  group   of  parents  partnered  with  teachers  by  volunteering  in  classrooms  during  mathematics  instruction.     Advocates  for  Education   Parents  see  themselves  as  leaders  who  can  affect  change.  A  parent  states,  “This  year  our  school  lost   their  parent  coordinator.  I  know  the  importance  of  having  guidance.  How  can  there  be  a  parent  center   without  a  guide?  So  I  said  I  have  to  do  something.  I  asked  myself  how  can  I  help?  Even  if  I  wasn’t  the   leader.  I  could  provide  ideas  to  move  us  along.  A  committee  was  formed  with  five  parent  leaders.  There   had  to  be  a  speaker  among  us  to  move  us  along.”  Parents  have  created  their  own  distributed  leadership   model  through  voicing  their  ideas  and  taking  action  for  implementing  their  vision.  Administrators  share,   “Parents  seeing  their  ideas  heard  was  very  empowering.  The  course  was  practical  and  hands  on.  They   tried  ideas  at  home  and  volunteered  in  the  classrooms.  They  made  it  a  point  to  tell  me  what  they  did.   They  saw  themselves  as  really  capable.  They  are  taking  on  more  and  more  things.  They  are  seeing   themselves  as  leaders.  Parents  are  more  understanding  about  the  processes  we  are  handling  at  school.     They  know  the  school  routines,  the  materials,  the  school’s  struggles.  They  help  the  children.  They  help   the  school.  There  are  more  parents  participating.  I  think  the  manner  of  the  class  helped  a  lot.  Parents   are  feeling  more  capable,  more  active,  and  speak  up  for  what  they  want.  Not  afraid  to  give  their  opinion   and  are  more  insistent  about  their  ideas  being  tried.  Now  we  have  a  strong  parent  group  and  there  is   more  voice  in  what  they  choose  to  do.”   Possibilities  and  Opportunities  Continue  to  Grow  when  Schools  and   Parents  Engage  in  Collective  Work   Parents  are  their  children’s  first  and  most  important  teacher.  They  are  powerful  allies  in  supporting   children.  Children  benefit  when  schools  and  families  engage  in  mutual  learning.  We  can  shift  our  focus   from  what  schools  can  do  for  families  to  include  explicit  efforts  for  schools  to  also  learn  from  families  as   we  work  together  to  support  our  young  people.  This  approach  positions  community  members  as  co-­‐ constructors,  collaborators,  and  valuable  team  members.  At  Moffett,  we  see  sustained  engagement   from  all  stakeholders  –  parents,  educators,  and  students  as  we  learn,  take  action,  and  grow  together.   It  takes  a  village  to  create  a  learning  community.  Parents’  unwavering  goals  and  commitments  to  their   children’s  success  started  this  effort.  Did  children  grow  as  mathematicians?  Yes.  Did  parents  learn   mathematics  and  deepen  their  understanding  of  the  development  of  children’s  mathematical  thinking?   Yes.  But,  this  work  encompasses  so  much  more.  Families  and  schools  work  together  to  create  spaces  of   learning  for  children,  parents,  and  educators.  All  are  vital  for  continued  growth.  Our  journey  did  not  end   after  one  year.  It  has  since  blossomed  into  a  thriving  five-­‐year  partnership  where  parents  are  facilitating   math  and  science  family  nights  that  draw  in  over  four  hundred  participants.  They  are  leaders  who   positively  impact  their  community.     We  continue  to  learn  and  be  inspired  by  their  work.   Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support   Mutual  Learning   Carolee  Koehn  Hurtado   Allies  for  Education  2018,  2,  1   https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe     About  the  Author   Dr.  Carolee  Koehn  Hurtado  is  an  Assistant  Professor  of  Education  at  California  State  University,  Channel   Islands.  Prior  to  this  role,  she  was  the  Director  of  the  UCLA  Mathematics  Project  and  the  UCLA  Parent   Project,  where  she  had  the  fortunate  opportunity  to  bring  teachers  and  families  together  to  support   children’s  mathematical  thinking.  This  work  has  deepened  her  understanding  of  how  mathematics  can   be  a  means  for  challenging  inequities  in  schools.   References   Carpenter,  T.  P.,  Fennema,  E.,  Franke,  M.  L.,  Levi,  L.,  &  Empson,  S.  B.  (2015).  Children's  Mathematics:   Cognitively  Guided  Instruction. Portsmouth,  NH:  Heinemann.   Franke,  M.  L.  (2017).  No  More  Mastery:  Leveraging  Partial  Understanding.  Presentation,  Cognitive   Guided  Instruction  National  Conference,  Seattle,  WA.