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Emerging Perspectives
ep.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca

Using Digital Technologies for School-Family Partnerships: A Case at a
Brazilian Preschool During the Pandemic

Bruna Nogueira*, Daniela Donadon

University of Calgary

This paper presents a case of remote education during the COVID-19 pandemic with
preschool students in Brazil. The sudden change from in-person to online instruction
required innovative and creative ways to engage students and families in the learning
process. Digital resources and technologies facilitated communication, instruction,
and the promotion of strong and enriching school-family partnerships. Reflections on
the experience's outcomes were based on Freire’s (1987, 1989, 1996) concepts and
perspectives on education, with a particular emphasis on the significance of context
and collaboration. Both access and literacy in the use of digital technologies were
sometimes barriers that had to be overcome. The proximity and partnership between
school/educators and families brought invaluable gains that continued after the end
of the remote teaching period. This new and complex pedagogical design and
approach amplified the number of agents involved in the teaching-learning process
of preschool students and pointed to transformations in the educational practices of
the school where they were implemented. Among the changes brought by this
experience is the families’ greater empathy and respect for educators as well as their
lasting and increasing will to engage in their children’s education. This experience
has also shifted the beliefs and practices of the educators involved as they not only
learned new strategies but also kept on using many of them after students were back
on site.

Keywords: Remote education, School-family partnership, Early childhood education,
Preschool education, Digital technologies

Nogueira, B., & Donadon, D. (2024). Using Digital technologies for school-family
partnerships: A case at a Brazilian preschool during the pandemic. Emerging Perspectives
Special Edition: Designing for Digital Futures, 7(1), 1–12.

This article shares an experience at a public preschool in Sao Paulo, Brazil, during the

COVID-19 pandemic, when students were suddenly forced to transition to a remote delivery

mode of education. The participants were a teacher and one group of 30 mixed-aged preschool

*bruna.nogueira@ucalgary.ca



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 2

children from 3 to 5 years old. The school of Early Childhood Education grouped children of

different ages in preschool based Vygotsky's understanding that:

Learning awakens various internal developmental processes that are able to operate only

when the child interacts with people and his environment and when in cooperation with

his peers. Once internalized, these processes become part of the acquisition of children's

independent development. (Vygotsky, 1991, p. 118)

This means that a more knowledgeable person can teach what they know to someone else. For

instance, more experienced children could teach less experienced ones during interactions (Silva

& Hai, 2016). Based on these ideas and following governmental guidelines, the school proceeded

to mix children of different ages in the same classroom to benefit all children's learning and

developmental processes (Prefeitura Municipal de Campinas, 2013).

When the COVID-19 pandemic became a serious global concern, Brazilian schools were

suddenly required to change how education was delivered. Remote instruction became

imperative, affecting students of all ages, including preschoolers. The lack of sufficient time to

train teachers and prepare families for the instant changes posed significant challenges to the

accomplishment of pedagogical practices, which primarily involved concrete and hands-on

activities for motor and cognitive development with an additional intense focus on developing

social skills facilitated by in-person interactions. The following sections will provide more

details on those challenges and the strategies adopted to overcome them. Overall, the set of

pedagogical practices applied by the teacher was perceived as positive by participants.

As highlighted by Kim and Sheridan (2015), “connections between families and schools

are viewed as a key element of children’s positive adjustment and are linked to children’s

academic, social, emotional, and behavioural functioning” (p. 1). Popular discourse among early



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 3

childhood educators tends to agree that the involvement of families in the educational processes

of children is critical for an enhanced overall learning experience, and this aligns with multiple

research findings (see Francis et al., 2016; Kim & Sheridan, 2015; Schuck et al., 2023). The

Brazilian official document that includes guidelines for childhood education in the country also

highlights that “education is a duty of the family and the State” (Ministério da Educação, 1996,

para. 4). Considering this, it is crucial to acknowledge that much of the favourable outcome of

this experience was the result of a positive and collaborative relationship between the teacher and

the parents of the children involved.

The emergency remote teaching experience with this group of young children stimulated

reflections that linked to Freire's ideas (1987, 1989, 1996). Freire’s ideas were referenced and

embedded in the text as the experience was described and unfolded. Ultimately, this paper’s goal

is to encourage conversations on the importance of school-family partnerships in early childhood

education and the incorporation of digital tools and resources into children's education to develop

digital literacy and skills essential in the 21st century.

The Experience: Transitioning to Remote Instruction

Amidst the chaos brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brazilian government

declared the temporary closure of all schools in March 2020, mandating that students continued

their education remotely. In that context, a group of 30 children between the ages of 3 and 5,

along with their families and a teacher, participated in an emergency experience to facilitate the

children’s remote learning. Although the use of digital resources was already encouraged in the

school pre-pandemic, the activities that children participated in did not require active

engagement or mediation from families, whose involvement became necessary during the

pandemic. To provide adequate support to families and facilitate communication between



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 4

schools and caregivers, the teacher created a WhatsApp group. In this group, the teacher used to

post suggestions of educational YouTube videos as well as websites and blogs that offered

children’s songs, fun science experiments that could be easily reproduced at home, videos on

healthy eating education, environmental preservation, anti-racist education, and other resources

carefully selected to alight with the school’s pedagogical project. Communication, interaction,

and relationships between teachers and caregivers gradually improved. Photos and videos of the

children working on the suggested activities at home were shared so the teacher could provide

feedback and encouragement to students and families.

Freire (1987) suggested that dialogue must always be embraced as an educational

principle. This implies acknowledging that all those involved in the teaching and learning

process teach something and learn from each other and that education must promote “reflection

and action together” (Pouwels, 2019, p. 5). Freire’s dialogic pedagogy is “a humanizing process

and not just a transformative one” (Razzak, 2020, p. 1006). Similar principles supported the

proactive engagement of the teacher with the caregivers to inquire about their and their children's

interests so activities tailored to their preferences could be proposed. This proved efficient as

families later voluntarily shared videos and links to educational content on the previously

suggested topics. The WhatsApp group became a collaborative educational space where

technology was used in innovative ways that promoted families' involvement in their children's

education. Upon the return of the children to the school in November of 2021, families asked for

the continuity of the WhatsApp group.

Initial Challenges in Building the School-Family Partnership

During the 18 months of remote instruction, challenges existed that interfered with the

success of the experience. One of the main issues experienced by some families was their poor



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 5

home internet connection and limited access to reliable electronic devices. This often went hand

in hand with another problem: certain adults were not available to help their children with school

activities for various reasons. Due to those problems, some children from that school and their

families chose to be excluded from the experience described in this paper.

Another issue worth highlighting relates to the sudden changes in instruction delivery

brought about by the pandemic that did not allow enough time for participants to prepare

themselves for that situation. In addition, neither the government nor the school provided

specific training and/or sufficient resources to support educators. Moreover, a significant number

of teachers needed access to adequate electronic devices at that time and needed to gain the

knowledge to research and use readily available digital resources and create digital content. A

notebook was provided to teachers, but it had limited capabilities and poor memory space, and it

could have been more helpful to those who already struggled with technology use. The lack of

teacher training resulted in a significant increase in educators' workload, which needed to be

reflected in their salaries, possibly affecting the motivation of some. Again, dealing with digital

technologies in their professional practice was something many teachers at that school were not

familiar with, and others were not open to, so this posed a significant problem to the effective

continuation of the education of some groups during remote instruction.

In the experience described in this paper, the teacher’s willingness and professional

dedication were essential to successfully managing the situation. The teacher’s openness to

dialogue, use of digital technologies, and innovative pedagogical approach were essential to the

positive outcomes observed during the emergency remote instruction period.

Positive Outcomes of the Experience



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 6

The strategies adopted and the school-family partnership created during the remote

schooling experience discussed in this paper enabled families to play a critical role in their

children's education. At home and under the teacher's guidance, families had a similar role to

educators in the classroom as they worked as mediators in the educational activities developed

by the students. In doing that, caregivers became aware of the value and vastness of the

pedagogical work developed by teachers. They could appreciate the diverse and varied

curriculum experiences young students had access to, including art, science, environmental and

food awareness, and emotional education (Ministério da Educação, 2010). Many families

disclosed that they learned new things with their children, and there was a growing recognition

of the importance of experiential learning in early childhood education.

Another positive outcome was related to the relevant shift in families’ perception and

usage of electronic devices and digital technologies in general. During and after this experience,

families reported having learned how to use their devices in more purposeful ways, for example,

to research and learn in addition to a mere means of entertainment. In this process, families and

children explored and learned new technology methods.

Another noteworthy aspect relates to how this situation led to a collaborative learning

community where everyone had a voice and actively participated in their learning, opposing the

historically predominant traditional education approach that looks at learners as passive subjects

(Freire, 1987). For example, families became more engaged when a father's magic experiment

video was shared, inspiring participation from all. A teacher's video on the importance of bees

for pollination also sparked discussion and led to two families sharing photos of their fruit plants

and the health benefits they provide. These experiences integrated themes of early childhood

education and fostered a movement of autonomy and collaboration in knowledge construction.



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 7

Discussion

Using digital resources in this experience was essential to help build and strengthen

school-family ties. School-family partnership is fundamentally important for early childhood

education, and through this experience, families learned to participate more actively in the

formal education of their children. This has also built a collaborative learning community that

has brought invaluable gains to all participants. It is important to consider that this experience

emerged from a new and unplanned situation, with no expected roles for families and educators a

priori. The partnership between the teacher and the parents was elaborated as the experience

evolved. Looking back at the experience and analyzing it through theoretical lenses makes it

possible to understand how the teacher applied Freire’s (1987) dialogic principle in her strategic

decisions. The activities proposed to students were collaboratively discussed and designed in a

dialectical movement where parents, children and instructors contributed and had a voice in the

process. According to a study by Schuck et al. (2023) that investigated a similar situation,

teachers reported that technology-mediated teaching “allowed for parents and teachers to gain

better mutual understanding” (p. 297). The authors stated that technology-mediated instruction

“also created the possibility of greater insight for both teachers and parents. Empathy from

parents and teachers is crucial, as past research has shown that increased mutual understanding

leads to better teacher-parent partnerships” (Schuck et al., 2023, p. 301).

The WhatsApp group worked as a safe space to share ideas and feelings, support each

other, ask questions, build relationships, as well as give and receive feedback. This links to

Freire’s (1989) culture circle, a learning situation where everyone has a voice and an active role.

Freire’s culture circle idea is based on the teacher as a mediator, on dialogue and problem-based

learning to empower those involved to change their reality through knowledge and awareness.



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 8

According to Freire (1989), in a culture circle praxis, each person is the author of their

knowledge construction process, although the participation of others is valued. It is essential for

teachers to design their actions with pedagogical intention, knowing the children's learning

realities and needs.

In the current digital age, the development of specific skills and learning how to use

digital devices and resources for acquiring knowledge and improving productivity are essential

not only for preparing students for the future job market but, more importantly, for equipping

citizens with reasonable conditions for inclusion and participation in society. Freire (1989)

argued that literacy is not just about reading and writing but instead using these skills as tools for

personal growth, social inclusion, and empowerment. By fostering digital literacy, individuals

are better prepared to navigate an increasingly connected world and effectively contribute to the

global community.

Finally, a collaborative learning community emerged among caregivers and the teacher

with a focus on cooperation, collaboration, and mutual support during unprecedented

circumstances such as emergency remote teaching. The interactions through the WhatsApp

group allowed the engagement and active participation of families, fostering a sense of shared

responsibility and ownership of the learning process, which could be particularly empowering

for caregivers who may have felt isolated or overwhelmed during the pandemic. This sense of

community and collaboration has proved to have lasting benefits, even after the remote teaching

period ended, by encouraging ongoing communication, support, and shared learning among

caregivers, teachers, students, the school community, and other stakeholders.

Conclusion



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 9

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools worldwide to adopt new course delivery

modes, and this experience of transitioning to remote instruction in a public preschool in Brazil

signals the possibility of a new educational design and new practices in early childhood

education. Overall, all those involved considered the outcomes of the experience positive.

However, some limitations prevented more families from participating, such as poor home

internet connection, lack of electronic devices, and lack of availability of caregivers to instruct

and assist the children. These issues deserve to be addressed in future opportunities tor a more

inclusive experience that effectively embraces digital technology and resources in early

childhood education.

In conclusion, creating a WhatsApp group was essential to support families during the

emergency remote schooling period. It facilitated communication between schools and

caregivers. Despite the challenges experienced, the strategies adopted and the school-family

partnership created enabled families to play a critical role in their children's education. This

experience resulted in a growing recognition of the importance of experiential learning in early

childhood education and a relevant shift in how families perceived and used electronic devices

and digital technologies in general. The situation led to the establishing of a collaborative

learning community, where everyone has space and voice, corroborating the development of

individuals actively participating in their learning.



Nogueira & Donadon/ Emerging Perspectives (2024) 10

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