Productive and happy Parent Helpers

by Kate Bicknell
(Melbourne Victoria)

I use parents to take small groups for picture chats, literacy games, overseeing Readers Theatre, overseeing the use of websites, assisting with personal writing or Language Experience writing (also in Maths sessions with games, applied maths etc).

The key to using them in these diverse ways is to have a series of explanatory cards for each activity. This includes the aim of the session, the sequenced steps and strategies the parents need to use.

These are generic and not dependent upon the subject matter. Parents are confident, know what to do and are able to relax and have fun with the groups. Much more productive than just changing take home books.

This way I often have 2 or more parents in the room with the students getting specific assistance and that makes my targeted teaching in groups much easier with no interruptions! Because parents are confident they also tend to become long term participants within the classroom.