Project -litterature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Project -litterature review - Essay Example Epstein focused much of her work on homework practices and home-school education, including how parents can monitor and assist at home (Epstein, 1983). The literature review will describe the benefits of parental involvement in terms of achievement of their children at school. In this chapter I will look at successful programmes such as Every Child Matters and Sure Start, models of parental involvement, relations between staff and parents, preparation of children academically, parenting techniques and the link with achievement, and conclude with the summary. The involvement of parents has been effectively linked with children’s academic achievement throughout their time at school. The early years in school can be an exciting and emotional period for children and their parents in meeting the staff in school. Families, like teachers, create homes that promote learning, and reinforce what is being taught at school, and build the values and skills children need to become responsible adults (Henderson, 1995). Most children will take time to settle as it will be difficult to form new bonds of attachment with the staff. As for parents, it will give them the opportunities to talk, discuss many issues surrounding their children as well as to express their wishes and expectations. Abbott et al (1989) claim a parent has a positive interest in, and expectations of, the school which their child attends. To help children take this new experience in their stride, many schools including the school where I work now offer home visits to the families before the child starts school. This will help to build a sense of confidence and a chance to find out more about what to expect and how the school staff will deal with a child who needs time to settle in a new environment. The National Association of Head Teachers (1988), defining and describing a home-school contract of partnership states that this model

Perception of the power of language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Perception of the power of language - Essay Example The power of language therefore depends on an individual’s perception which encompasses a collaboration of values, beliefs and experiences that person has encountered in one’s life. In this regard, the essay aims to proffer one’s personal perception of the power of language. By initially providing a definition of the term language, one would eventually delve into the role that language played in life. UniXL, an education and career information portal, defines language as â€Å"a system of communicating with other people using sounds, symbols and words in expressing a meaning, idea or thought. This language can be used in many forms, primarily through oral and written communications as well as using expressions through body language† (UniXL, par. 2). When differentiated with communication, per se, tool of verbal communication using words to express the message being relayed. Communication, per se, is defined as â€Å"â€Å"process of transmitting thoughts, feelings, facts, and other information† through verbal or non-verbal means (Delaune and Ladner. 475). Verbal messages are messages communicated with the use of words and language. These messages can either be spoken or written. Non verbal communication, on the other hand, is the process of transmitting messages without words, that is, through body language (Delaune and Ladner, 480). Mead (1934) averred that â€Å"language makes it possible to replace behavior with ideas. Non verbal communication in conjunction with social interaction assisted in the development of the human potentials of language† (87). Language for me has been recognized as a crucial tool to facilitate understanding. Aside from one’s native tongue, it has been inculcated that English, as the international language understood by majority of people around the world, should be embraced as a second language where skills must be honed, both in communication and in writing. Teachers in primary