Interview with Andre Alipio: Training Parents to Join the Team of Teachers During the Pandemic
Show Notes
In this week’s episode, we’re joined by André Alipio. André has been the Director of Studies at GTP (Global Teaching Practice) for 10 years now, but he has been a teacher trainer since 1995. He has worked for different institutes in Brazil, like International House Sao Paulo. As the director of studies, he is responsible for designing and delivering a range of courses for teachers of English, as well as training tutors of such courses. André is an active CELTA and DELTA trainer, and has trained on courses in Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, and other countries. He is also a local trainer for ETS products like TOEFL Junior. More recently, André has been developing ELT materials and consulting to the educational market in general.
Today, André joins me for a conversation that is certainly relevant to anyone who works with young learners or has children who are currently learning at home. At the time of recording this, schools around the world are temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This means that those students are currently learning from home by attending their classes online. In this episode, André shares practical strategies for how we, as teachers, can help train parents to support their children in online learning.
In this Episode
How the newness of this situation means that we are all still learning how to deal with it
Why there has sometimes been tension in relationships between parents and teachers, and how the pandemic has affected this
How children learning from home can be viewed as an opportunity for parents to understand more about their children’s education
Helping parents understand what goes on in the classroom
Giving parents the syllabus: why they need to know how the course is intended to progress
Presenting lesson objectives in a way parents can understand
Communication between the parents and teacher/school
Why it’s not necessary to be technical in our communication with parents- but how to help them have a practical understanding of classroom methodology
Helping parents understand how to create a set difference between “school” and “home” inside the house
Creating a classroom environment at home - setting rules and establishing routines/ rituals
How these routines help change a child's behavior when it’s time to learn
How small changes can produce big results
The importance of having a sign or signal to show young learners when it’s time to focus
What to do when parents are reluctant to be involved in their child’s learning
How to encourage parents to be part of the teaching team
How to encourage parents to listen to their children in a different way during learning time
Advice for coping with parents who might want to be too involved in their children’s learning or are overbearing
Helping parents understand the purpose of their children’s education activities
The importance of allowing for some silent time during class
How to prevent parents from overloading their child with materials