Getting Started
Presenter at a parents' evening. Photo by Matheus Bertelli via Pexels, CC BY 3.0
Background
Children and young people are born into the world of the media. A world that we and their parents have probably known differently. Rapid developments - new devices, programmes, apps and platforms - are continuously changing the media world and have a decisive influence on daily life with media.
This also increases the relevance of media education. Accompanying, supporting and protecting children and young people in their everyday media life is incredibly important in order to train them in digital use.
What can this support look like?
Media education is part of the parental educational mandate and cannot be handed over to educational institutions alone. However, it is not uncommon for parents to feel that they cannot keep up with the media changes and do not fully understand what their children are doing with digital devices all day. Parents can receive support and assistance in media educational parents' evenings.
The role of MediaParent Consultants
As future lecturers for media educational parent evenings, you have a key role to play. You know the challenges parents face and you can create a trusting atmosphere through good communication.
At the end of this module, you will know the target group even better and be aware of the importance and goals of working with parents and the opportunities of media educational parents' evenings.
Learn More
What exactly is a media educational parents' evening?
In order to provide parents with understandable approaches to meaningful media education, a media educational parents' evening can offer a trusting framework. If it takes place in an educational institution, e.g. in the evening at school, this can additionally promote the relationship and the exchange between parents and educational institutions.
You will notice that a media educational parents' evening differs from a regular parents' evening in terms of content, but not in terms of organisation. We have compiled a few general tips to make every parents' evening a success in the document Tips for a Successful Parents' Evening.
Media educational parents' evenings as an instrument for the development of media competence.
The aim of developing media literacy is to enable children and young people to master the challenges of digitalisation independently and on their own responsibility. Parents are the first companions and contact persons on this path. It doesn't matter whether they are rather closed to the topic or are themselves among the most active users of digital media. They are our first point of contact for media educational parent evenings - because if they are informed, they can pass on their knowledge to their children.
Step 1: Who are you actually doing this for? Define your target group and the goals of the parents' evening
- The first chapter of the publication Media Literacy in Europe addresses "why good parenting includes media education". Read the article and learn more about the support parents need when it comes to media.
- The video The Problem with Parents, Kids and Social Media provides information about parents' reservations about media and first, simple strategies for solving them. Watch it. Check if the thoughts and issues sound familiar and put yourself in the parents' shoes.
- As the cooperation between parents and educational institutions is particularly important in the field of media literacy, we invite you to have a look at the websites Parents and Teachers: Team Teaching Media Literacy and Communicating Effectively with Parents, where you can learn more about successful communication and cooperation between parents and educational institutions.
Step 2: Transfer what you have learned to your parents' evening.
The materials have introduced you to the target group. You are now familiar with the challenges parents face with regard to media education in general. Use this knowledge to specifically address the target group of your parents' evening and to define goals for the cooperation.
Exercise
Describe in your own words what the aims of a media education parents' evening are. Add your own concerns as a lecturer and answer the following questions:
- Why did you decide to offer a parents' evening on the topic of media education?
- Which media education topics are particularly important to you?
- What would you like to convey to the parents?
- In your opinion, what else makes a successful parents' evening?
- What challenges could there be that jeopardise a successful parents' evening
Feel free to add to the list in the document Tips for a successful parents' evening. Feel free to contribute your personal assessment as a speaker.
What you learn in this course
- You'll be able to name the most important aspects of the importance of media pedagogical cooperation with parents
- You'll be able to state the core content of the goals of cooperation with parents.
- You'll be able to describe the basic principles of a parents' evening
Get ready: Tips for MediaParent consultants
As a future MediaParent consultant, you now know the basics for a successful parents' evening. You understand your target group better and know why a successful cooperation between parents and educational institutions is also of great importance for your parents' evening. You have been able to become aware of your own goals, your plan to hold a media educational parents' evening.
But as the saying goes: Well planned is half done! So let's take the next step. In the module "Planning a media educational parents' evening" you will learn everything about the preparation and organisation of your parents' evening. Have fun and be successful.