This chapter introduces the Family PhotoVoice Project, an innovative initiative within an early literacy course at a Canadian university designed to enhance parent engagement in teacher education. Through the use of photography, pre-service teachers collaborate with families to document children’s literacy development within their home and community contexts. By capturing and analyzing visual narratives, pre-service teachers gain insights into the role of parent knowledge in emergent literacy. The project challenges traditional, top-down models of parent involvement by fostering authentic, reciprocal partnerships between educators and families. Findings reveal that pre-service teachers develop a deeper appreciation of the cultural and contextual factors influencing literacy, moving beyond deficit views of parent engagement. This experiential learning model encourages pre-service teachers to view parents as co-educators, integrating family knowledge into classroom practices. The chapter concludes by discussing the project’s impact on teacher education, advocating for approaches that value family contributions and promote social justice in education.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

The Family PhotoVoice Project as a Catalyst for Transformative Parent Engagement in Teacher Education

  • Emma Chen

摘要

This chapter introduces the Family PhotoVoice Project, an innovative initiative within an early literacy course at a Canadian university designed to enhance parent engagement in teacher education. Through the use of photography, pre-service teachers collaborate with families to document children’s literacy development within their home and community contexts. By capturing and analyzing visual narratives, pre-service teachers gain insights into the role of parent knowledge in emergent literacy. The project challenges traditional, top-down models of parent involvement by fostering authentic, reciprocal partnerships between educators and families. Findings reveal that pre-service teachers develop a deeper appreciation of the cultural and contextual factors influencing literacy, moving beyond deficit views of parent engagement. This experiential learning model encourages pre-service teachers to view parents as co-educators, integrating family knowledge into classroom practices. The chapter concludes by discussing the project’s impact on teacher education, advocating for approaches that value family contributions and promote social justice in education.