Family learning encourages family members to learn together as and within a family, with a focus on intergenerational learning.
Family learning activities can also be specifically designed to enable parents to learn how to support their children’s learning. ‘Family learning is a powerful method of engagement and learning which can foster positive attitudes towards life-long learning, promote socio-economic resilience and challenge educational disadvantage.’
Scottish Family Learning Network, 2016
There are eight values that underpin the family learning National Occupational Standards. These are:
- Family learning recognises the role of the parent as the first educator.
- Family learning is inclusive and is to be offered as a universal provision with open access.
- Family learning recognises and values diversity of culture, race, relationships and beliefs.
- Equal partnership is the basis for all developments in family learning; all learners and educators, regardless of generation, recognise that learners and educators can frequently exchange ideas.
- Family learning recognises that it is acceptable to make mistakes, which are part of the process of reflective learning.
- Achievements within family learning benefit the wider learning community through promoting change and empowering individuals and communities.
- Family learning raises aspirations and all outcomes of the process, including those which may not be overt, are of equal significance and importance.
- Family learning operates within a culture of mutual respect for individuals, communities, colleagues and organisations.
Family learning programmes are designed to engage adults and children to learn together, as and within a family, through quality formal or informal programmes. These programmes may comprise family literacy, language and numeracy and wider family learning outcomes. They may also include family learning for health and wellbeing, science, and parenting skills which can ‘equate to capacity building in its purest sense’ (Cooper, 2011, p4).
