Hi Sanjana,
Creating partnerships is certainly more complex when cultural and language differences exist among teachers & parents. We face these challenges, too. There is no simple answer but I think that relationships and dialogue are very powerful tools – particularly unpacking parents’ own beliefs about education. Also, transparency is important – so that parents can see first-hand what inquiry “looks like”, rather than being told the philosophy behind it. Finally, I think time and patience are crucial. With each year that families remain at our school, they become more invested and more able to appreciate the benefits of an inquiry approach. Beyond that, we can take solace in the fact that students themselves are the inquirers and constructors of meaning. If the children are developing a thirst for knowledge and a desire to seek answers, they will transfer their skills beyond the classroom, with or without us! I’m not sure if any of this is helpful. I certainly understand the complexity and the challenges. I hope this post didn’t come across as simplistic. It’s a slow process, requiring patience and relationships. Thank you for continuing the conversation.
Best wishes,
Shannon

I tumbled upon your blog & enjoyed going through the blog posts of Grade 4. I completely agree with the entire article that you’ve written. We, at our school ( India) too talk to our parents to help their kids to apply the concepts in real life contexts. We are the only IB school in the city & we are just 5 year old. But The unfortunate fact is that the percentage of receptive & co-operative parents is quite less. In that case how to help these kids wherein the parental support ( due to number of factors) is negligible? & this applies not only in maths but other disciplines too.

Do you face similar concern?

Regards,
Sanjana