‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents AuthorsBarry Corrigan, Millennium Integrated Primary School, Saintfield, Co Down Enthuse Children Engage Parents Make Homework Count Objectives Microsoft Community Clips, Microsoft Movie Player, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, Learning NI environment, Internet Explorer, Encarta Encyclopedia, Adobe Reader, ACTIVprimary.ACTIVprimary Software DescriptionPupils access materials used in the classroom to support their learning. The resources are placed in the Learning NI environment provided by C2kNI and they are then supported as they complete homework.Learning NI C2kNI There is support from the class teacher as well as online discussion forums for the children to participate in. Learning Areas Homework – Numeracy and Literacy, Thinking Skills, Online Collaboration, Community Forums, Virtual Learning EnvironmentNumeracy LiteracyVirtual Learning Environment Class Primary 7 (AGES 10 AND 11) Parental Engagement and Collaboration; Homework Support; Family Learning; Social Inclusion; Lifelong Learning. Keywords Project Overview

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Project Objectives Children – Set the Cycle Can’t understand the school work! Find the homework difficult! Don’t want to learn No support or help Children

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Can’t understand the school work! Find the homework difficult! Frustrated Can’t support or help Parents! Project Objectives Parents – Want to Break the Cycle

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Make the school work accessible Set interactive activities Create Interested Learners Offer online support with resources and Teacher Project Objectives Teacher - Breaking the Cycle!

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Teacher Planning and Management Come on – get involved! Background & Planning: VideoVideo – Classroom Practice and Homework Follow Up (See how the classroom is extended into the home environment) My pupils love using ICT resources in class. If they enjoy it – why not use it? Parents see their children using the computer for educational purposes. The new Curriculum in Northern Ireland is placing an increased importance on ICT in learning – both in school and at home. I want that to be a point of contact between the children’s learning and their parents. Classroom Images: Look at how I build the link between school and home. Documents

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Teaching Resources Student Project Overview: LearningNI is the virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that the children access for their homework. Community Clips Video showing some of the areas within LNI Due to Child Protection live LEARNINGNI access will be available on the floor in Berlin Student Project Overview: LearningNI is the virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that the children access for their homework. Community Clips Video showing some of the areas within LNI Due to Child Protection live LEARNINGNI access will be available on the floor in Berlin

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Assessment and Standards So – have we seen the end of the school bell? Is the school day effectively extended into the home? Am I meeting my objectives? Parent Evaluation : What do the parents think? VIDEO VIDEO – Parent discussing the benefit for her child who has specific needs VIDEO VIDEO – Excellent video of a parent, who is also a teacher, discussing how she sees LNI working for her child. Classroom Assistant : Looking in from the outside (Superbly entertaining video demonstrating the excitement of my ‘mature’ Classroom Assistant about the work going on in class and at home) VIDEO

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Assessment and Standards - Continued Teacher Evaluation: What do I think? Assessment and Pupil Tracking: See how the learning is tracked. COMMUNITY CLIPS VIDEO (Showing the data screens within LNI) Pupil Evaluation: What do the children think? PUPIL A VIDEO PUPIL A VIDEO - How homework has changed for him PUPIL B VIDEO PUPIL B VIDEO - Discussion Boards PUPIL C VIDEO PUPIL C VIDEO - Using the Library Resources

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Assessment and Standards – Meeting the Objectives Children – The Cycle is Changed! Find the class work interesting Access resources to extend learning Can’t wait to learn support if needed Children Can’t understand the school work! Find the homework difficult! No support or help Don’t want to learn

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Can see the classroom activities Understand the homework activities Interested! Can see the resources to offer help Parents! Assessment and Standards – Meeting the Objectives Parents – See the Cycle Broken Can’t understand the school work! Find the homework difficult! Can’t support or help Frustrated

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Why an Integrated School? Windows Live MovieMaker film I composed about Integrated Education in Northern Ireland Our education system Our education system separates children according to their religion! Integrated schools Integrated schools were started as a means of addressing the violence in Northern Ireland..violence Northern Ireland. Religious differences were at the heart of the violence If the children could be educated together, then we could make progress on improving the lives of everyone by breaking down suspicions and sectarianism. Integrated schools break these religious barriers, bringing children together for a common purpose common purpose – understanding each other, building bridges and to giving an innovative education! An Integrated Primary School gives parents the chance to leave the ‘old ways’ of Northern Ireland behind and make a new beginning!

‘Making Homework Count’ Engaging Parents Millennium Integrated Primary SchoolMillennium Integrated Primary School (School Website) Barry Corrigan Who are we?Who are we? (Link to school prospectus) Millennium Integrated Primary School opened in September 2000 with just 10 pupils in a house in Newtownbreda Park, Belfast. Five years later it opened its building on the present site on the Belfast Road, Saintfield. The school now has 226 pupils, including a Nursery Unit which opened in September 2008.Belfast Road, Saintfield Our kids made this excellent video about the school’s history in 2007 PART 1 PART 2 We like to feel that we develop independent, creative and interested pupils. Who am I? I am the Vice-Principal, Primary 7 (age 10-11years) teacher and ICT Co-ordinator. Why do I do it? I have a keen interest in computers, especially gaming, and have ambitions of having this medium accepted more into mainstream interest through the use of the Nintendo ’Wii’ for Dyspraxic children; incorporation of Nintendo DS into maths classes and future use of Sony’s PS3 game ’Little Big Planet’ for collaborative game design.’Wii Dyspraxic Nintendo DS Have a look at some of the regional television coverage we have received highlighting our innovative use of technology - VIDEO VIDEO