FS 1 4- Learner Diversity: The Community and Home Environment

Episode 4 provides opportunities for you to have a more in-depth look into
the factors that affect the development of a learner. Focus will be on the early
experiences and characteristics of the learner as described by the family and other
significant others. You will also focus on how the teacher links with the community
to maximize the learning and development of students.
Target your intended Learning Outcomes
- Describe the influencing factors in the home environment that affect the
students’ learning.
- Seek advice concerning strategies that build relationships with
parents/guardians and the wider community; and
- Identify effective strategies on how teachers can work together with the
family.
Revisit the Learning Essentials
1. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model presents the learner within the
context of layers of relationship systems that make us the learner’s
environment. The layers are:
a. Microsystem-includes the structure such as one’s family, school and
neighborhood.
b. Mesosystem- the connection between the structures in the microsystem
c. Exosystem- the bigger social system which includes the city government,
the workplace and the mass media.
d. Macrosystem- outermost layer which includes cultural values, customs,
and laws
e. Chronosystem-the element of time, patterns of stability and pacing of the
child’s everyday life.
2. Baumrind’s Parenting Styles
Authoritarian. Parents are every firm with their children and expect
unwavering and unquestioning obedience. Rules are set by parents and
misbehavior is met with withdrawal of affection, physical punishment or
threats.
Permissive. Parents are not firm or controlling. They have few expectations.
May be warm and caring but appear to be uninvolved and uninterested.
Rejecting-Neglecting. Parents are disengaged from children. Neither
demanding nor responsive to children. Provide no structure, supervision,
support or guidance.
Authoritative. Parents achieve a good blend. They are firm yet loving. Have
a clear and reasonable expectations and limits for their children. Treat
children with respect and warmth. Make children understand consequence of
their behavior.
 Children of:
Authoritarian Parents: are often unhappy, fearful, withdrawn, inhibited,
hostile and aggressive. They have low self-esteem and difficulty with peers.
Permissive Parents: believe that their parents do not care for them. They
are often impulsive, aggressive and lack self-control; may they have low
levels of independence and responsibility.
Rejecting-Neglecting Parents: are found to be the least competent in their
over-all functioning and adjustment.
Authoritative Parents: are socially competent, self-reliant, and have
greater ability to show self-control. They have higher self-esteem and are
better adjusted.
-Based on Child Development by Santrock, 2004
OBSERVE, ANALYZE, REFLECT
Observing the learner’s community and home environment
Resource Teacher: ___________________Teacher’s Signature____________________
School: ____________________________Grade/Year Level: _____________________
Subject: ___________________________ Date: _______________________________
To realize my Intended Learning Outcomes, I will work my way through these
steps:
1. Select a learner from the class which you have previously observed.
2. Interview the teacher about the learner’s characteristics and the
community.
3. Conduct a home visit to your selected learner’s residence.
4. Interview the parents about
a. The rules they implement at home concerning their child’s schooling.
b. The learner’s activities and behavior while at home.
5. Write the Learner’s Profile.
6. Analyze your observation and interview data.
7. Reflect on your observation experience.
An Observation/Interview Guide for Home-school Link
Read the following carefully before you begin to observe/interview.
Then write your observation report on the space provided.
The Learner
1. Make a general observation of the learner. Describe him/her in each of the
domains of development:
- Physical (body) built and height (thin, chubby, underweight, overweight) level
of physical activity (fast, slow, lethargic, active, etc)
- Social-interaction with teachers and classmates (loner, shy, sociable, friendly,
gets into fights, liked by others, etc.)
- Emotional moods, temperament, cries easily, loses temper, happy, shows
enthusiasm, excited, indifferent, etc.
- Cognitive (appears to understand lessons, copes with the lessons, excels,
lags behind, shows reasoning skills, turns in assignments and requirements,
etc)
Interview the Teacher
1. What are the most noticeable characteristics of the learner? (emotional
disposition, behavior and discipline, sense of responsibility, study habits,
academic performance, relationship with peers, relationship with adults,
social adjustment)
2. How does the teacher communicate with the parents? How often? What do
they discuss? How do they decide of the best course of action to resolve
issues or problems?
3. How does the teacher utilize resources in the community to support the
teaching-learning process? How does the teacher work with the community to
meet the needs of the learners?
Interview with Parents
1. Conduct a home visit. Once there, observe the home set-up. (Home is
orderly, family pictures in the living room, etc.)
2. Use the Interview Questions on the next page. Just ask the questions with
which you feel comfortable.

Suggested Parent Interview Guide

Your teacher may ask you to use a more detailed interview guide. Be free to
translate the questions, if necessary.
Name of Learner:____________________________________________
Date of Birth: ______________________________________________ Age:__________
Grade/Year Level:_________________________________________Gender: __________
Number of Siblings: _____________________________
Birth Order: ___________________________________

Parents: ___________________________________________________________________
Mother: ____________________________________________________________________
Age: ________Occupation: _______________Educational
Attainment:__________________
Father: ______________________ Occupation:_____________
 Educational Attainment:_________________________________________

Learner’s Physical Aspect:

Health
1. Mother’s Health during pregnancy with the learner.
2. Ailments or health problems of the learner as a child.
3. Age of the learner when he started to walk/talk.
4. Food preference of the learner as a child and at present.
5. Who took care of him/her as a child?
Learner’s Social Aspect
1. Describe your child’s sociability (friendly, outgoing or shy, loner)
2. Who were the learner’s playmates?
3. As a child then, was he/she allowed to play outside?
4. Is he/she allowed to go out with friends?
5. Do you have rules for him/her to follow regarding going out?
6. What are these rules?
Emotional-Moral
1. What are your expectations of your child?
2. How do you provide a nurturing environment environment for your child?
3. Does your child go to you when she/he feels down or has a problem? What do
you do to meet his/her emotional needs?
4. What do you do when he/she is not successful in something?
How do you discipline your children?
1. Do you have rules in the house? What are they?
2. How do you impose the rules?
3. What are the consequences of breaking the rules?
Learner’s Cognitive Aspect
1. What are the child’s interests?
2. What is he/she good at in school?
3. In what subject/s does he/she have difficulty?
4. How do you monitor his/her performance in school? How do you motivate
him/her?
5. Do you have rules at home to help him develop good study habits?
6. What are these rules? How are they implemented?
After you have gathered all the necessary data, write the learner’s development
profile using the outline below. Type the profile on a separate sheet and attach it
to this learning episode.
THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT PROFILE (OUTLINE)
Name of the Learner: _________________________________________________
School:_____________________________________________________________
Date of Home Visit:_____________________________
Date of Birth:___________________________________
Grade/Year Level: ______________________________ Age: _____________
Gender:________________

Family Profile
Number of Siblings:
Birth Order:
Parent
Mother
Age:
Occupation:
Father:
Occupation:
Physical development
In paragraph form, describe the physical development of the learner.
Combine the teacher’s parents’ response, and your own observations.
Social Development
In paragraph form, describe the social development of the learner.
Combine the teacher’s parents’ responses, and your own observations.
Emotional-Moral Development
In paragraph form, describe the emotional-moral development of the
learner. Combine the teacher’s parents’ responses, and your own
observations.
Cognitive Development
In paragraph form, describe the cognitive development of the learner.
Combine the teacher’s, parents’ responses, and your own observations.
Findings
Write here your salient findings about the learner.
 Conclusions
Write your conclusions after you have analyzed the impact of the school
and the home on the learner’s development. The questions in the Your Analysis
portion of this leaning episode can help you.
Recommendations
Write your recommendations.
Analyze
Your findings and recommendations in the Learner development. Profile will
help you answer the questions here.
1. From your home visit and interview, what do you think is the style of
parenting experienced by the learner? Explain your answer.
2. Relating your data with what you learned from child development, what
family factors do you think contribute to the development and over-all
adjustment of the learner in school?
3. Does the communication between the home-school have an effect on the
learner? If yes, what are these effects?
4. How can the teacher partner with the community to contribute to the
development and learning of the students? Who are the people or which
institutions can the teacher tap to seek advice regarding the development
and learning of students.
Reflect
1. Reflect on your own development as a child. What type of
parenting did you experience? How did it affect you?
2. As a future teacher, how would you establish good home-school
collaboration? How can you work well with the parents? How can
you help them? How can they help you?

On the last page, show your learning artifacts.