Psychological and pedagogical education of parents in a preschool educational organization

Abstract

Support for family and parenthood is currently one of the urgent tasks facing educational organizations. A special role is assigned to the education of parents as an activity aimed at spreading knowledge, skills, values, experience and competence. This article shows the relevance of parent education and its support by the state (FOP DO, Parent Education Project). It also states the purpose of education, focusing on psychological and pedagogical education, and presents the experience of educating parents in a preschool educational organization. The Parent University is shown as the most relevant form of psychological and pedagogical education. We also examine approaches to determining the purpose of the Parent University and the features of this form of education for pupils’ parents. Survey results are presented to determine the readiness of teachers to educate parents and the willingness of parents to participate in the Parent University. We have identified the need for seminars and master classes for teachers to enhance their competence in organizing and holding meetings at the Parent University. We have also found out the topics relevant to parents as well as the place and time of such events. The article takes a look at the case of the Parent University set up at Irkutsk Kindergarten No. 179 as part of the project ‘Parent University of the Irkutsk Region’, developed by the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of Preschool Education, Pedagogical Institute of Irkutsk State University, stressing the difficulties and contradictions that had to be overcome. Based on a ten-year experience of holding meetings at the Parent University, we outline the features of this form of education and the prerequisites for its effective work (motivation for parents’ participation in a meeting, the choice of topics on request, lack of an edifying position on the part of the organizers, the use of interactive forms and the involvement of partner organizations). The article emphasizes the necessity and willingness of the team to continue educating pupils’ parents at the Parent University meetings. It also puts stress on the need for continuous improvement of teachers in matters of educating parents, searching for new popular forms, taking into account different channels of perception, preparing handouts, holding meetings which could be broadcast online and making video recordings.