Having completed the module activities and participated in your tutorial, post y

Having completed the module activities and participated in your tutorial, post your response to the following on your tutorial’s discussion thread for this module. Remember to use your readings to support and illustrate your reflection.
Carl Dunst is an American researcher who has done an enormous amount of work on family-centred practice. This has mostly been in the early intervention field although he has also researched and written about family-centred practice across the lifespan from early childhood through to secondary school. While the Cologon text refers to his work, the Graham text does not. However, it is not necessary to read Dunst’s work to respond to the questions raised below.
In summary, what Dunst (and all of the materials you have looked at and read for this module) is saying is that we should work in PARTNERSHIP with families and, most importantly, that these partnerships must be real. In our contexts, teachers and partners must be equal members; one is not more powerful than the other. As teachers, we bring our expertise and experience of learning and teaching, and parents bring their vast knowledge of the children. This point is made very forcefully in both the Cologon and Graham chapters you looked at this week. Both also made the point that, too often, the partnership is not real and that teachers believe they are acting in a family-centred way when all they are doing is telling the parents what is going to happen or, perhaps, asking them to assist with the child’s learning at home. This is not family-centred practice.
Dunst (2002) talks about family-centred practice as having two dimensions: relational and participatory. He says that we are typically good at relational – we are able to talk to families, show respect for them and listen. However, he argues we are not very good at participatory. We do not work in equal partnership with them to set learning goals or, even, how best to work with their child.
So… Do you think Dunst is right? What does/would TRUE family-centred practice look like? What are the barriers to teachers acting in a family-centred way? What are the benefits? How can we do better?
(please use the reading below and textbook page 171-179. Thanks )