The Family PhotoVoice Project as a Catalyst for Transformative Parent Engagement in Teacher Education
摘要
This chapter introduces the Family PhotoVoice Project, an innovative initiative within an early literacy course at a Canadian university designed to enhance parent engagement in teacher education. Through the use of photography, pre-service teachers collaborate with families to document children’s literacy development within their home and community contexts. By capturing and analyzing visual narratives, pre-service teachers gain insights into the role of parent knowledge in emergent literacy. The project challenges traditional, top-down models of parent involvement by fostering authentic, reciprocal partnerships between educators and families. Findings reveal that pre-service teachers develop a deeper appreciation of the cultural and contextual factors influencing literacy, moving beyond deficit views of parent engagement. This experiential learning model encourages pre-service teachers to view parents as co-educators, integrating family knowledge into classroom practices. The chapter concludes by discussing the project’s impact on teacher education, advocating for approaches that value family contributions and promote social justice in education.