Six Teaching Skills and Tools in Family Life Education

Teaching Skills and Tools in Family Life Education

• Previous chapters covered FLE program creation:
  • Creating problem statements and goals.
  • Reviewing scholarly content.
  • Extracting teachable ideas.
  • Creating change objectives.
  • Evaluating program impact.
  • Principles for effective instruction and creating a caring context were also discussed.
• With goals, content, objectives, and instructional design in place, the focus shifts to delivery methods and learning activities.
• This chapter focuses on teaching skills and tools for outreach FLE, providing suitable methods and examples.

Select Methods for Family Life Education

• While numerous teaching methods for family relationships exist, a recent comprehensive anthology is lacking.
• This chapter reviews useful methods for FLE settings, suitable for various learning styles and cultures.
• Ballard and Taylor’s (2012) book is recommended for tailoring methods to specific audiences.
• Many methods are suited for traditional outreach settings like community workshops.

Leading Group Discussions

• Discussion promotes active learning, allowing clarification of thinking.
• Initiate discussions with thought-provoking questions or problem statements.
  • Questions should prompt evidence, explanation, interpretation, comparison, analysis, evaluation, and exploration of who, what, where, how, and why.
• Respectful responses from the educator encourage participation.
• Important group discussion skills:
  • Structuring: Clarify the purpose and goals to keep the discussion focused.
  • Linking: Identify common elements in comments and questions, promoting interaction.
  • Summarizing: Emphasize key ideas and reveal missed points, allowing leaders to assess understanding and clarify misconceptions.
  • Answering Questions: Encourage the group to answer questions, fostering collaboration.
• Quality questions motivate thinking, participation, and learning.
• Questioning techniques:
  • Comparing: How is ___ different from/similar to ___?
  • Elaborating: What ideas/details can you add to___; give an example of ___?
  • Predicting: What might happen if _?
  • Describing: Describe how you arrived at your answer to ___?

Fish Bowl

• A fish bowl is a group discussion adaptation that fosters empathy and understanding.
• The group is split into two with opposing views, forming inner and outer circles.
• The inner circle (fish) discusses a topic facilitated by the educator while the outer circle observes.
• After 10-15 minutes, the inner circle is silent while the outer circle discusses their understanding of the inner group’s viewpoint.
• The groups then switch places, repeating the process.
• The entire group reconvenes to discuss what was learned.
• Example: A parenting workshop used this technique with parents and preteen children, imagining books titled What Kids Expect of Parents and What Parents Expect of Their Kids.
• This exercise promoted mutual understanding through active listening.

Buzz Groups

• Buzz groups involve small groups discussing an issue within a larger group.
• Discussions usually last 5 minutes or less.
• Individuals contribute one idea, and a spokesperson summarizes the group’s discussion.
• Dilemmas can be used to allow students to solve problems using learned skills.
• Scenario example: A 13-year-old daughter is sexually active; how do you handle the situation, given you've taught abstinence?
• The educator summarizes the discussion after each group reports.
• The educator should provide the problem scenario and observe the groups.
• In a work-family program, participants were divided into groups and given scenarios.
• Example scenario: Frequent work travel is causing family complaints and stress.
• Groups identified the stressor and applied the ABC model of stress:
  • ALTER the source of stress.
  • ACCEPT the stressor as inevitable.
  • BUILD resources.
  • CHANGE perceptions.
• Each group shared their scenario, identified stressor, and solution.

Personal Narrative: Stories of Life

• Personal narratives ground abstract principles in reality with emotional resonance.
• Stories are effective FLE tools, motivating good parenting.
• Educators can share their own struggles and solutions.
• Stories often have a “moral” or essential punch line and build moral intelligence.
• Oral storytelling is culturally relevant and useful for teaching.
• Family life educators can encourage families to share their narratives.
• Example story: Wally’s experience of watching ducks with a student, illustrating loving children in their preferred ways.
• Parents can share their impressions and derive principles from the story.
• Discussion can focus on understanding a child’s love language.
• Example: Steve Duncan’s unintentional marriage preparation through a therapy course assignment.
• Attending five enrichment sessions involved exploring families, leading to a deeper connection with his friend Barbara.
• They got to know each other inside and out because of the assignement.
• The assignment led to their engagement and a satisfying marriage based on understanding and kindness.
• Personal narratives illustrate the benefits of marriage preparation.
• Research supports this, predicting a 30% increase in outcome success with focused preparation, improved communication, and decreased divorce rates (Carroll & Doherty, 2003; Fawcett, Hawkins, & Carroll, 2010; Stanley, Amato, Johnson, & Markman, 2006).
• Educators should find stories in various sources and share them.
• Educators' openness about their imperfections fosters a safe, accepting climate.

Skill Training

• FLE helps participants gain skills for successful family life using social learning methods:
  • Describe the skill: E.g., Listening to children with the head and heart.
  • Elements: Full attention, acknowledging feelings, inviting discussion, paraphrasing.
  • Model the skill: Role-play demonstration.
  • Practice in a nonstressful setting: Parent-child pairs practicing with scenarios.
  • Receive reinforcement and corrective feedback: Educator provides guidance.
  • Use in a real setting: Homework to practice and report back.

Family Councils/Meetings

• Family councils clarify responsibilities and expectations.
• They can set goals, distribute work, solve problems, and celebrate successes.
• Everyone can voice opinions and be involved in decisions.
• FLE programs can model and practice family councils.
• Example: A Building Family Strengths seminar engaged families in identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
• Families identified strengths, weaknesses, and set goals.
• Take-home assignment: Regular family councils.
• Guidelines:
  • Schedule regular meetings.
  • Discuss fun things, not just problems.
  • Set and follow an agenda.
  • Rotate responsibilities.
  • Encourage agenda items in advance.
  • Set ground rules: Free expression, respectful listening, no interruptions.
  • Limit the council to an hour; end positively.

Role-Playing

• Role-playing demonstrates behavior in given situations, understanding feelings, and practicing learned principles.
• Includes prepared and spontaneous role-plays.
• Rehearses effective strategies and visualizes effects on others.
• Process: Select a vignette, explain the situation, roles, and audience role, start, end, and discuss the role-play.
• Discuss feelings of the roles and effectiveness, contrasting negative and positive examples.
• Guidelines:
  • Have a teaching purpose.
  • The situation should be emotional.
  • Select comfortable actors.
  • Give actors time to prepare for the role.
  • Stop the role-play when behaviors are dramatized.
  • Facilitate discussion: Identify conflict, feelings, and effectiveness.
  • Re-enact incorporating discussed principles.
  • “De-role” actors after emotional scenes.

Movie, Television, and Internet Clips

• Movies study family relationships and interaction, facilitating empathy.
• Short clips illustrate important points.
• Example: A clip from My Big Fat Greek Wedding discusses the importance of similar backgrounds in marriage.
• The movie creates complications and discussion points.
• Introduce clips well, highlight key aspects, and reiterate the illustrated point.
• Television clips can be used similarly.
• Examples: Steve Martin and Amy Poehler's “Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford” (debt issues); Bob Newhart's “Stop It!” (mental illness attitudes).
• Online clips are readily available.
• Consider the source and scholarship of the clip.
• Example: Jason Headley’s “It’s Not About the Nail” illustrates communication challenges.
• Commercials often carry family themes.
• Examples: Google Chrome’s “Dear Sophie,” Procter & Gamble’s “#because of moms”.
• A wise educator collects meaningful clips related to program objectives. Examples in Appendix D.

Educational Videos

• Many FLE curricula have companion videos, but quality varies.
• Videos should aid specific objectives, not just fill time.
• Various educational videos are available from vendors.
• DVDs and videos created for university programs or TV programs can present educational concepts.
• Often, entities and motion picture producers grant permission to use limited clips for educational purposes under fair-use provisions.
• Outstanding documentaries exist.
• Example: ABC’s 20/20 documentary “Love, Lust, and Marriage: Why We Stay and Why We Stray”.

Music and Pictures

• Music has psychological and therapeutic benefits, influencing mood.
• Music helps individuals understand themselves and others.
• Playing songs explores issues or ideas, like different types of love.
• Music clips explore philosophies of life and their impact on family life.
• Example: Using songs to illustrate approaches to marital commitment.
• Engage participants in discussing cultural influences on commitment.
• Invite learners to reflect on their favorite songs' attitudes toward relationships.
• Many popular songs have family themes.
• Examples: “Butterfly Kisses,” “The Best Day,” “Cats in the Cradle,” “I’m Already There,” “Do You Love Me?,” “Through the Years”.
• Pictures can enhance FLE.
• They can be used as storytelling aids.
• Example: Showing photos of natural disaster destruction to discuss family commitment during tough times.
• Pictures can teach generalizations about family relationships.
• Showing family photos from around the world identifying commonalities like touching, togetherness, and happiness.
• The principle is that family bonding is a universal desire.

Books, Plays, and Short Stories

• Various books, plays, and short stories depict fruitful themes for FLE.
• Examples: A Doll’s House, I Never Sang for My Father, A Piece of String.
• Check book reviews to identify other sources.

Comic Strips and Cartoons

• Comic strips and cartoons grab attention and are useful discussion starters.
• Invite comments on agreement or disagreement with the sentiment.
• Humor reduces tension among participants.
• Many cartoons comment on family life, exaggerating reality.
• Examples: Calvin and Hobbes, For Better or Worse, Family Circus, Peanuts, Dennis the Menace, Sunshine Club, Family Tree, Cathy, Zits, Baby Blues, and Stone Soup.
• Editorial cartoons illustrate themes and ironies.
• Example: A cartoon contrasting a car and “marriage,” questioning why marriage doesn’t require special instruction.
• Discussion can address the benefits of marriage preparation.

Games

• Games serve as icebreakers, pique interest, and facilitate active learning.
• Games can follow a TV game show format.
• Dollars for Answers: Volunteers answer multiple-choice questions for small prizes.
• Educator elaborates on answers, and the class can vote on answers.
• PowerPoint quiz game (Jeopardy-like).

Object Lessons

• Object lessons engage participants.
• Example: Placing books on a volunteer to illustrate being overwhelmed by tasks.
• Tie this into demands from home, work, faith, and civic obligations.
• Object lessons cause reflection on assumptions.
• Example: Contrasting driver's license requirements with marriage license requirements to illustrate the need to prepare for marriage.

Homework Assignments and Learning Contracts

• Wise educators provide assignments between sessions.
• Review homework assignments at the next session.
• Example: Journaling emotions experienced by children and parents with triggers.
• Provide feedback on experiences.
• Explain that homework provides vital opportunities to practice skills.
• Learning contracts:
  1. Diagnose learning needs.
  2. Specify learning objectives.
  3. Specify learning resources and strategies.
  4. Specify evidence of accomplishment.
  5. Specify how evidence will be validated.
  6. Review the contract with a consultant.
  7. Carry out the contract.
  8. Evaluate your learning.
• Participants may be more motivated to practice at home and demonstrate learning.

Idea Reinforcers

• Take-home reminders reinforce key ideas.
• Type main ideas and subpoints on a half sheet with a visual.
• Example: “Timeless Principles of Parenting”.

Myth Versus Reality

• FLE programs correct mistaken perceptions.
• Deconstruct myths about marriage for young adults.
• Belief in myths can lead to false expectations and risk factors.
• Example: Belief that there is a