HDFS 4433 - Family Life Education

First Meeting Requirements

A. Registration B. Opening Session - Introduction/Group Builder C. Ground Rules D. Importance of Variety, Contributions, Participation E. Location of restrooms, and other administrative tasks F. Expectations G. Content

Information Processing - Ages and Stages of Need

Children (0 to 11) - Difficult for children to retain information;

Community-based

FLE programs may be offered by Cooperative Extension Service, faith-based institutions, private and governmental agencies, and to the homeless population in or out of facilities.

Military settings

FLE programs that are offered in military family service centers or offered to military families. Broad range of topics including transitioning from two-parent to one-parent back to two-parent homes, relocation, new parent support, exceptional family member and special needs programs, family advocacy, employee assistance programs, sexual assault prevention and response programs, deployment readiness programs, life skills programs, and heal and wellness promotion programs. Crucial to identify military installations and their locations in order to provide programs, and to identify the specific branch of military service (navy, army, etc.), as each branch has some unique needs. Most FLE providers engage in a contract to offer services through federal agencies.

Developing a Personal Philosophy

Family. Purpose of program Content Process

Level 1: Minimal Emphasis on Family

Focus: Institution or organization rather than on participants. Knowledge Base of Educator: Information concerning specific issue only Personal Development of Educator: Professional demeanor Skills Required of Educator: Clear oral and written communication Interaction/Involvement: Educator engages in almost all the talking and receives little input or feedback from participants.

Personal Skills and Qualities

General intellectual skills Self-awareness Emotional stability. Maturity. Empathy. Effective social skills Self-confidence Flexibility. Understanding and appreciation of diversity Verbal and written communication skills Ability to relate well with all ages and groups and on a one-to-one basis.

Family Life Education

Help families build knowledge and skills to strengthen and enrich their lives.

Family Therapy

Help families repair relationships and functioning over time.

Awareness of Attitudes and Biases

How are differences among people viewed? Are differences something to value, celebrate, ignore, fear? Are biases evident concerning culture, race, physical ability, gender, and socioeconomic status? What are perceptions and attitudes about individual and societal responsibility for poverty?

Level 4 - Facts

Individual shares facts and biographical information. This type of self-disclosure reflects limited information about oneself, and is used in task or focus groups of limited duration with limited feedback or discussion encouraged.

Level 3 - Attitudes and ideas

Individual shares personal attitudes and ideas. This type of self-disclosure is based on accepting relationships such as a classroom setting or educational setting, with discussion and participation by all encouraged and differences accepted.

Level 2 - Feelings and emotions

Individual shares personal feelings, including negative ones. Feelings or emotions are shared, which may not be confidential in nature. This type of self-disclosure relies on trust in relationships that comes from acknowledging positions of authority and includes FLE and participants in programs of 10 to 12 sessions or more.

Primary Practice Settings:

Organizational structure Primary focus of organization Primary practice setting Primary area of practice

Five Principles of Ethical Practice:

Practice with competence. Do not exploit. Treat people with respect. Protect confidentiality. Do no harm.

Healthcare hospital settings

Primary goals of this type of FLE is to promote health and well-being, provide services to patients, give assistance to doctors, clinics, and other professionals, provide liaison services to obtain resources for patients and their families. Examples: a puppet program showing children who have burns how to care for their skin, newborn discharge programs regarding safe sleep and shaken baby syndrome, potty training, sex education, hygiene, self-esteem. Development of brochures, blogs, online resource information is usually part of the FLE's responsibility in these settings. Knowledge of medical terminology is important in these settings. Usually requires employment with the healthcare facility, or contract to provide such services.

Faith-based settings -

Requires an integration of ministry and FLE, and usually on the topics of parenting, marriage enrichment, sex education for children and adults, financial management, issues that affect older adults, living with loss, being actively retired, living arrangements, health education, health prevention for all ages. Typically, churches are not able to afford the cost of a full-time FLE. The number of classes that can be taught is limited because of the time and energy that needs to be devoted to administration, worship preparation, and member care visitation. The approval of the ministry staff is vital, as is the adaptation of the content of the program to the beliefs of the church. The use of volunteers who are trained will provide assistance with administrative responsibilities for the FLE.

Values for the FLE

Responsibility to consumers (participants). Professional competence Confidentiality. Discrimination. Dual relationships Sexual intimacy. Harassment. Personal help Responsibility to the profession

Level 5 - "Cliché communication."

This type of self-disclosure is apparent in interactions and relationships where feedback and sharing of ideas or facts is not encouraged. Similar to unknown individuals sharing a cliché' greeting, such as "good morning."

Questioning

a method of skillfully guiding students toward attaining the intended objectives and exploring conceptual skills at higher levels of the cognitive domain.

Brainstorming

a technique for encouraging a large quantity of viable solutions to a problem by involving al members of a moderate to large group.

Levels of Family Involvement Model

a. Level 1 - Minimal emphasis on family b. Level 2 - Information and advice c. Level 3 - Feelings and support d. Level 4 - Brief focused intervention e. Level 5 - Family therapy

Limitations:

a. Some adolescents may not have reached the level of formal operational thought that fosters abstract thinking about logical consequences. b. Some adolescents may have had little experience with newly developed abilities to do critical thinking. Critical thinking includes thinking deeply about problems and issues, including looking at issues from varying points of view and discussing the merits and disadvantages. Critical thinking stresses the connection between the cause and effect and the importance of making one's own decision about an issue, thought, or belief.

Imagery

ability to picture/visualize a scene, story, activity, etc. in one's mind.

Transmission program design

accumulation of facts is equated with mastery of subject matter and skills. Learners are expected to be attentive to the teacher and are viewed basically as passive consumers. Purpose of FLE from this perspective appears to be the transmission of facts, skills development information, and values information that prepare one to fit into society.

Respond

answer the question, or, engage the other participants in the class to respond.

Foster Care System and child protective services

are parts of human services agencies involved with families with deprived (abandoned, neglected, or abused) children. FLE programs for these settings exemplify the Domains of Family Practice Model, as these families have multiple needs, and FLE providers must have expertise in many FLE content areas. Many parent-education and other service classes are paid by child protective services, but will only pay for six sessions. Six sessions are often not enough time to successfully remedy the challenges that lead to child protective services involvement. Parents have a burden to complete multiple classes - parenting, individual and family therapy, domestic violence, anger management, budgeting, etc., and frequently cannot afford to pay for services once their contract with the child protective services is completed. In these settings, rather than attempting to establish ourselves as profession experts by lecturing to parents about contemporary parenting research, the goal is to establish a collaborative environment, honoring the position that everyone in the group has valuable information to share. The aim is to cultivate an environment where voices are respectfully heard, and people are valued and treated with respect. Drop out rates are high.

Clarification

asking for more information about what their response means.

Comparing

asking for similarities and differences related to various concepts, theories, communication styles, or teaching methods.

Body language

be attuned to the participant's body language, as it holds clues to the communication.

Learning goals

broad general statements of intention or direction for the program.

Fishbowl

discussion strategy that involves a small group of 6 to 8 people having a conversation while seated in a circle. These "fish" are surrounded by a similar or larger group of observers in an outer circle "bowl". A facilitator gives a brief introduction that outlines the method, and the inner circle then begins their discussion.

Definition of family ministry

everything that a church and its representatives do which has an impact on the founding, development, and ministry of families.

Critical questioning

examining the validity of an author's or researcher's arguments.

Extension settings

fewer resources are available for professional extension workers who work with families, and these professionals have an increased demand for accountability. In this setting, there is a shift away from direct delivery to parents and their families in the home or county, to programming that utilizes"train-the-trainer" models. Additionally, there is a push toward greater use of technology and the Internet for FLE as a delivery method. Extension FLE programs are built around research-based programming and must inform families and individuals of empirically-tested results. Topics include family finances, home management, nutrition, cooking, caring for the elderly, planting and caring for vegetable gardens, etc.

Organization

fits knowledge into categories.

Group-oriented approach

focuses on group processes in problem solving and decision making.

Thinking-oriented approach

focuses on intellectual development.

Individual mode

focuses on one-on-one interaction and may be associated with counseling and guidance. FLE program educators meet with parents and other participants individually about their needs, such as providing assistance or advice and explanations about certain topics. Some cooperative extension family life educators still offer home visits to parents so parents and children can both learn.

Group mode

focuses on participants who are in groups organized around a particular topic. Structure of the group can be formal or nonformal and vary in size, composition, frequency of meeting, and duration. Size of group correlates to levels of disclosure and levels of involvement.

Sensitivity approach

focuses on the development of individual awareness.

Court-mandated settings

group dynamics are affected if participants are required to attend the program, and may be offered in courtrooms, classrooms, conference rooms, or other facility of size. Focus is on divorce/separation and/or child custody issues. Curriculum must be research-based and must address parenting, co-parenting, communication, conflict management skills, and effects on children. Facilitating change is difficult because these programs are typically 4 to 12 hours. Certifications in mediation and interdisciplinary collaborative law, enhance an FLE's position and credibility. Families who have experienced domestic violence are screened, as are parents with highly litigious (high conflict) cases to ensure both parents are not attending the same program simultaneously. Key to success - engaging the participant, assuring participants they are not "bad" parents, maintaining confidentiality.

Listen

hear the question being asked and ask for any clarification, if needed.

Family Case Management

help families comply with legal and policy systems and locate resources.

Task groups

help members address a specific task. No interaction is assumed; leadership may be from within the group, but a facilitator or administrator is necessary to assure input and group problem solving.

Treatment groups

help members change significant psychosocial problems that affect group members' personal functioning and well-being. Intensity of interaction is high; facilitator is highly trained/expert.

Support groups

help members cope with similar issues and support/encourage one another. Intensity of interaction is moderate; facilitator is formally or informally trained. Group interaction is moderate to high, individual disclosure is moderate to high.

Educational groups

help members increase knowledge and skills and/or consider value issues. Intensity of interaction is low to moderate; facilitator is highly trained or educated, individual disclosure is low to moderate.

Tertiary prevention

helping people manage complicated, long-term problems to prevent further harm. FLE should be based on the needs of individuals and families

General Characteristics of religious institutions:

i. Congregations tend to be family oriented but age divided. ii. Values and beliefs are of prime importance and form the bond for the congregation. iii. Endorsement of your program by the congregation's minister, priest, or rabbi will influence many people to attend. iv. Religious FLE program can address values and moral decision making in ways that school programs cannot. v. Many adult role models are available to assist with small group discussions and interaction.

Distinctive Characteristics of Religious Settings

i. Members serve as surrogate or extended family members. ii. Congregation is mostly homogeneous - hold same values and belief stances.

Key Concepts for Adult Education Program

i. Participation. ii. Powerful ideas. iii. Parsimony. iv. Practicality.

Steps in Designing FLE Programs for Business

i. Realistically appraise your ability to develop and provide services. ii. Select your target organization. iii. Research the organization. iv. Schedule a meeting with appropriate managers, etc. v. Follow up on the contact.

Transaction program design

implies involvement between teacher and learner. Learners are viewed as autonomous beings who are capable of rational thought and active involvement in their own learning experience. Purpose of FLE from this perspective would focus on developing cognitive skills and critical thinking abilities in order to use them in individual problem-solving situations.

Situational factors

include what the students, department, institution, profession, and society expect of the course, considering the size or level, length and frequency, setting, characteristics of the learners, pas experiences, achievement, and expectations.

Domains of Family Practice Model

incorporates a collaborative paradigm of family life education (FLE), family therapy (FT), and family case management (FCM) to distinguish the domains and boundaries of family life education.

Adolescents (12 to 18)

increased cognitive development allows new skills for processing and using information.

Level 1 - Peak communication

individual shares private truths about self that are confidential. This type of self-disclosure relies on trusted relationships that take time to build and develop, as in a therapist-patient relationship.

Internet groups

interaction high; leadership low, direct contact face to face is missing.

Buzz sessions

involve every member of a group in the discussion process by dividing the group into small groups for a discussion that allow all members to contribute their ideas. This method may be used to develop questions for a speaker, summarize points made during a presentation, and/or complete a task.

Mass mode

involves educational information provided to the masses, but not through mass media sources. Examples - television, radio, computer, books, internet, government extension sites, pamphlets, all print media. The participants remain anonymous because there is no direct contact between the educator and the participants. Anyone with access, interest, and means to participate may do so. Making use of a variety of media sources is best, as 20% of all high school seniors and adults are classified as functionally illiterate, 42 million adults cannot read at all, and 50 million adults are unable to read above a fifth grade level.

Connecting

involving attempts to link material and concepts that otherwise might not seem related.

Role playing

is effective method of learning. Adolescent thinking is more abstract, logical, and idealistic.

Facilitator

keeps group on track and functioning efficiently; plans with a goal in mind, but changes plan to follow interaction and needs of the group.

Residential groups

may not be voluntary, and may be challenging. Usually, interaction is high; facilitator is well informed and trained.

Teaching and learning activities

methodology undertaken to deliver the throughputs and outputs.

University training in healthcare settings

numerous opportunities are available to CFLEs who have nurse or other healthcare backgrounds, to offer educational programs to patients, workers, peers, and others. Wide variety of topics include medical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation, medications, procedures, laboratory results, self-care, illness preventions, signs and symptoms, health promotion, spontaneous answers to patient questions. Examples of some programs currently offered: first aid training, prenatal education, care of infants, parenting, parenthood, care of diabetes, living with chronic disease, family care giving, and living with mental illness. FLE must be patient, and able to obtain accurate healthcare information and disseminate it to others. Often are offered online.

Teacher or educator

one who is in control of the classroom or other group learning process and use of materials.

Expert

one who is recognized as more than competent and knowledgeable in the skill or task being taught or information imparted to learners.

Leader

person with the responsibility of educating others and who has knowledge, skills, and other attributes to effect learning by participants.

Auditory Learning

presentation/lecture, songs, poems, stories, discussion, humor, audiotapes, debate.

Primary prevention

protection of healthy people from problems, conflicts, or risks before something happens.

Secondary prevention

protection of people after problems, conflicts, or risks have occurred so the progress of the problem may be halted or slowed as early as possible.

Prompting

providing hints to learners

Transformation program design

recognizes the personal element of knowledge and the strong influence of social interaction and cultural context in determining personal behavior and values. Learners are seen as diverse and unique, but share many basic human needs and concerns. Purpose of FLE from this perspective would be to facilitate social interaction that results in personal and social change.

Refocusing

redirecting attention to related issues

Informal education

refers to non-credit gatherings of information and often supplements both formal and nonformal types of education. a. Informal education is a lifelong approach that may occur anywhere. b. Informal education does not need a classroom or scheduled times to occur c. Could include independent projects such as reading journals or books, attending lectures, or visiting museums or exhibits.

Nonformal education

refers to programs that have organized sessions facilitated by a professional, but the learners come and go because attending all sessions is optional. a. This type of education is flexible, and may better meet the needs of the participants. b. Classroom setting may be located in a religious, health-care, government, community, or other setting with predetermined times to begin and end each session. c. There are no graded exams or assignments, although participants may be given informal assignments, such as trying a new skill with a family member. d. Self-help seminars and in-service training are examples of nonformal programs, as are classes conducted by cooperative extension services.

Formal education

refers to teaching and learning in educational institutions, such as schools, universities, technical centers, or early childhood programs. It is systematic, structured, and administered according to certain laws, policies, and norms. (Dib, 1998). a. Usually, a series of courses are offered in a classroom setting, in a planned sequence, with predetermined beginning and ending times of classes. b. Grades are based on performance related to assignments and examinations in the courses. c. There is traditional scheduling. d. A degree, license, certification, or diploma is awarded when the program is completed.

Entrepreneurial

refers to the use of FLE as a means of helping organizations to create full time employment for the FLE and enable other organizations to provide services for a fee. Examples include: integration of FLE into a variety of settings during the initial stages of strategic planning for an organization, providing consultation services for in-home plans for post-adoptive families, creating one-year plans for federal program directors, modeling parenting classes for specific housing representatives, presenting workshops for incoming freshmen at colleges, increasing parental involvement or family engagement in schools, conducting needs assessments for school districts, facilitating workshops for administrators of human service organizations. Recommendations for being a FLE consultant include: • Meet the families where they are. • Stay open-minded when choosing clients - family is family no matter how you view it. • Be mindful that it is all about relationships. • Choose more volunteer options as they reflect your true passion. • Organizations, families, individuals and children find value in consultants being transparent. • Sustainable programs have programs. • Just like scaffolding, every family's experience helps you to connect with another.

Repeat or paraphrase

repeating or paraphrasing the question models a type of behavior that assists others in the class to hear the question.

Rehearsal

repetition of information after being presented.

Justification

requesting participants to defend their response

Feedback and assessment

self-assessment, instructor assessment, and peer evaluation are types used in formal and non formal settings.

Course objectives

specific, short term, and measurable, and encompasses the cognitive (knowledge), affective (attitude or self), and psychomotor (skills) domains.

Corporate

the emphasis is on FLE programs that emphasize work-life balance that increase worker productivity, and that are offered in a corporate place of business. Best to engage the human resource department to assist in identifying the needs of the corporate staff. Benefits of the program are higher satisfaction reported by corporate workers and greater retention of good workers. a. Program must be "sold" to managers. b. Program must fit the mission of the organization/entity and the goals of a particular department.

Homeless -

this population is confronted with multiple stressors, including employment concerns, limited social support, parental stress, temporary or transitional housing facilities. Families experiencing homelessness are often deemed as "at risk". These families experience stress related to parenting, marital conflict, conflict resolution, parent-child stress, lack of money, no permanent home, no stability, multiple schools, and lack of job. Challenge with this group of people is their transient nature of their lives. Immediate educational and supportive services can provide the necessary tools for this specific population, even if it is brief.

Ascribed Needs

those identified by someone other than the learner and assigned to the person or group as a need.

Developmental Needs and Abilities

those involving the educator's awareness of the developmental abilities of the participants.

Future Needs

those that prepare children and adults for tasks and normative developmental changes to come.

Responding

to respond to questions from participants requires active listening skills, including the following:

Felt Needs

(explicit and implicit needs) - those that potential learners and participants in FLE programs specifically tell you about.

Schaie's Stages of Adult Cognitive Development

1. Childhood and Adolescence - acquire knowledge. 2. Young Adulthood - use knowledge. 3. Middle Adulthood - apply knowledge to others and to the social systems. 4. Later Adulthood - reintegrate knowledge acquired.

Ten substance Areas of FLE

1. Families in Society 2. Internal Dynamics of Families 3. Human Growth & Development 4. Family Life Education Methodology 5. Interpersonal Relations 6. Family Resource Management 7. Parent Education & Guidance 8. Family Law & Public Policy 9. Ethics 10. Human Sexuality

Level 4 - Brief Focused Intervention

1. Focus - Assessment of situation and development of a plan of action for participant(s). 2. Knowledge Base of Educator: Family or group systems theory. 3. Personal Development of Educator: Awareness of one's own participation in systems, including one's own family and/or community systems. 4. Skills Required of Educator: a. Asking series of questions to elicit details of the dynamic or problem. b. Developing a hypothesis about the dynamic involved in the problem. c. Working with the participant for a short period of time to change the interaction pattern. d. Knowing when to end the intervention effort and either refer the participant or return to Level 3 support. e. Orchestrating a referral by educating the participant and the expert/therapist about what to expect from each other. f. Working with therapists/experts and community systems to help the participant. 5. Interaction/Involvement of Participants: Participant involvement is brief but intense. Involves extensive and systemic change appropriate for individuals, families, or groups with more serious and compromising situations or for high-risk populations. 6. Most Common Mistakes at Level 4: a. Unintentionally moving from Level 3 to 4, then staying there, or becoming overwhelmed. b. Engaging in deeper problem-solving discussions without the permission or agreement of the person involved. c. Moving too quickly from Level 3 discussion into assessment and intervention. d. Remaining at Level 4 when not proving effective.

Level 5 - Family Therapy

1. Focus - Identification of personality and behavioral disorders in families, family members, or other participants. Engagement in therapy to bring about change in disorder. 2. Knowledge Base of Educator: Family systems and patterns whereby distressed families and/or groups interact with professionals and other community systems. 3. Personal Development of Educator: Ability to handle intense emotions and problems in families, groups, and/or self, and maintain one's balance in the face of strong pressure from individual members or other professionals. 4. Skills Required of Educator: a. Interviewing families, family members, and/or other participants who are quite difficult to engage. b. Efficiently generating and testing hypotheses about the participant's difficulties and interaction patterns. c. Escalating conflict in the family or group in order to break an impasse. d. Working intensively with families or groups during crises. e. Constructively dealing with a family or group's strong resistance to change. f. Negotiating collaborative relationships with other professionals and other systems that are working with the family or group, even when these groups are at odds with one another.

Level 3 - Feelings and Support

1. Focus: Consideration of participants' feelings and personal experiences. 2. Knowledge Base of Educator: Participants' reactions to stress, and the emotional aspects of group processes. 3. Personal Development of Educator: Awareness of one's own feelings in relation to participants and group processes. 4. Skills Required of Educator: a. Eliciting expressions of feelings and concerns. b. Empathetic listening. c. Normalizing feelings and reactions. d. Creating an open and supportive climate. e. Protecting participants from too much self-disclosure in group. f. Engaging participants in collaborative problem-solving discussion. g. Tailoring recommendations to the unique needs, concerns, and feelings of the participants. h. Identifying dysfunction. i. Tailoring a referral to the unique situation of the participant. 5. Interaction/Involvement of Participants: Considered an optimum level of involvement for most FLE activities, because it involves a combination of information sharing (from Level 2) and feelings and support appropriate to most FLE situations. 6. Four Most Common Mistakes Occurring at Level 3: a. Moving too quickly back to the cognitive level from the emotional level - generally because of educator's own personal discomfort. b. Moving attention away from the participant to the group without adequate opportunity for discussion with participant. c. Giving advice or recommendations before the participant has provided sufficient information or adequately shared his or her feelings. d. Pushing too deeply into the experiences or feelings of participant, resulting in participants' discomfort.

Level 2 - Information and Advice

1. Focus: Sharing of knowledge and information about relevant issues. 2. Knowledge Base of Educator: Content information about programmatic issues. 3. Personal Development of Educator: Openness to collaboratively engage participants. 4. Skills Required of Educator: a. Communication of information clearly and interestingly. b. Eliciting questions from participants. c. Engaging participants in the learning process. d. Making pertinent and practical recommendations. e. Providing information on community resources. 5. Interaction/Involvement: Strength of this level of program is that it is relatively low risk to participants as it involves information sharing rather than value judgments and personal input.

Six Common Goals of Family Life Education

1. Gain insight into self and others; 2. Learn about human development and behavior in the family setting over the life cycle; 3. Learn about marriage and family patterns and processes; 4. Acquire skills essential for family living; 5. Develop the individuals' potentials in their current and future roles; and, 6. Build strength in families

Educational Settings

1. Includes programs offered in high schools, post-secondary colleges and universities, elementary schools, middle schools, and pre-school settings. 2. Key issues to deliver an FLE program in an educational setting: a. Be aware that students live in families that come in many forms with each family's values being part of the student's daily life. b. The school is part of a community and what goes on in the classroom must be acceptable in the community. c. The elective FLE course must fit into graduation requirements and must be worth adding to the students' schedule. d. The school administration needs to see the course as valuable and as timely as other classes being offered. e. Funding may be cut at schools going through decreased budgets, so FLE courses and family and consumer sciences courses are frequently cut. 3. Suggestions on how to work with schools in establishing collaborative programs (Pinsoneault, 1999): a. Cooperation is greatest when the school decides that they want the program. If possible, let the decision maker attend a program in place. Principals who are already involved/interested are helpful. b. Exercise care in choosing a school partner. Principals must fully understand the school's involvement and commitment (resources, time, etc.). In-service training or discussion is helpful for understanding and support. c. FLE must convey a spirit of cooperation and competency to enhance administration and teacher comfort levels and to gain support. d. Involve resisters to the program as soon as possible. Encourage them to talk to previous participants. e. Develop reasonable goals. 4. Tendency exists in school systems and settings to expect demonstrated behavior change rather than increase in knowledge as a result of the program. Program sponsors and school system must understand that there may not be behavior change in all participants - that all learners do not assimilate or accommodate information and program in same way. 5. Some FLE programs in school settings must have community support - example is comprehensive sexuality education programs. May need to access or form an advisory committee.