Hilti (My Ability): A primary prevention family literacy programme [Case Study n2]

Country: Malta Theme(s): Socio-economic disadvantage Description Family Literacy Programmes/Clubs provided after school for all families who apply. A Club Hilti typically caters for families of children aged 6 to 8 attending the host primary schools. The ratio is of approx. 8 to 12 families per tutor, with separate and parallel child and parent sessions leading to joint sessions and processing of learning afterwards. Parents, especially for the day school provision, are very often mothers. Provision is targeted for vulnerable communities. Hilti Clubs cater for mixed ability groups while at the same time using a range of differentiated teaching and learning approaches to reach children who most require literacy support. Hilti Club sessions are structured in two weekly 1 hr sessions, and run for a minimum of 15 weeks. Participants Sessions have a common basic structure that is adaptable to provide parallel and consecutive programmes for different age-groups and needs. The macrostructure of each session consists of a 1st Big Group Activity (drama / creative thinking skills / group reading / cooking / special activity). Simultaneously, parents meet to prepare their participation in the Early Intervention Strategy. Finally, a Small Group Activity is carried out where parents join children to implement previously rehearsed activity. Project specification Funded by: Foundation for Educational Services ( FES ) from the Ministry for Education, Youth and Employment Type of funder: Central Action implemented by: Foundation for Educational Services (FES) along with the selected primary centres that implement the programme in their school community. Target group: Families - pupil and parents, often mothers - from vulnerable communities. Start year: 2001 End year: 2008* Duration: Ongoing Level of education: Primary: 6 to 8 years Project website: http://www.fes.org.mt/programmes/h_about.html Aims and rationale Aims: Enable parents to participate in learning experiences with their children; Train parents on how to effectively support their childrens learning; Enhance their literacy through participation in artistic activities.

Rationale: Hilti was the FES first and pioneer programme, materialising the Foundations will to participate in the development and the implementation of strategies and programmes that effectively tackle illiteracy, absenteeism and school failure while ensuring the interest, motivation and involvement of students, parents, teachers and others involved. Hilti was also the first project to promote the importance of parents involvement. According to the FES: Emerging research studies assert that childrens motivation to succeed in school is influenced by the educational achievement of their parents. Cognitive science research stresses the impact of the family and social environment on cognitive development and literacy acquisition of children. Parental involvement in their childrens learning and school community influences student achievement, school attendance, motivation, self-concept and esteem and behaviour. Moreover, through their engagement in family literacy processes, parents become open to pursue other lifelong learning opportunities (Foundation for Educational Services, Report of Activities 2001-2003). Scope Involvement of target group: Yes Through: All programme activities are characterised by processes through which teachers, children, their parents and volunteers engage in collaborative learning efforts. Cost: Numbers N/A. Refurbishment work to prepare schools to host a Hilti Centre are undertaken with capital funding from the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools (25 school-based Hilti Centres have been built, mostly refurbishing school facilities handed over by t Area of operation: National Number of recipients: Around 500 families/parents are targeted per year (of whom 40 are male and 450 female); and 600 children (of whom 350 are male and 250 female) in 25 school-based Hilti Centres. Evaluation Evaluation: Yes Recommended by Nora Macelli, Foundation for Educational Services (FES) (by request of the EPASI Spanish team). Self control/evaluation: the creation of school-based Hilti Centres includes regular monitoring of the Hilti Centre teams and undertaking performance assessments, as well as holding systematic interviews with teachers, parents and pupils to review their concerns and take them into account on next phases of the programme. Project evaluation website: http://www.fes.org.mt/programmes/h_about.html Outcomes 1. The FES states that the processes involved by the programme at the personal, family and school levels are enabling school communities to become

more open to experiment with a range of effective and practical differentiated teaching methodologies that have the potential of stemming literacy difficulties at the roots. Moreover, such processes are stimulating teachers to explore new ways of facilitating learning activities in partnership with parents. 2. Material outcomes: creation of infrastructure for school and after-school activities (25 school-based Hilti Centres have been refurbished). 3. During school hours, the Club Hilti resources are utilised by Activity Teachers employed by the Education Division to develop a school-based integrated expressive arts programme, as well as for staff development and adult-centred learning activities. 4. Teachers have been trained and mentored by FES personnel to provide literacy support services at Hilti Clubs after school hours. 5. Parents obtain copies of resource tools being used by the Hilti Centre staff on that particular day so that they can adapt them for home use. Recommendations and comments According to Nora Macelli (FES), Hilti programme has proven to be a statistically significant early intervention literacy and parental participation strategy, leading to greater reading and social skills in children, and enhanced and more articulate parental involvement in their childrens learning and in home-school links. According to the programme webpage, Parents learn concretely how to foster their children's educational development. This leads to increased consciousness of the learning process itself and of their own role as learners and, eventually, as parent leaders in their school community. Comments: Besides its main activity, the Hilti Clubs, the programme provides other, complementary family literacy programmes such as Hilti in Sports or Ongi Ongi Ongella (a Maltese nursery rhyme) as part of day school provision (as difference from Hilti which is pr References: Foundation for Educational Services, official webpage: http://www.fes.org.mt/programmes/h_about.html; Foundation for Educational Services, Report of Activities April 2001 to March 2003. Available at: http://www.fes.org.mt/reports/activity_report4.htm; Macelli, Nora. 2004: The Foundation For Educational Services (FES)- an overview of initiatives. FES Chief Executive Officer, Malta; National Action Plan On Poverty And Social Exclusion 2006-2008, available at: http://www.eapnmalta.org/filebank/Annexes%2006-08.pdf; Sollars, Valerie. 2002: A Parents' Guide to Using the Hilti Tezor Reading Pack for 6 and 7 Year Olds (bilingual text). Foundation for Educational Services, Malta; Sollars, Valerie. 2002: A Parents' Guide to Using the Hilti Tezor Reading Pack for 7 and 8 Year Olds (bilingual text). Foundation for Educational Services, Malta.