The Craft of Teaching About Families

Learn how to develop and teach effective courses on the vital issues of family life

The Craft of Teaching About Families presents a variety of course designs, evaluation methods, and teaching techniques and strategies that can be used to address the complexities of family life. This unique book prepares students for the challenges they’ll face as they leave the campus for the classroom, providing them with the problem-solving skills they’ll need for success. The book’s contributors—a distinguished panel of family scientists, sociologists, public policy analysts, psychologists, and extension specialists—examine a range of topics, including family law and policy, advocacy, parenting skills, international families, and diversity.

One of the few books geared to teaching family studies, particularly family policy and family law, The Craft of Teaching About Families reaffirms the importance of teaching in a time when controversial family issues receive constant attention from the media, the courts, and the legislatures. In addition to articles on family policy, family law, marriage and the family, family interaction and dynamics, and cultural diversity, the book addresses empirical assessments of internships and service learning activities in family-oriented courses, the effectiveness of various teaching strategies, including role-playing, classroom simulations, and Web-based assignments.

Divided into three sections for ease of use, The Craft of Teaching About Families examines:

Family Law and Family Policy
how to build writing skills through the preparation of court briefs and policy memos
how to use cooperative learning research teams to teach family law
how to design better courses by understanding students’ perceptions of family policy issues
how cooperative extension can help involve families in the policymaking process

Family Dynamics
how to develop a course in father-daughter relationships
how to incorporate parenting education workshops into a parent-child relationship course
how to prepare students to become competent multicultural educators
how to develop a course on international families from a family strengths perspective
how to develop a new framework for teaching family resources management

Teaching Techniques in Family Science
how to incorporate effective role-playing into the syllabus
how to use small-group work to create a positive experience in the classroom
how to educate future teachers about psychological abuse
how to teach students about forgiveness toward those who have hurt them
how to analyze the results of service-learning assignments in family diversityThe Craft of Teaching About Families is an essential resource for professionals who teach about individuals and families at any level, in any setting—formal or informal.