Parenting Australia

AUSTRALIA’S FIRST ‘LIVE’ ONLINE PARENT EDUCATION COURSE

• Quiet Parenting is an engaging interactive e-learning course, taught to parents live in small groups of up to 20

• The Australian Institute of Family Studies has found that over a quarter of parents would prefer to learn about parenting online.

• With the arrival of the National Broadband Network in Australia, the time is ripe for launching live online parent education.

Quiet Parenting equips parents with easy-to-use strategies they can apply immediately. Family life will become more peaceful and parents will feel less stressed. Best of all, over the longer term, parents will be teaching their children important life-long skills that will help them to regulate themselves. Quiet Parenting is aimed at helping parents of 2 to 12 year olds to manage their children's difficult behaviour – quietly. The program is tailored to teach parents practical strategies for dealing with children's difficult behaviour, without having to raise their voices to gain cooperation from their children. Two other parent courses – one for parents of teenagers - are in development. Indigenous and non-English-speaking parents online versions of the Quiet Parenting program are to follow.

Hawton says Quiet Parenting may be the world's first live online parenting program.

Being offered as either morning or evening sessions, Quiet Parenting begins nationwide in October 2011 and registrations can be made at www.parentschool.com.au

Michael Hawton, MAPS, has created Quiet Parenting for parents who would find it difficult to attend face-to-face courses. "The program is easy to sit-down to after getting the kids off to school in the morning or after they go to bed in the evening. We believe that this format will be particularly useful for parents from rural areas who would have less access to parent education classes. It would also be useful to parents in city environments, where parents often want to stay home after a hard day's work," Hawton said.

Quiet Parenting draws on the latest research into neuroscience, as Hawton explains, "The latest findings show that the brain is somewhat plastic and that connections in the brain can improve in response to repeated behaviour. Parents who give their children practice at 'toggling' or switching between their reactive 'old' brain and rational 'new' brain, will help their children to become better at self-regulating."

Quiet Parenting courses are facilitated by parenting experts, who are also virtual classroom leaders, so parents have the benefit of online education but also opportunities to exchange ideas in a "real-time" learning environment. According to Drinkwater, "The program is full of engaging learning experiences. Parents meet online for one-and-a-half-hours once a week for four weeks where they'll learn lots of great new skills and gain a better understanding of their children's behaviour. Courses include expert commentary, whiteboard exercises, slideshows, videos, work sheets, and group activities – all aimed at making this type of learning productive and enjoyable."

Many people say that live online learning is more engaging and enjoyable than self-paced online programs, because parents can learn together with a parenting educator and have the opportunity of exchanging ideas and experiences.

Written by a psychologist, but less expensive than seeing a psychologist* on a one to one basis, Quiet Parenting uses internet technology to bring the best of parenting advice within easy reach wherever you live in Australia.

www.parentschool.com.au

* Based on the APS recommended fee

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