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Julie Banfer, Touro University, United StatesAbstract
This multi-case study explores the impacts of a screen-free approach to direct literacy instruction that utilizes the Science of Reading framework and is supplemented by hands-on, screen-free educational games at home. While digital literacy tools increasingly proliferate in early childhood classrooms, early literacy skills benefit deeply from distraction-free, personal student-teacher connections. The study is grounded in relational pedagogy, which is vital for young students during this rapid phase of brain development. These meaningful connections foster their well-being, care, and empathy. Using a mixed-methods design in an urban school district in the northeastern United States, this study analyzed summative student literacy assessments alongside descriptive findings from semi-structured interviews with teachers and parents. Local and national data from neighboring districts were used for comparison. Following the thematic analysis, the results demonstrated a positive correlation between screen-free instruction and reading achievement. Qualitative themes also revealed strong home-school partnerships, improved communication, and deeper mutual connectedness of community members. Ultimately, these findings suggest that a low-tech and high-touch approach better equips students to maintain or exceed grade-level reading expectations throughout elementary school and beyond.
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Conference: PCE2026Stream: Teaching Experiences
This paper is part of the PCE2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Banfer J. (2026) Fostering Teacher-Student-Parent Relationships Through Hands-On Learning: A No-Screen Approach to Early Literacy ISSN: 2758-0962 The Paris Conference on Education 2026: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 667-675) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2026.51
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2026.51
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