H Dh. Atoll School & H Dh. Neykurendhoo School Introduction
Teachers strive to establish partnerships with
parents to support student learning. Strong communication is fundamental to this partnership and to building a sense of community between home and school. In these changing times, teachers must continue to develop and expand their skills in order to maximize effective communication with parents. Objectives To be aware of different communication approaches
To recognize how different communication
approaches can strengthen or weaken teacher-family relations
To gain practice in employing different
communication approaches in different circumstances Why Communication is Important? Cultivating parent-teacher relationship is vital to to the development of school as a learning community. (Schussler, 2003) Communicating with parents is critical for establishing parent-teacher relationship. (Epstein, 1995) Parent-teacher communication is fundamental to involve families in education process. Top 5 reasons why parent-teacher communication is beneficial: Increases trust between schools and families Encourages higher and realistic parental expectations Serves as the first step to other types of parent involvement to follow Leads to a higher degree of parents commitment to helping their students improve Puts everyone on the same page What is PTC? Communication may involve impressions created or words expressed. Parents will be positively influenced by: Welcome sign Cleanliness of the school ground Students' art work on the wall Sounds in the classrooms (Chambers, 1998) What is PTC? Expressed communication involves one-way or two-way exchange One-way communication Two-way communication Letters/ Newsletters Telephone calls Report cards Home visit Communication books Parent teacher conference Radio announcements Open houses School Web site School based community activity Using Technology Integrating technology can help schools communicate quickly to a broad parent community Classroom phones & voice mail Video technology Radio announcement School Web site Parent-teacher communication centers around five different topic areas: academic performance, classroom behavior, child's academic and social preparation for school, hostile communication between peers, and health related issues. (Mazer and Thompson) Barriers to Communication Society Level Problem Solution Public is becoming estranged Every positive interaction will from public institutions serve to increase trust & build stronger relationship Schools are frequently the target of negative reports School needs to be a part of Brandt (1998) community.
School has the advantage of
being natural point of interaction. Barriers to Communication Society Level Problem Solution Cultural differences Seek out information to understand the cultural & linguistic diversity.
Seek out interpreter service
when & where needed.
Incorporate faces of diversity
into children's literature Barriers to Communication Parent Level Problem Solution Parent's own negative school Provide guidelines in checklist experience. format for managing their concern Parents may not understand how to effectively interact with Encourage parents to gather teacher/ school. information Barriers to Communication Parent Level Problem Solution Economic situation & time Understand parent's schedule & constraints availability.
Provide parents with information
when and how to contact teacher.
Home visits
Provide child care option in
school building during meetings. Barriers to Communication School Level Problem Solution Use of technical jargon Avoid technical/ educational jargons.
Explain jargons and acronyms
Audio messages for below
literacy level Communication is a process Identifying the goal and reason for the communication. Considering ones audience. Choosing a communication approach that opens rather than blocks a two-way conversation Goal: Consider the content of your message Ask yourself:
What message do I want to
convey? What do I want to have happen as a result of this communication? Audience Ask yourself: Who am I talking with? What is our degree of familiarity? What style of communication am I comfortable with? How might it be differentor the samethan the family I am communicating with? Approach Instructing Following-up Asking for help Revealing Informally exchanging Active Listening Effective communication strategies involve: Initiation: Teachers should initiate contact as soon as they know which students will be in their classroom for the school year. Contact can occur by means of an introductory phone call or a letter to the home introducing yourself to the parents and establishing expectations. Effective communication strategies involve: Timeliness: Adults should make contact soon after a problem has been identified, so a timely solution can be found. Waiting too long can create new problems, possibly through the frustration of those involved. Effective communication strategies involve: Follow-through: Parents and teachers each want to see that the other will actually do what they say they will do. Effective communication strategies involve: Clarity and usefulness of communication: Parents and teachers should have the information they need to help students, in a form and language that makes sense to them. Effective communication strategies involve: Consistency and frequency: Parents want frequent, ongoing feedback about how their children are performing with homework. Parent Teacher Conference Before Conference Do we need a translator? Articulate the purpose of the conference. Schedule carefully. Organize data and documents. Check names. During Conference Greet parents. Eliminate physical barriers. Active listening. Pause, Probe, Paraphrase Positive Tone Ask for opinions, reactions, concerns. Be careful with jargon. Summarize. After Conference Write a brief summary Did you accomplish your goal? Was your message received? Write a brief thank-you note Activity Role Play- in groups, select a role-playing situation. Discuss the goal, audience & approach. Present the role play