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STUDENT/PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCESDr. Gregory W. Little

Dean, ARC

Teacher-Student-Parent Conferencing Workshop

I. Goal: To leave today with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to have a successful teacher-student, teacher-parent conference

II. Objectives:

1. To identify your strengths and personal barriers to communicating with parents

2. To identify the various types of school conferences

OBJECTIVES

3. To describe the five step communication process for a student-teacher conference

4. To identify five listening techniques to encourage communication with parents

5. To describe three non-verbal techniques to encourage communication

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Personal Strengths and Barriers to Communication with Parents

• Make a list of your personal strengths that can help you conduct an effective parent-teacher conference

• Make a list of barriers that could get in the way of you conducting an effective parent-teacher conference

• Share you list with your table. Similarities/differences?

WHAT ARE YOUR BELIEFS CONCERNING..

• CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOR?

• STUDENT’S ABILITLY TO SOLVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS?

• FAMILY INFLUENCE ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND BEHAVIOR?

BELIEFS

• TEACHERS’ ROLES, SKILLS, AND WILLINGNESS TO CONDUCT OPEN, HONEST, DIRECT, COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS?

• RIGHT OF SCHOOL STAFF TO DISUCSS PARENTING ISSUES WHICH INFLUENCE STUDENT’S SUCCESS IN SCHOOL?

• PRACTICE OF INTRAPSYCHIC VS. SYSTEMIC THINKING IN OUR SCHOOLS?

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TYPES OF SCHOOL MEETINGS & CONFERENCES

• Open House

• Scheduled Parent Teacher Conferences (short )

• Teacher Initiated Conference

• School Initiated Conference

• Parent Initiated Conference

Teacher – Student Conference

• Start with positive attributes about the student

• Ask the student “why” are we meeting?

• Discuss you concerns , give examples

• State the behavior (s) which must change

• Ask questions

Teacher- Student Conference

• Develop a plan

• Encourage student understanding and agreement

with the plan. Have them describe the plan

• Be careful on use of rewards* to motivate

students

• If uncooperative, involve parents quickly

*Alfie Kohn( 1993) Punished by Rewards: The trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive

Plans, A’s, Praise and Other Bribes. Boston. Houghton Mifflin company.

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Student-Teacher Meeting

1. Private conference

2. Start positive

3. Ask why the need for the conference

4. Use Five Step communication Process

• I care

• I see or notice

• I feel

• I want

• I will

Student-Teacher Conference

5. How to conduct the conference

Start with “ positive statements”

Establish what teacher and student notice

Name the problem

Understand the problem ( why is it occurring)

How To Conduct Conference

Establish agreement to solve the problem

Develop plan

Review plan details (let student review the plan)

• Be careful on use of rewards to motivate students

• If uncooperative, involve parents quickly

Review student-teacher conferences (p.4-8)

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Parent-Teacher Conferences

• I value and respect parents. As educators, we need to keep them informed of their children’s progress

• Most parents are very cooperative and value teacher communication

• Most parents will respond and be supportive if we approach them with genuine concern

• There are some parents who will not be open to hearing about their child’s school difficulties

• Let’s see some examples of challenging parent-teacher interaction

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Well, to be truthful .. She is just a pain in the ass!!

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STUDENT BEHAVIOR : SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

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IN- SCHOOL CAUSES TO STUDENT DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS

• Student boredom: lack of engaging curriculum or teacher dominated teaching methods

• Powerlessness : Told what to do and how to do it

• Unclear/Inconsistent limits

• Lack of acceptable outlets for student feelings

In School Causes Continued

• Attacks on dignity: how we talk to students

• Communicated messages that students cannot and will not be successful in school

• Lack of communication/ and or plan to solve student’s problems with parents

• Others ??

OUT OF SCHOOL CAUSES TO STUDENT DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS

• Violence in our society

• Effects of the media

50 acts of violence during 30 min cartoon showChildren will have witnessed 18,000 acts of television violence by age 13

• Me generation: Living in an age of excess

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OUT OF SCHOOL CAUSES TO STUDENT DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS

• Lack of secure family environment: abusive discipline by parents predicted problems later in child’s life

• Ineffective parenting : Imbalanced use of protection and control

• Lack of respect and support for school staffWhat happened to you when your parents got abad report from school?

FACTS

• The Family is critical to student achievement.

• Parent participation is correlated with increased

student achievement and positive behavior.

• Children are more successful when there is a match

between expectations, rules, and interaction styles in

the home and school environments.

( Henderson, Berla 1994; Christensen, Rounds, Franklin

1992)

NO PARENT LEFT BEHIND: CURRICULUM OF THE HOME

1. Informed parent child conversations about daily events

2. Joint discussion of leisure reading

3. Joint analysis of television viewing

4. Expression of affection and unconditional love

5. Keen interest in children’s academic and personal growth

Walberg, 1984 adapted

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NO PARENT LEFT BEHIND

6. Delay of immediate gratifications to accomplish long term goals

7. Teach respect for authority figures

8. Teach skills such as listening, following directions, taking turns, getting along with others, assigning chores

9. Teach actions have consequences and children will be held accountable for their behavior/decisions

10. Support school staff in areas of student discipline

Walberg, 1984 adapted

SCHOOL REFORMS STARTS IN THE HOME

• Boundaries for acceptable behaviors

• Teachers alone cannot teach such basics as respect, hard work, and responsibility

• Parents need to teach good decision making skills

eg. clothes, allowance, spending money, friends, time management, setting priorities,

Parent-Teacher Collaboration

Review the Handout starting on page 9

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NATURE OF THE PROBLEM ABILITY- MOTIVATION CONTINUUM

Motivation:

will or won’t Ability:

can or can’t

RULES OF LIFE

ESSENTIAL

RIGHTS

•Air

•Water

•Basic food

•Basic Clothes

•Shelter

•Medical Care

•Bathroom

•Opinions

•Unconditional Love

•Balanced Parenting

RESPONSIBILITIES

•Health

•Safety

•Respect

•Productivity at home &

school

•Communication

ELECTIVE

PRIVILEGES

Freedom to do what you want.

•TV, Computer

• Cell phone

•Friends

•Hair style

•Special food,

clothes

•Dance lessons,

Sports,

RULES OF LIFE

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DAILY REPORT CARD ( SECONDARY)

Listening Techniques

1. Clarifying statements

2. Re-statement

3. Neutral

4. Reflective

5. Summarizing

Non-Verbal Techniques

1. Relaxed, yet alert posture. Know your body

language

2. Maintain effective eye contact

3. Acknowledge with nonverbal signs ( nod head,

smile use appropriate gestures

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Closing activities

• Complete the Schema exercise on p.26

• Read the lyrics “ Say” by John Mayer and watch the video. Listen to the words and underline the sentence or phrase that really spoke to you.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQtGqmi2O2U

GOOD LUCK !!