ONGOING, RECIPROCAL TEACHER/PARENT COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SHARING FOR INCLUSIVE GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS Judith Laten, SPE 540: Family Centered Practices Arizona State University
Is this effective communication?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baZso0xm0PQ (Halloween 1125, ND)
“Differences in expectations and misunderstandings about each other’s goals can lead to uncertain and tenuous, even contentious, relationships” (Risko, & Walker-Dalhouse, 2009).
Do you agree with these statements?
“Effective two-way communication between teachers and families strengthen family involvement in their children’s education” (Hunt & Ratcliff, 2009, p. 502).
“One of the greatest barriers to developing teacher-family partnerships is overcoming the negative attitudes associated with the subject that some educators possess” (Hunt & Ratcliff, 2009, p. 498).
What is wrong with this picture?
Discussion:
How might the school staff and parents avoid the apparent problems in the future?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hwDeD8hhn8 (TeachertubeSPED, 2009, October 23)
Family involvement is defined in many ways. Professional educators need to build functioning reciprocal relationships with families where they do not exist. (Hunt & Ratcliff, 2009)
Ongoing, reciprocal teacher/parent communication is important because…
“Family involvement that is based on a foundation of shared responsibility for learning on behalf of better outcomes for the child is critically important; this is reinforced by the research on family-school connections insofar as it shows that when families and schools connect, build a relationship, and communicate meaningful information, children do better in school” (Weiss, Bouffard, Bridglall, & Gordon, 2009, p. 21).
Why is this important to you as inclusive general education teachers?
Students Benefit
Motivation for learning increases Behavior improves Attendance becomes regular Positive attitudes about homework Consistency in home/school expectations Improved skills generalization
Parents Benefit
Increased awareness of value of their unique insights about their child
Better understanding of effective strategies and interventions
Feel valued and respected, leading to greater overall satisfaction with school experience
Why is this important to you as inclusive general education teachers?
Teachers Benefit
Better understanding of students’ needs Increased confidence Positive interactions increase morale Friendships develop
(American federation of Teachers, 2007)
Why is this important to you as inclusive general education teachers?
Today you will…
Research about teacher/parent communication
Practices that encourage mutually beneficial two-way communication between teachers and parents
Institutional and individual communication
Nonjudgmental statements
Positive statements that overcome negative subject matter
Read, identify, and discuss: Design and develop:
Two levels of communication between schools and families
1. Institutional Communication School plan for communicating with all parents Plays, practices, PTO, open house, newsletters,
calendars Potential to promote school-family relationships, but
does not ensure strong school/parent partnerships Opportunity to let parents know how additional
information will be shared with them throughout the year – newsletters, websites, parent liaisons, emails, etc.
Two levels of communication between schools and families
2. Individual Communication Between teachers and parents involving a particular
child Face-to-face: conferences, casual contacts Technology: phone calls, emails, notes, logs Strong potential for ongoing, mutual partnerships
between parents and teachers
(Halsey, 2005)
Types of individual communication
Notebook, checklist, note, daily journal/agenda May be formatted: circle, check off, or short entry Caution – short entry may sound curt or harsh
Phone calls Face-to-face visit Home visit Progress reports
Types of individual communication
Digital portfolio Assess and document learning Communication offer “glimpse” into classroom Time intensive for teacher Not all parents have access to computer
(McLeod & Vasinda, 2009)
Types of individual communication
E-mail Asynchronous communication is more convenient Possible misinterpretation due to cue restrictions
Restricts vocal and nonverbal cues State concerns about misrepresentation up front Focus on positive and factual statements
Set limits and boundaries Student reliance on backup plan may hinder responsibility Some topics better suited to phone or face-to-face (Thompson, 2009)
What do parents want?
Use comments that do not “cause harm” May inadvertently convey personal biases and
attitudes
Make statements nonjudgmental Discuss specific behaviors: how they directly impact the
child’s schooling Behaviors interfere with learning but are not “bad” Focus on improving home-school relationships.
(Montgomery, 2005)
What do parents want?
Timely notification of concerns about student problems
Contributions recognized and appreciated by schools
Direct communication, trust, respect, emphasis on common goal
(Miretzky, 2004)
What do parents want?
Smile, laugh, and enthusiastically share stories about funny things, successes, and developing interests noticed at school
Speak positively, respectfully about child and family even among your peers
(Boers, 2001; Rich, 1998)
What do teachers want?
Trust, emphasis on common goal Timely notification of concerns Clarification of facts before parents accept student
versions of concerning events Respect for training and experience Recognition of contributions and accomplishments
(Miretzky, 2004)
Common themes begin to emerge
Warmth, empathy, respect, genuineness, listening, goals of forming mutually beneficial partnerships and two-way communication
Diminish perceived power imbalances resulting in polarization
(Maring & Magelky, 1990; Risko & Walker-Dalhouse, 2009)
Keep it positive
A first- Something positive about her child http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjh8yYCf4Is&feature=related
(EarnedWisdom Tech, 2008)
“For family members to believe that their thoughts and feelings are respected, teachers must engage in two-way communication with family members that is positive and supportive” (Hunt & Ratcliff, 2009, p. 499).
Positive comments
Activity sheet:
Find positive, nonjudgmental alternatives to the statements in column one. You may use statements in column two or develop your own.
Give specific guidance for taking action Maintain the dignity of the child State in informative manner Overcome negative subject matter
(Brualdi, 1998)
Tips for communicating with families
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_16Dbekc30k&feature=related
(TorrieatKIT, 2010, August 12)
What have we learned?
Research supports ongoing, reciprocal communication between parents and schools.
Inclusive general education teachers can practice institutional and individual communication to benefit students, parents, and teachers.
Communication should be nonjudgmental and positive. We all want to be treated with respect, be
recognized for our contributions, and…
Communication Matters
References:
American Federation of Teachers (2007). Readingrockets: Building parent–teacher relationships. Washington, D.C.: American Federation of Teachers. Retrieved November 17, 2010 from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/19308/?theme=print
Boers, D. (2001). What I hope for in my children’s teachers: A parent’s perspective. The Clearing House, 75(1), 51-54.
Brualdi, A. (1998). Teacher comments on report cards. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 6(5). Retrieved November 20, 2010, from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=6&n=5
EarnedWisdom Tech (2008, July 24). A first—Something positive about her child (Involving Pare [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjh8yYCf4Is&feature=related
Halsey, P. A. (2005). Parent involvement in junior high schools: A failure to communicate. American Secondary Education 34(1), 57-69.
Halloween 1125 (ND). School answering machine [Video file]. Retrieved November 16, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baZso0xm0PQ
Hunt, G., & Ratcliff, N. (2009). Building teacher-family partnerships: The role of teacher preparation programs. Education, 129(3), 495-505.
Maring, G. H., & Magelky, J. (1990). Working with parents: Effective communication: Key to parent/community involvement. The Reading Teacher, 43(8) 606-607.
McLeod, J. K., & Vasinda, S. (2009). Electronic portfolios: Perspectives of students, teachers and parents. Educational Information Technology, 14, 29-38.
Miretzky, D. (2004). The communication requirements of democratic schools: Parent-teacher perspectives on their relationships. Teachers College Record, 106(4), 814-851.
Montgomery, D. J. (2005). Communicating without harm: Strategies to enhance parent-teacher communication. Teaching Exceptional Children, 37(5), 50-55.
Rich, D. (1998). What parents want from teachers. Educational Leadership, May, 37-39.
Risko, V. J., & Walker-Dalhouse, D. (2009) Parents and teachers: Talking with or past one another-or not talking at all? The Reading Teacher, 62(5), 442-444.
TeachertubeSPED (2009, October 23). Parent school communication [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hwDeD8hhn8
Thompson, B. (2009). Parent-teacher e-mail strategies at the elementary and secondary levels. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 10(1), 17-25.
TorriatKIT (2010, August 12). Important interactions: How to communicate effectively with parents [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_16Dbekc30k&feature=related
Weiss, H. B., Bouffard, S. M., Bridglall, B. L., & Gordon, E. W. (2009). Reframing family involvement in education: Supporting families to support educational equity. (Equity Matters: Research Review No. 5: A Research Initiative of the Campaign for Educational Equity). Retrieved November 18, 2010, from http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/reframing-family-involvement-in-education-supporting-families-to-support-educational-equity