Effective Communication and Collaboration

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Effective Communication and Collaboration
Destiny Crawford
Regent University
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Introduction
Students Teaching has taught me firsthand how vital parent involvement is and
how important teacher-parent relationships are. The noticeable difference between
students who are supported at home, versus those who are not shocked me because it
was so drastic. Because of this, teachers must be intentional with building trusting
relationships with parents and families and properly inform parents of their expectations.
It is important to involve parents in the learning process of their child because it
ultimately will determine the child’s growth and success. Similarly, it is important for
teachers to collaborate with other employees to further their knowledge and expertise in
the field.
Rationale for Selection of Artifacts
The first artifacts show the intentionality of building a relationship with students'
parents and ensuring that they are involved. I wrote to the parents via email upon my
arrival at Deep Creek Central Academy. The purpose of this email was to share about
myself, build comfortability, and open communication pathways. Many parents
responded, sharing more details about their children, what they struggle with and how I
could better teach them. This was also a great way to receive insight on parent
involvement, home-life, and learn more about my future students. I also included the
newsletter that is sent to parents every week and the behavior chart that is signed at the
end of the day. This tool is used as a way for parents to acknowledge specific academic
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goals and behavior goals of their children and hope to encourage their efforts in
rehearsing these goals at home.
The second artifact shows the collaboration between grade-level teachers.
Meetings are held each week to discuss new ideas, strategies, and fun actives that we
think our students will benefit from. We also are responsible for formatting lesson plans
for a specific subject. Ideally, this is done substantially before the start of the week and
is put in a google shared drive so that we can all have access to it.
Reflection on Theory and Practice
Multiple studies have been conducted to show just how important teacher-parent
relationships are and how much they impact the students. I was blessed to be assigned
with a teacher that showed great strategies, patience, and effort in her relationships with
her student's families and transferred to me a pathway into taking it on as my own. It is
exciting to be able to share the good news with parents, but unfortunately, a teacher
must learn how to have hard conversations with parents, while still be positive and
productive. Parent communication is to happen every day, whether it be an email, a
signature, or a parent-teacher conference. This open and timely communication is key
to establishing a healthy relationship with parents and will produce the best results if
kept consistent. Because interaction is kept consistent, parents are more likely to
become collaborative with teachers. Larry Ferlazzo said in his article “Involvement or
Engagement”: “A school striving for family involvement often leads with its mouth—
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identifying projects, needs, and goals and then telling parents how they can contribute.
A school striving for parent engagement, on the other hand, tends to lead with its ears—
listening to what parents think, dream, and worry about.” (Ferlazzo, 2011) Parental
engagement is the most valuable of collaborations and has been the focus since the
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has replaced the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
The weekly newsletter is designed for this purpose, to engage students in the
upcoming events, and hopefully, encourage them to become more involved with student
life. The newsletter also includes a summary of sight words and lesson plans that will be
taught in the upcoming week. The purpose of this is to engage parents in students'
homework and go the extra mile, by discussing these topics with their children when
they are at home. As Ferlazzo stated, the purpose of parent involvement is to ultimately
aid the students but to also aid the parents. An intuitive teacher knows how important
home life is for a child and while setting the appropriate boundaries, aids in whatever
way she can to better the family.
Why is this topic so prevalent? Parental engagement has been at an all-time low,
according to a study conducted in 2016. Research showed “a drop in parents who
believe that intimate parent-teacher communication is effective. Parents now prefer
remote methods of communication, like online student portals, and they are less likely to
attend parent-teacher conferences or school activities.” (Black Board, 2016) This shift in
technological advances has in some ways made parental communication easier but has
deteriorated the personal aspect of parent-teacher relationships. Ways to avoid this are
to establish communication early on in the school year, which is my reasoning for
introducing myself to parents even before the first day.

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Teachers must also communicate behavioral expectations to parents and inform
them if their child is not meeting the school standards. Behavioral boundaries are set at
home before they are ever introduced at school. Parents affect the child's work habits,
social skills, and emotional management and influence their attitudes. When the
standard of behavior is the same at school and home, students are more likely to adopt
because of the consistency set in place. This is the purpose of the behavior chart, which
is signed every day so parents know the behavioral standing of their child. This also is
used as a visual for students to understand the consequences of their actions and
create appropriate motivation.
Teacher collaborations with other administration and grade-level teachers are
relationships that are frequently undervalued. These exchanges not only push teachers
creatively but also add an element of support that is vital for teacher success and well-
being. Being able to meet with grade-level teachers and discuss ideas help build a
community that is founded on the common interest of benefiting the students. The
article “Benefits of Collaboration” by Sabrina Gates states how collaboration among
teachers aids in, creative ideas, self-reflection, and effectiveness. Teamwork had been
proven over many fields to produce happier enplanes and birth a healthier atmosphere.
(Gates, 2018) As a teacher, it is important to remember that your mood and attitude
directly affect the quality of your lesson and the emotions of your students. Having a
solid support system among teachers provides a positive mindset and allows teachers
to blend complementary strengths, challenging the limits of their classroom.

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References
Ferlazzo, J. (2011, May). Involvement or Engagement? ASCD, pp. 10-14.
Blackboard (2016). How K-12 Schools Are Meeting the Expectations of Parents for
Digital Communications.
Ludvik, D. (2020, November 09). Establishing healthy parent-teacher relationships for
early learning success.
Gates, S. (2018). Benefits of collaboration.

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Crawford 1

Effective Communication and Collaboration

how important teacher-parent relationships are. The noticeable difference between

It is important to involve parents in the learning process of their child because it

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

myself, build comfortability, and open communication pathways. Many parents

rehearsing these goals at home.

The second artifact shows the collaboration between grade-level teachers.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

her student's families and transferred to me a pathway into taking it on as my own. It is

productive. Parent communication is to happen every day, whether it be an email, a

signature, or a parent-teacher conference. This open and timely communication is key

way she can to better the family.

according to a study conducted in 2016. Research showed “a drop in parents who

believe that intimate parent-teacher communication is effective. Parents now prefer

to establish communication early on in the school year, which is my reasoning for

introducing myself to parents even before the first day.

Teachers must also communicate behavioral expectations to parents and inform

create appropriate motivation.

Teacher collaborations with other administration and grade-level teachers are

article “Benefits of Collaboration” by Sabrina Gates states how collaboration among

to blend complementary strengths, challenging the limits of their classroom.

Ferlazzo, J. (2011, May). Involvement or Engagement? ASCD, pp. 10-14.

Ludvik, D. (2020, November 09). Establishing healthy parent-teacher relationships for

early learning success.

Gates, S. (2018). Benefits of collaboration.

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