1. Communication Workshop
Strategies for Success

2. Agenda Topics How to Involve Parents in Meaningful Conversations
How to Conductive Conferences
Exploring Effective Communication Strategies

3. Goals of Workshop
To identify effective strategies for communication with families and others
To differentiate between the three levels of communication
To identify effective means of involving families in our schools

4. Key Strategies Greet parents with respect and interest in their child.
Solicit parent questions, comments, and advice.
Think about homework and its importance and impact
Develop “we-ness” in communication
Be prepared with interesting, meaningful information
Be honest- be patient
Be professional…in a personal way

5. Creating Your Flip Book
Directions:
Tear two pieces of paper in a hot dog manner (length wise)
Align the sheets so they are about ¼ of an inch apart, creating four tabs.
Fold the tabs over so that you now have a front page and seven tabs.
The top page should read “communications”
Tab One: Quadrant Communication
Tab Two: Homework
Tab Three: Parent Styles and Strategies
Tab Four: Problems. Reactions, and Solutions
Tab Five: Evidence of Communication
Tab Six: Preparing to Communicate
Tab Seven: If Things Go Wrong

6. Greet with Respect and Interest

7. Simple Structure of Conversations
What does your child feel that he/she is successful in doing in my class?
What are some of the challenges that he/she says he/she is facing in my class?
Looking at the challenges can any of them be addressed and corrected by the student? Is the challenge something that you can work with at home?
What resources or assistance do I need to try and provide for you and/or your child?
Walk the group through the process. Have them share the role of parent and teacher. The experienced teachers in the room should share their ideas on how to gain support from parents at home and resources from the school.
Have them draw this format onto the second page of their flip chart book.

8. Interest, Questions, and Comments
Starting off the year by asking parents or others to provide you with information about the interests of the child builds an understanding that you care about the child as an individual.
How will parents be able to pose questions of you during the course of the day/ year?
Do you have a means for the parents to make comments about work, behaviors, or concerns in a communication to you during the course of the day /year?
Remind them that this slide is a direct connection to Component One of DPAS II and mentoring. Take the time to share ways that they have gathered information about their students. The critical piece is addressing how they use the information to plan for the class and/or individual students.

9. Diminish No Hope
Rick Stiggins tells us that in our communications with students and parents, we, as educators, should never diminish a student’s hope of being successful.

10. Homework Considerations
How often?
Is it meaningful?
Is it differentiated to meet the needs of the child?
Is it balanced?
Which students have parents who can help? Which do not?
What is the purpose of my homework?
If is it practice do I grade it? Am I careful to assure that homework does not fail or defeat the child?
Have them discuss the answers to these questions at their table. Remind them that school is different from when they were students. We should not replicate what was done to us, but should consider what is currently needed for students to be successful.
Have them complete the tab in the following manner: Looking at each of the bullets how will you communicate the answer to the parents?

11. Develop We-ness
Developing “we-ness” is the best way to involve parents in the process of education. While not all parents may want to be involved, it is still our responsibility to see that they are invited into the process. The quadrant that we used earlier assures the involvement.

12. Parent Styles Supportive
Helicopter Parents- Have been known to travel from California to Massachusetts to argue a grade for their child
Swoop-in Parents- Are immediately reactive to what took place in school and want to see you at once
Avoidance- Parents who found school difficult or feel that they cannot help their child.
Have them discuss the actions and potential reactions of each of the parenting styles. List them in the styles and some strategies for dealing with each type in their flip chart book.

13. If the Problem is the Student
Focus on the needs of the student
Begin or continue an open dialogues with the parent(s)
Use shared language – yours and the parent’s- to solve the problem
Be prepared for the challenges of dealing with divorced parents, children being raised other family members, and/or parent of adopted children.
In this section of the flip chart they will need five sections. One for problems of students, one for parents, one for teacher. The next will be reactions. The last will be triggers. As you discuss the problems they should make notes on how to deal with the situation.

14. If the Problem is the Parent and Strategies
Wanting to talk with you in public places
Expecting a response from you when immediately when your schedule does not permit you to respond
Abusive language
Being caught between two parents
New teachers are especially vulnerable in this area. They don’t want to appear rude to parents. As a group brainstorm ideas for how to effectively address each of these issues.

15. What if the Problem is Yours?
Focus on the needs of the student.
Consider alternate actions to try.
Be willing to admit mistakes.
Focus on good well and success.
You can be the problems, as well. There are times when you must try to overcome the fact that this student just knows how to set you off. However, you are a professional and must maintain the standards of professional behavior.

16. Consideration of Parent Reactions
Protection
Guilt
Parenting is hard and demanding
Issues within their family may impact their reactions to you and to school
It is always important to recognize that many of the reactions we get from parents are not about us. Parenting is hard and demanding. Work and schedules often have major impacts on the amount and the quality of time that parents can spend with their children. Some parents don’t come to school because they are embarassed by their lack of education or their ability to speak English. For some school was not a positive experience and just coming into the building causes them stress. However, the heart of why they come is to support their child. Always seek to understand why the parent is reacting in the manner you are encountering.

17. What May Trigger Actions
Being tired
Stress
Same issues every day with no improvement
Lack of time
These triggers apply to all of the parties, students, teachers, and parents. How might each of the contribute to problems with communication?

18. Communicating

19. Be Prepared, Honest, and Professional

20. How to Prepare
Make certain that you have the documents that you need for the communication. Have specifics to offer to the person.
If held during a school event, preparing folders for each student is advised. This allows the parents to review the data and potentially student work samples.
Give parents some time to review the information and encourage them to ask questions and voice their concerns.
Be honest about what the data says.
Remember to break down the information for the parents.
Clear communication takes a lot of planning. You need to be totally prepared for discussions with parents. Each of these recommendations would set up the right environment to support communication.

21. Communication Guidelines
Be positive
Listen carefully
Speak plainly so parent understands
Find ways to involve the parents
When appropriate, involve the student
Follow up

22. Types of Communication
One- way
Two- way
Three- way
Each of these is an important part of communication within the school setting. There are times when one way communication is the best means of just informing parents of events or information about the school. But it is seldom successful when communicating about academics or behaviors.
Two-Way communication is far stronger. What are some of the ways that you use two-way communication in your setting?
Three-way communication in which the students are involved with the process is by far the strongest. It develops responsibility on the part of the student to be able to explain their progress. It is often done in a format called “student led conferences.” While it is not possible to conduct three-way communication at every meeting with parents, determining one opportunity for parents the experience this event toward the end of the year is not only meaningful, it is rewarding.

23. Sources and Evidence of Communication
Phone calls
Weekly/daily communication tools s
Websites
Invitations to events in the classroom
DPAS II requires that you document your communication with parents. You will be asked to do this at various points during the year. List these sources on the flip chart book. Brainstorm other pieces of evidence that could be used and record them in the book.

24. What If Things Go Wrong
If there were issues during any communication the best thins to do is to inform your administrator.
Be honest
Describe what happened
Do it as soon as possible
It is easier to let them know up front than it is to have an angry parent calling them with only their side of the issue first.
Communication always has the potential to go wrong. When we are not facing others we cannot see their reactions. The triggers and reactions we mentioned earlier may come into play. If thing do not go well, it is important that you share that with administration. That includes times when it may have been your fault. Be the first to discuss the issues administration. Fully inform them of the events. It is easier for them to deal with the parent when they call and they will assuredly call.

25. Their success lies with your ability to communicate.
Thanks
Their success lies with your ability to communicate.