Chapter 8pp

What do you understand to be effective methods for communicating with all families?

How does a teacher reach all families with informal communication?

What are key points to consider when designing communication methods?

Communication techniques are one-way and two-way

Need for variety of communication techniques

Teachers must take initiative

Daily conversations are preferable when possible◦ Teacher strategies to initiate

Telephone calls◦ For keeping in touch with good news

Personal notes◦ Preprinted “happygrams” are less personal

Bulletin boards◦ Visible, frequently changed, take-away articles

Electronic communication◦ Email, blog, web site◦ Mindful of privacy issues and family access

Daily news flash◦ Keep parents informed for “car talk”

Newsletters◦ Give parents information and chances to reinforce

learning at home Traveling backpacks, libraries, and literacy

activities◦ Enhance parent-child communication and literacy

Classroom displays Suggestion boxes

[Insert from Ch. 8 and Website material for ch. 8]

Which communication techniques could be effective for:◦ A class of 4th graders who ride the bus, and half

the families are English Language Learners?◦ A group of infants?◦ A class of preschoolers with disabilities?

Teachers must take the initiative in establishing a variety of communication methods, to reach all parents.

Teachers must consider factors such as parent time and access, two-way communication, professional appearance.

It is important to persist in communication, and to evaluate its effectiveness.

Education