Home/ School Connection
Part 1
This weeks blog is slightly different. In this part I will be discussing what my thought are on some articles and a video. In the video 9 Ways to Communicate with Parents for Teachers // INCREASE parent communication! You receive a lot of information on how to communicate with parents as an educator. I feel like there was too much time spent on using technology when some parents do not enjoy using technology. However I did like some of the ideas. As a future high school math teacher I would have never thought to use Google sites as a way to help students look at the materials. The one downside to using all of this technology is that there is a lot that can go wrong. There are a lot of people who are not technologically literate. This can cause a lot of students to suffer due to their parents not being able to work the technology.
In order to keep this from happening we have to make sure that ur students' parents are properly educated on the use of technology. We can do this as future educators by making sure everything is written out at the beginning of the school year. We can send out letters to the parents to inform them of where they can find the information such as on a class website. "Websites are an ideal space for student work, details that might not fit in a text or email, and other important documents for parents to access at their leisure. This is also a tool that students can use with their parents to find out more about that field trip or long-term project" (Provenzano, 2016). Having a class website allows us as the teacher to upload all important announcements for both our class and their parents to see. This can give them access to all of the necessary documents that they may need either for a trip or study sheets. Being able to give clear instructions on the website will allow you to make it clearer to the parents what is going on in your class.
This leads into using emails to make sure that everything is clear on what needs to be done. Unfortunately, in my experience, not every school district knows how to utilize this. The district where I attended their board meeting was missing vital information on their website. Their website did not include the address or even the school name where the meeting was being held. I had to email the district clerk in order to get the information that I needed in order to attend this meeting. Since the district clerk was backed up with their other tasks I only received a reply the day of the meeting. Since I live in the city I had very little time to plan in advance how long it was going to take me to get to the school. Even though I received an answer it was extremely difficult to plan with the traffic. So when you are emailing parents set your normal hours in which you will respond to an email so they will know how quickly you an get back to them. Also keep the information on your website clear and concise so the parents and students know what you are trying to convey.
Connecting the student's home to school is vital for both the parents and students to succeed in your class. Everyone always dreads getting homework and having to do different assignments for different classes. But, you don't need to make the homework boring just so the students get the point. A lot of parents don't know how to properly help their students with their homework because they feel like schools have changed a lot since they were in a classroom last. This does not have to be the case in your class. "Let them know exactly how you hope they'll be involved in their child's homework. This might be through an interactive notebook, calendar, or maybe even a web page. Also, provide tips for parents about how they can be helpful during homework time" (Dell'Angelo, 2014). This can all be provided on the website that you have created for your class.
Engaging your students will also include them to interact with their families and bring their experiences back to school. "I always take those first few minutes to engage my students in casual conversation. I ask them about their day and if they have anything exciting going on the rest of the week. We'll talk about gaming, music, television shows, sports, movies, and anything else they want to discuss" (Provenzano, 2014). This is a great way to see what your students are interested in and bring it back to the class. If your school is located in a big city giving examples of something that they may have never seen before. Knowing what they are interested in can make learning more fun for your students. My teachers always took an interest in our activities to make sure that they can connect their lesson back to our lives to keep us interested. Aside from talking to students for a couple of minutes, attending their extra curricular activities will make it known to them that you actually are. Students like to know that their teachers care for them. Taking an interest in their activities also shows the parents that their child's teacher is taking time out of their day to come and support their students and school. It gives a sense of community within the school.
Part 2
I plan on creating a class website and keep it constantly updated with new information. With this I also plan to communicate with my students and parents via email. I will email parents for both good and bad reasons. If there is an issue with a student I will address it in an email and offer times that we can either have a zoom meeting or an in person meeting. I plan on using technology to my advantage and upload all of the class materials on the website. This includes the daily lessons, homework, extra credit worksheets, and anything else that I may have a paper handout for. This is so everyone will have the notes and examples that we did in class no matter if they are sick that day or left class early.
References
Dell’Angelo, T. (2014, December 10). The Beginners' Guide to Connecting Home and School. Edutopia. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/beginners-guide-connecting-home-school-tabitha-dellangelo
Hi Remy,
ReplyDeleteYou made some excellent points on the home and school connection, and how you connected it to your situation helped me understand how vital it is to have a home/ school connection. You brought up how, as a future math teacher, you have yet to realize how effective technology can be for students. I am also going to school to be a future math teacher, and I feel the same way! My family friend is a 3rd-grade teacher, and she taught me all the cool things you could do in google classroom. There were so many materials that could help the students and the teacher in a tech way. You brought up another good point on homework; you're entirely correct. Homework does not have to be boring, but just as long the students get the point. Especially with parents who struggle to help their students with it, having a web page or any connection source for the parents with tips can be effective for the students and the relationships with parents and teachers! Great blog post!
I appreciate your insight on the importance of using technology to communicate with parents, but also acknowledging that some parents may not enjoy using technology. Your idea of properly educating parents on the use of technology at the beginning of the school year is a great solution to that issue. I also agree with you on the importance of having a clear and concise class website, as well as setting normal hours in which you will respond to emails. Your approach to engaging students by talking to them about their interests and attending their extracurricular activities is also commendable. This shows that you care for your students and are willing to o the extra mile to create a sense of community within the school. I wish you all the best as a future high school math teacher!
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