Collaboration

• WARNING!!!! You are not the parent and have not known the child as long or as well as the parent. However, you are a major player in the development of the child and possibly the family.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214

Collaborating with Parents

• Why would it benefit a teacher to keep a strong parent relationship?

• What are some risks of not keeping in continual contact with parents?

• What kinds of information should go home through the student and what kinds of information should you contact the parent about directly?

• When meeting with a parent, how might you show student progress?

When collaborating …

• Develop relationships with partners-in-teaching; mutual respect and trust is imperative.

• Develop collaboration skills; such essential skills as listening, encouraging, objectivity, communication, and empathy.

• Focus on students; success depends on sharing a common goal. Maintaining students as the focus will keep partners united by a common goal.

Contact with Parents

• Keep it positive• Be informative• Give concrete examples• Express ways the parent can help• Seek answers to positive questions

• Look at tutoring permission letters

Parent Conferences

• Meetings– Take A L A P

• Avoid barriers to communication– Watch your educational vocabulary but still explain

everything– avoid distance– do not blame– work with parents– avoid labeling, just describe

• How would you tell a parent their child is failing reading and needs extra help?

“What do you think about my tutoring my child?”

• Make sessions short (20 minutes max)• Enjoy the time and make it positive• Incorporate high child involvement• Keep a running record for me to review• Reteach and support our class lesson• Warn me before you teach something new

Summary

• How do I prepare for a complicated and possibly angry parent meeting?

• How should a teacher take any perceived criticism?

• How should I avoid developing barriers to the collaboration?

• What are a few suggestions when parents wish to tutor?

Assessment

• What are the differences between authentic and traditional assessment?

• What kinds of artifacts can be collected in authentic assessment for different activities?

• What is the long-term purpose of a portfolio?• What is a performance in performance based

assessment?• Why are rubrics easier for students to

understand than simple letter grades?