What is it? Component C of Domain 4 is all about communication between teachers and families. Communication is at the very core of a successful classroom. In order to properly educate students we must be able to effectively interact with their families. This component helps in directing teachers of the ways in which to best connect with parents and guardians.
Why do we need it? This component plays a very important role in education. Families play one of the more essential roles in students lives and because of this, communicating with them is essential. Teachers need to be able to establish relationships with students and their families. This relationship is necessary so that educators can share important information about what is going in the classroom with parents or guardians. If instructional and non-instructional information cannot be relayed successfully then families will not be well informed and that can lead to an unfortunate disconnect. This component serves as a reminder to teachers that communication with the families of their students is key.
What are the elements? Component 4C contains three different elements. The first element focuses on information about the instructional process. This basically states that teachers need to provide frequent information to family when it is necessary and applies to the instructional programs. The next element targets information about individual students. Once again, this element states that frequent information should be provided to families but this time the information should be in regards to individual students progress. The third element centers on the engagement of families in the instructional program. It is important for teachers to provide ample opportunities for families to become engaged in their child's education and participate in the learning activities that are offered.
What does implementation look like? There are many means in which teachers can communicate with families.
Teachers can use tech tools such as Bloomz or Class Dojo to get parents involved in the class thus creating a community of learners.
Remind 101 is a text messaging system where teachers can send out information to parents about projects, due dates, etc. It is also possible to message a single parent directly if needed.
Not only does Bloomz keep families informed but it also has formats where teachers can create spaces in which parents are able to sign-up to volunteer to chaperone field-trips, bring in the class snack, etc.
Parent surveys are a great way for teachers to receive information and insight. Topics may vary but free printable templates are available online or the use of a tool like Google Forms makes it easy to create a survey.
While on the topic of Google Forms, it also serves as a great tool that can be used to schedule parent-teacher conferences.
Educators can create a weekly or monthly newsletter to send home to families in order to keep them informed on upcoming events, student learning, etc.
Get on social media! Teachers can use their professional Twitter and Instagram accounts to inform parents in this way as well.
Going one step further by creating a class website is yet another great option for implementation.
Sources: Bloomz. (2017). Blogbloomz.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017, from https://blogbloomz.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/logo-black.png
Classroom. (2017). Pinterest. Retrieved 29 November 2017, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/253397916513516881/
Danielson Group » The Framework. (2017). Danielsongroup.org. Retrieved 21 September 2017, from http://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/
Dojo. (2017). Media.licdn.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017, from https://media.licdn.com/media/p/8/005/0b7/2b3/3732c1c.png
Editable Newsletter Templates. (2017). Pinterest. Retrieved 30 November 2017, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/547117054708945125/