What resources can you use to improve parent-teacher communication and teacher development?
As an educational leader, you know how important it is to foster effective communication and collaboration between parents and teachers, as well as to support your teachers' professional growth and development. But what resources can you use to achieve these goals? In this article, we will explore some of the tools and strategies that can help you improve parent-teacher communication and teacher development in your school or district.
One of the most convenient and accessible ways to communicate with parents and teachers is to use online platforms that allow you to share information, feedback, announcements, and resources. Some examples of online platforms are Google Classroom, Seesaw, ClassDojo, Remind, and Edmodo. These platforms enable you to create digital classrooms, send messages, post assignments, monitor progress, and showcase student work. They also allow parents to stay updated, engaged, and involved in their children's learning. You can use these platforms to communicate regularly, clearly, and respectfully with parents and teachers, and to create a positive and supportive learning community.
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sanjay kumar
Principal at Kendriya Vidyalaya OEF hazratpur
Online as well as offline platform. School organise partnership program with the society to communicate with parents. Parents are invited to demonstrate their skill before students. So parents feel connected with School
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GODFREY ODHIAMBO
EdTech Specialist, PhET Fellow, Scientix Ambassador, LabXchange Teacher Ambassador
Enhance communication and teacher development: Parent-Teacher Communication: 1. ClassDojo: - Share updates, photos, and positive reinforcement. 2. Remind: - Real-time messaging and event updates. 3. ParentSquare: - Comprehensive communication platform. Teacher Development: 1. Edutopia: - Online resource with articles and videos. 2. ASCD: - Professional development resources, including webinars. 3. Teaching Channel: - Video-based resources on teaching strategies. 4. Coursera for Teachers: - Online courses for professional development. 5. NEA: - Resources, toolkits, and workshops. 6. PLCs: - Foster professional learning communities.
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Jason Kimberley
Founder at Cool.org
Not-For-Profit Cool Australia has recently rebranded to Cool.org for global domination. Launching an incredibly useful new platform offering more than 5,000 free education resources in partnership with industry experts, bringing the Real World into the classroom. It's all free to access. We have also created Cool+, a premium resource library offering more than 1000 editable, high-quality, curriculum-aligned resources and 100’s of hours of professional learning courses aligning with V9.0 of the Australian National Curriculum. With a presence in 92% of Aussie schools and 175K teacher members, we are seriously onto something. I'm really keen to share Cool.org with you to support your work as an education leader. Thank you Jason Cool.org
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Sonja Stojanovic
Creator of the proprietary Modern Talking method for more effective language learning | Founder @ Modern Talking
What we use the most in school are seminars and books. But, look for more than just the seminars dedicated to teachers, good communication is the key factor in this parent-teacher relation. Learn how to listen, how to speak so that people want to listen, how to understand what the other person might be thinking. Psychology - in all ways, explore the topics! This is something for the education. When it comes to platforms, find the one that works the best for you, but make sure to monitor the progress and make it visible to the parents.
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Hans Andrews
--Distinguished Fellow in Community College Leadership
Teacher evaluation does much to improve our schools if it is properly defined. The intended outcomes of evaluation need to be focused on assisting each teacher through ‘formative’ evaluation which refers to assisting the teacher to make adjustments that will improve his or her classroom preparation and organization, and communication with their students. Summative evaluation is used when a decision is made to not continue a teacher who has proved unable to respond to improvements offered by evaluator(s). during their formative evaluations. Expectations of teachers: Competent evaluators; a clear understanding of the evaluation system and evaluation instruments; be given time to make improvements; recognition for excellence in teaching.
Another way to communicate with parents and teachers is to create newsletters and blogs that highlight the achievements, challenges, and opportunities of your school or district. Newsletters and blogs can be sent via email, posted on your website, or printed and distributed. They can include stories, photos, videos, interviews, surveys, and tips that showcase the learning and teaching that is happening in your school or district. They can also provide updates on events, policies, initiatives, and goals that affect your educational community. You can use newsletters and blogs to celebrate successes, acknowledge efforts, solicit feedback, and share best practices with parents and teachers.
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Sean Boyle-Costelloe
Digital Nomad, Education Specialist, Aspiring* Psychologist 🧠
🗞️ Control the narrative! We live in the age of branded content. A good brand leverages content into community. Schools are content machines, rich with stories, events, people, and achievements. Ensure that the day to day is documented and the highlights are broadcast in the appropriate channels. Parents will be grateful to be in the loop and should also be invited to contribute/engage where possible. Consistent blogging strengthens your community while also allowing schools to control their own narrative. After all, if you’re not sharing what’s going on… someone else will. Take the initiative.
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Nicolas DEROO
Directeur de la pédagogie et du développement professionnel, Directeur de cabinet adjoint, Personnel de direction, master Mados, Professeur d'histoire géographie, Parrain de Storm et Thoria, chiens guides pour aveugles
La communication avec les parents doit inclure les apprentissages de leurs enfants à l'ecole afin de construire un véritable partenariat éducatif. Ainsi les parents pourront soutenir les apprentissages à la maison, encourageant leur enfant, grâce à cet instrument de co-éducation.
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Jorge Oliveira
Transformando o Passado em Inspiração: Professor de História apaixonado por despertar mentes e moldar o futuro
Criar boletins informativos e blogs é uma abordagem eficaz para destacar as realizações e desafios da escola. Essas ferramentas permitem uma comunicação regular e direta com os pais, mantendo-os informados sobre eventos escolares, iniciativas e metas. Além disso, destacar histórias inspiradoras, entrevistas e pesquisas pode criar um senso de comunidade e orgulho entre os membros da escola.
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Brenton Coe, Ph.D.
Principal at C. A. Johnson High School
The more they know…the less they make up! In today’s society most people want to know everything, and feel offended if they are left out of things that may not even concern them. Newsletters and blogs are a great ways to share the great things happening in your classroom. You can include pictures and videos to display student work for parents to see and celebrate. Teachers can also post weekly updates, upcoming due dates, and activities to keep parents informed. Lastly, newsletters can be a common form of communication to receive parent feedback and input. This will allow teachers to use this information to make needed adjustments in their classroom with the data of all stakeholders.
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Sandeep K.
Director - CSE | Chandigarh University | Top Higher Education Voice | 21K Followers | Academic Editor | Researcher | Computer Science & Analytics | Accreditations & Rankings
One recent example highlighted the significance of newsletters and blogs in my experience. Residing outside the country while my son studies in India, I visited his school's website a few days ago. Upon exploring the various newsletters and blog posts, I discovered that my son had contributed as an author, and I came across several pictures of him that were previously inaccessible to me. This discovery brought me immense joy as I learned about his active participation in numerous activities throughout the past year. This experience prompted me to reflect on the advantages of newsletters and blogs. These platforms serve as effective tools for keeping parents well-connected with activities and informed about their child's progress.
To support your teachers' professional development, you can use webinars and podcasts that offer relevant and engaging content, insights, and strategies for improving their practice. Webinars and podcasts are online sessions or recordings that feature experts, practitioners, or peers who share their knowledge, experience, or perspectives on various topics related to education. They can cover areas such as curriculum, instruction, assessment, technology, diversity, equity, inclusion, leadership, and more. You can use webinars and podcasts to provide your teachers with ongoing learning opportunities, inspiration, and guidance that can enhance their skills, confidence, and effectiveness.
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Sandeep K.
Director - CSE | Chandigarh University | Top Higher Education Voice | 21K Followers | Academic Editor | Researcher | Computer Science & Analytics | Accreditations & Rankings
I serve as the Dean of a higher education institute, and we have recognized the challenges associated with sending our faculty members to physical workshops hosted by different colleges and universities. However, we have increasingly turned to webinars and podcasts as effective alternatives. These virtual platforms enable our teachers to interact with experts in their field. The impact of COVID-19 further compelled us to explore and leverage online opportunities. We have witnessed the advantages of platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, & online tools. Notably, esteemed institutions such as Harvard, IITs, and IIMs have embraced these tools to offer courses and certificates online, demonstrating the efficacy and adaptability of online education.
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Jorge Oliveira
Transformando o Passado em Inspiração: Professor de História apaixonado por despertar mentes e moldar o futuro
Promover o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores por meio de webinars e podcasts oferece uma alternativa flexível e envolvente. Essas plataformas fornecem acesso a insights valiosos de especialistas e colegas, abordando uma variedade de tópicos educacionais. A aprendizagem contínua proporcionada por webinars e podcasts contribui para aprimorar as habilidades dos professores, promovendo uma cultura escolar de inovação e crescimento.
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Muhammad Moeen
Electrical Engineering||Siemens PLC & SCADA intern||Application & Sales Engineer intern|KFUEIT"25"
To improve parents-Teacher Communication by using webinars and podcasts. Virtual parent-teacher conferences: Conduct meetings through webinars for flexible communication. Podcasts for Announcement: Use podcasts for broadcasting announcements and key information. Enhancing Teacher Development Professional Development webinars: Offer online workshops and webinars for teacher training. Collaborate Webinars: Facilities collaborate webinars for teachers to share experiences and strategies.
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Katie Dix
Online Learning Content Officer
Podcasts are so convenient for the family member who commutes to work, providing them something to listen to and grow their own confidence and understanding as a parent. Many organisations now tap into this and have their own, or perhaps provide suggestions on the top podcasters to listen too. The opposite view here is - there are so many podcasts available, so how are families guided to find the right one, with the most accurate information?
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Philip Stainton - FCCT
Deputy Head Teacher. COBIS Peer Accreditor. Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. Founding member of the International Schools Network.
We’ve used screencasts to help with our parent communication. For many working families, the ability to attend presentations at school just isn’t feasible. So rather than just sending out the presentation within context, we supply narrated audio over the presentation as a screencast presentation for parents to watch/listen. Particularly effective when releasing data such as CAT4 which can be hard to understand.
Another way to support your teachers' professional development is to provide them with coaching and mentoring that offer personalized and constructive feedback, support, and advice. Coaching and mentoring are processes that involve a more experienced or skilled person who helps a less experienced or skilled person to achieve their goals, overcome their challenges, and grow their potential. They can be formal or informal, one-on-one or group-based, short-term or long-term. You can use coaching and mentoring to help your teachers identify their strengths, areas for improvement, and action plans, as well as to motivate, empower, and challenge them to excel.
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Michael Gilbert
Chief Executive at ATOIRE Communications
Understanding different channels of communication, perceptions and motivation can prevent distress or suggest ways out of distress. The key to interacting effectively with others is getting your own needs met first.
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Afzal M.
Trainer, Author, Google Innovator
In my opinion, this is a field which is not given enough attention. Many try to attend CPDs to complete their mandatory training hours without trying to implement what they have learned anew. This tendency has led to a lot of Professional Development hours‘for the sake of Professional Development hours’. The change in the world around influences our students just like us. They out grow our conventional styles pretty quickly. The PD hours should be planned and delivered by professionals in a convincing way.
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Jorge Oliveira
Transformando o Passado em Inspiração: Professor de História apaixonado por despertar mentes e moldar o futuro
Oferecer coaching e mentoria personalizados é uma maneira eficaz de apoiar o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores. Esses processos fornecem feedback construtivo e suporte adaptado às necessidades individuais, promovendo o crescimento profissional. Estabelecer programas formais ou incentivar interações informais entre mentores e professores cria um ambiente propício para a reflexão e aprimoramento.
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Philip Stainton - FCCT
Deputy Head Teacher. COBIS Peer Accreditor. Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. Founding member of the International Schools Network.
Coaching and mentoring can play pivotal roles in teacher development. But it is key for the staff involved to understand the clear difference between what coaching looks like, and what mentoring looks like. Understanding this difference often helps to focus which one is better suited to the individual task of helping to improve a teacher.
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Charlane Baccus
Head of School @ Wonderland Montessori | Master's in Education
Mentoring teachers to help them communicate better with parents can be a powerful tool. I will usually ask a teacher open ended questions about what point they are trying to make and how it can be done constructively. What result do they want and how can we achieve it respectfully with the parents and students?
To foster collaboration and learning among your teachers, you can create communities of practice that enable them to share their ideas, experiences, and resources with each other. Communities of practice are groups of people who have a common interest or passion for a topic or domain, and who interact regularly to learn from and with each other. They can be online or offline, cross-disciplinary or subject-specific, formal or informal. You can use communities of practice to encourage your teachers to exchange knowledge, solve problems, innovate, and learn from their peers.
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Marisol Forero Cárdenas
Coordinadora técnica en Fundación Corona
Promover comunidades de práctica ha sido muy útil para promover experiencias, metodologías y mecanismos para favorecer temas críticos en educación, particularmente desde @FundacionCorona tenemos la comunidad de práctica en Orientación socio ocupacional, que nos ayuda a reconocer cómo las organizaciones en colaboración con las instituciones educativas y sus comunidades, promueven la toma de decisiones informadas de jóvenes según su contexto para brindar más oportunidades.
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Sheila I.
SDG Advocate | Educator | ALU SVP Ambassador| WSA Youth Ambassador | Youth Advocate & Leader | Women Empowerment | YOUNGA 2023 Delegate | MCF Scholar @ALU'26 | Spreading awareness on complex societal issues ✨🌍
One thing I have found is that community-building and knowledge exchange plays a huge role in the field of education. One way communities of practice can be implemented or improve parent-teacher communication is through the active involvement of both parties. Parents can see how teachers exchange knowledge, resources, and experiences while also chipping in their own focal point of how these contributions affect their children. Teachers can then take these points to continuously improve their practice. Involving both parties in the development of new practices, resources, or exchanges would be more effective as both parties see how their collaboration plays a role.
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Jorge Oliveira
Transformando o Passado em Inspiração: Professor de História apaixonado por despertar mentes e moldar o futuro
Fomentar comunidades de prática entre os professores incentiva a colaboração e a troca contínua de conhecimento. Esses grupos permitem que os educadores compartilhem ideias, estratégias e recursos, promovendo uma cultura de aprendizado entre pares. Seja online ou offline, criar espaços para a colaboração fortalece a coesão e a eficácia do corpo docente.
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Pedro Henrique Zubcich Caiado de Castro
Gestor educacional/ Consultor educacional/ Elaborador de projetos educacionais / Coordenador de curso/ Professor dos ensinos superior e básico/
Esse é de fato um ponto relevante. A literatura científica, em Educação, aponta para as comunidades de aprendizagem como grande possibilidade de aprendizado ao longo da vida por parte do professor. Para tanto, faz-se necessário levantar temas que afetem a vida dos professores, revisão de literatura científica sobre os temas levantados e, adicionalmente, convidar professores referências nesses assuntos. A partir disso, rodas de bate, análises de filmes, escritas de memorial, por exemplo, podem dinamizar o cotidiano dessa comunidade.
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Doug Canepa
Retired Teacher, Coach, Chaplain at The King's Academy, Sunnyvale, CA
Invite parents into your classroom as instructional aides. You’ll be amazed how well this works for you, your students, and parents comprehending your environment and challenges!
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