Powerful Parent Conferences What Every New Teacher Needs To Know.
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Transcript of Powerful Parent Conferences What Every New Teacher Needs To Know.
Powerful Parent Conferences
What Every New Teacher Needs To
Know
Outcomes
Participants will explore answers to these questions: What are the three goals of
parent conferencing? What do parents want from
teachers? What are effective conferencing
techniques? What are problems associated
with parent communication? What are effective listening
strategies? What types of parent
conferences are there?
Dream, Nightmare Cards
Dream card-list positive feelings you have about parent conferences.
Nightmare card-list negative feelings or fears you have about parent conferences.
Goals of Parent Conferencing To create a parent-teacher
team with a shared agreement about the role of each partner in helping the student to succeed in school and in life.
To provide a two-way communication opportunity that updates each partner on the team about the student’s learning and behavior characteristics and history.
To establish a relationship that makes it easier for the teacher and parents to initiate contact later.
Source: Barry Sweeney, “Preparing for Parent Conferences.”
www.teachermentors.com
What Does Parent Conferencing Look Like/Sound Like?
Each group is to take their assigned goal of parent conferencing and use words and pictures to describe what this goal will look like/sound like when it is in place.
What Do We All Want, Anyway?
One half of the group is to answer the question, “What is it that parents want to know about their child and school?”
The other half of the group is to answer the question, “What is it that teachers think parents should know about their child?”
Record your answers on chart paper.
What is Really Being Communicated?
Only 7% of what is communicated is in words.
53% of what is communicated comes from body language.
40% of what is communicated comes from the tone and feeling reflected in our voice, and how we say the words.
Source: Sean Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. A Fireside Book,
Simon and Schuster, 1999. P.171.
To Really Listen…….
Listen with your eyes and your ears. Listen to the person’s words, but also to what they are not saying.
Stand in their shoes. Practice mirroring-a
mirror reflects. Repeat back in your own words what the other person is saying and feeling.
Source: Sean Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. A Fireside Book,
Simon and Schuster, 1999. P.171-173.
Mirroring Phrases
As I get it,…….. So, as I see it,……. I can see that you are
feeling……. So, what you’re saying
is…….
Source: Sean Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. A Fireside Book,
Simon and Schuster, 1999. P.175.
The Rapport Game
Ones will think of a story to tell.
Twos will listen. Threes will watch. Fours meet me in the
hall.
SLANT for Strength
Sit up straight Lean slightly forward Ask questions Nod to show interest Track the speaker
Source: Dr. Allen Mendler, “Working Successfully with Difficult Students: A Discipline with Dignity
Approach.” Bureau of Education and Research, 915 118th Street, PO Box 96068, Bellevue WA 98009
Seven Steps for Success Invite the parent into your
space. Introduce yourself and shake the
parent’s hand. Say, thank you for coming. Use surnames instead of first
names. Be sure the parent sits down
immediately because we have the most resistance when we are standing. Seat them away from your desk. Arrange chairs at the same eye level, and close enough to convey warmth.
Eight Steps for Success Offer comfort.
Offer a cup of coffee, glass of water, or soda.
This can be a valuable prop. When you need to slow down the conversation, pause to take a sip of coffee or water. This can give you some valuable thinking time.
Let the parents know that you are eager and willing to learn about their child.
Eight Steps for Success
State the purpose of the conference.
Share the agenda and information related to the conference.
Offer documentation such a list of grades, samples of work, etc.
Restate the problems and concerns on which both you and the parent can agree.
Decide on a follow-up. At this point you and the parent are
partners trying to decide what is best for the child.
Eight Steps for Success Touch base-communicate.
Ask the parent what type of communication works best for them, an email, a phone call, a note, etc.
Closure- Shake the parent’s hand and
use his/her name. Thank the parent for coming,
and remind him/her that you have another appointment.
Remember that it is rude for you to rise while the parent is speaking. Stand up while you are talking.Adapted from: Discipline Strategies For the Bored, Belligerent and Ballistic in Your Classroom.
Chapter 14, Painless Parent/Teacher Conferences, pp. 148-154.
Carol Fuery, Sanibel SandDollar Publications, Inc. PO Box 461, Captiva, FL. 33924, 1994.
Five Types of Poor Listening
Pretend listening Spaced out listening Selective listening Word listening Self-centered listening
Source: Sean Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. A Fireside Book,
Simon and Schuster, 1999. P.168.
Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Your task is to take the poor listening style that your group has been assigned and to describe with words and pictures what this looks like and sounds like when a person is using it.
Articles about Parent Conferences
Each group is to read the article you have been assigned.
After reading the article, your group is to design a metaphor or visual on chart paper that reflects the content.
After creating your metaphor, your group is to write a one-minute summary of your article.
Museum Walk with Parent Conferences
Post your visual on the wall or chart stand. Everyone in your group needs to stand by the visual.
Count off 1 to 5. Look closely at your home
group. #1 will be the first
spokesperson and stays with the visual.
Everyone else in the group moves one visual over in a clockwise direction.
Five Must Answer Questions What skills and knowledge
will my child be expected to master in your class?
What kind of information will you use to assess my child’s academic progress? How do you assign grades?
What can I do to stay actively involved in my child’s academic progress?
How do you accommodate differences in learning?
How do you plan to prepare my child for the next grade level?
Source: The Parent-Teacher Conference: Five Must-Ask Questions, Cindy Bond. www.familyeducation.com
Koosh Ball Review
We will throw the Koosh Ball around. When you catch it, you will mention something that you have learned today about parent conferences.
Types of Parent Conferences
Beginning of school meetings
Behavior conferences Academic progress
conferences Parent requested
conferences What do we talk about
when the child is doing well, but we have to have a conference conferences
Role play
Find a partner. You will be given an
envelope with different conference scenarios in it.
Read over and select two scenarios to role play.
Use techniques you have learned today to role play the scenario. After two minutes, reverse roles.
Two-Way Communication
A key to successful home/school relations is regular, two-way communication. As a teacher, what can you do to make sure this happens?
Communication Troubleshooting
Problem 1: Parent has no phone
Problem 2: Mom works days, Dad works nights.
Problem 3: Parent complains about everything the school and teacher does.
Problem 4: The parent doesn’t speak English.
E-mail Etiquette Always use the subject line.
This will allow the person receiving the message to know immediately the content of the message.
Never use uppercase letters, not even to make a point.
In the online world, this is equated with yelling.
Spell-check your e-mail. Resist the urge to “flame.”
A flame is an angry e-mail message. If you are angry, resist the urge to send a response immediately. Cool off first.
Don’t retain entire messages when you reply.
Just include enough of the original message to give the receiving person the context.
Adapted from: Ragan’s Workplace Solutions, Sample Issue
Ideas for Parents
Guidelines for Good Service Be proud.
Parents see you as experts, ready and able to deliver solutions.
Be professional. Always put the customer first.
Be polite. Parents and students deserve
your respect and consideration, no matter what kind of day you are having.
Be prompt. Be personal.
Parents and students want to be treated as individuals, not as the next person in line.
Geometric Closure
What stopped you in your tracks today?
What were some key points in the workshop today?
What did you get squared away in your thinking?
What will you get around to doing as a result of this workshop?