Communication with Families

1. ©2013 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

2. What do you understand to be effective methods
for communicating with all families?
 How does a teacher reach all families with
informal communication?
 What are key points to consider when designing
communication methods?

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All Rights Reserved.

3. Communication techniques are one-way and twoway
 Need for variety of communication techniques
 Teachers must take initiative

©2013 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

4. 
Daily conversations are preferable
when possible
◦ Teacher strategies to initiate

Telephone calls
◦ For keeping in touch with good news

Personal notes
◦ Preprinted “happygrams” are less personal
©2013 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

5. 
Bulletin boards
◦ Visible, frequently changed, take-away articles

Electronic communication
◦ Email, blog, web site
◦ Mindful of privacy issues and family access

Daily news flash
◦ Keep parents informed for “car talk”
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All Rights Reserved.

6. 
Newsletters
◦ Give parents information and chances to reinforce
learning at home

Traveling backpacks, libraries, and literacy
activities
◦ Enhance parent-child communication and literacy
Classroom displays
 Suggestion boxes

©2013 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

7. 
[Insert from Ch. 8 and Website material for ch. 8]
©2013 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

8. 
Which communication techniques could be
effective for:
◦ A class of 4th graders who ride the bus, and half the
families are English Language Learners?
◦ A group of infants?
◦ A class of preschoolers with disabilities?
©2013 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

9. Teachers must take the initiative in establishing a
variety of communication methods, to reach all
parents.
 Teachers must consider factors such as parent
time and access, two-way communication,
professional appearance.
 It is important to persist in communication, and to
evaluate its effectiveness.

©2013 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.

10. Teachers must take the initiative in establishing a
variety of communication methods, to reach all
parents.
 Teachers must consider factors such as parent
time and access, two-way communication,
professional appearance.
 It is important to persist in communication, and to
evaluate its effectiveness.

©2013 Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.