Schools and teachers want to develop partnership with parents. Strong communication is fundamental to this partnership. So, teachers must continue to develop and expand skills required to build a strong partnership.

1. Parent
Teacher
Communication
Professional Development Program 2013
H Dh. Atoll School & H Dh. Neykurendhoo School

2. Introduction
Teachers strive to establish partnerships with
parents to support student learning. Strong
communication is fundamental to this partnership
and to building a sense of community between
home and school. In these changing times, teachers
must continue to develop and expand their skills in
order to maximize effective communication with
parents.

3. Objectives
• To be aware of different communication
approaches
• To recognize how different communication
approaches can strengthen or weaken
teacher-family relations
• To gain practice in employing different
communication approaches in different
circumstances

4. Why Communication is
Important?
• Cultivating parent-teacher relationship is
vital to to the development of school as a
learning community. (Schussler, 2003)
• Communicating with parents is critical
for establishing parent-teacher
relationship. (Epstein, 1995)
• Parent-teacher communication is
fundamental to involve families in
education process.

5. Top 5 reasons why parent-teacher
communication is beneficial:
• Increases trust between schools and
families
• Encourages higher and realistic
parental expectations
• Serves as the first step to other types
of parent involvement to follow
• Leads to a higher degree of parents’
commitment to helping their students
improve
• Puts everyone on the “same page”

6. What is PTC?
• Communication may involve impressions
created or words expressed.
• Parents will be positively influenced
by:
– Welcome sign
– Cleanliness of the school ground
– Students' art work on the wall
– Sounds in the classrooms
(Chambers, 1998)

7. What is PTC?
• Expressed communication involves
one-way or two-way exchange
One-way communication Two-way communication
Letters/ Newsletters Telephone calls
Report cards Home visit
Communication books Parent teacher conference
Radio announcements Open houses
School Web site School based community
activity

8. Using Technology
• Integrating technology can help
schools communicate quickly to a
broad parent community
– Classroom phones & voice mail
– Video technology
– Radio announcement
– School Web site

9. Parent-teacher communication centers
around five different topic areas:
– academic performance,
– classroom behavior,
– child's academic and social
preparation for school,
– hostile communication between
peers, and
– health related issues.
(Mazer and Thompson)

10. Barriers to Communication
• Society Level
Problem Solution
Public is becoming estranged Every positive interaction will
from public institutions serve to increase trust & build
stronger relationship
Schools are frequently the target
of negative reports School needs to be a part of
Brandt (1998) community.
School has the advantage of
being natural point of interaction.

11. Barriers to Communication
• Society Level
Problem Solution
Cultural differences Seek out information to
understand the cultural &
linguistic diversity.
Seek out interpreter service
when & where needed.
Incorporate faces of diversity
into children's literature

12. Barriers to Communication
• Parent Level
Problem Solution
Parent's own negative school Provide guidelines in checklist
experience. format for managing their
concern
Parents may not understand
how to effectively interact with Encourage parents to gather
teacher/ school. information

13. Barriers to Communication
• Parent Level
Problem Solution
Economic situation & time Understand parent's schedule &
constraints availability.
Provide parents with information
when and how to contact
teacher.
Home visits
Provide child care option in
school building during meetings.

14. Barriers to Communication
• School Level
Problem Solution
Use of technical jargon Avoid technical/ educational
jargons.
Explain jargons and acronyms
Audio messages for below
literacy level

15. Communication is a process
• Identifying the goal and reason for
the communication.
• Considering one’s audience.
• Choosing a communication
approach that opens rather
than blocks a two-way
conversation

16. Goal:
Consider the content of your message
Ask yourself:
• What message do I want to
convey?
• What do I want to have happen
as a result of this
communication?

17. Audience
Ask yourself:
• Who am I talking with?
• What is our degree of familiarity?
• What style of communication am I
comfortable with? How might it
be different—or the same—than
the family I am communicating
with?

18. Approach
• Instructing
• Following-up
• Asking for help
• Revealing
• Informally exchanging
• Active Listening

19. Effective communication
strategies involve:
• Initiation:
– Teachers should initiate contact as
soon as they know which students
will be in their classroom for the
school year. Contact can occur by
means of an introductory phone
call or a letter to the home
introducing yourself to the parents
and establishing expectations.

20. Effective communication
strategies involve:
• Timeliness:
– Adults should make contact soon
after a problem has been
identified, so a timely solution can
be found. Waiting too long can
create new problems, possibly
through the frustration of those
involved.

21. Effective communication
strategies involve:
• Follow-through:
– Parents and teachers each want to
see that the other will actually do
what they say they will do.

22. Effective communication
strategies involve:
• Clarity and usefulness of
communication:
– Parents and teachers should have
the information they need to help
students, in a form and language
that makes sense to them.

23. Effective communication
strategies involve:
• Consistency and frequency:
– Parents want frequent, ongoing
feedback about how their children
are performing with homework.

24. Parent Teacher Conference

25. Before Conference
• Do we need a translator?
• Articulate the purpose of the
conference.
• Schedule carefully.
• Organize data and documents.
• Check names.

26. During Conference
• Greet parents.
• Eliminate physical barriers.
• Active listening. Pause, Probe,
Paraphrase
• Positive Tone
• Ask for opinions, reactions,
concerns.
• Be careful with jargon.
• Summarize.

27. After Conference
• Write a brief summary
• Did you accomplish your goal?
• Was your message received?
• Write a brief thank-you note

28. Activity
• Role Play- in groups, select a
role-playing situation. Discuss
the goal, audience & approach.
• Present the role play