The first step to creating a strong parent-school partnership is to discuss the most efficient way for you and your students’ parents to communicate regularly. You may do this by sharing previous communication systems you may have had in the past and discussing the issue until you mutually agree on a system that all team members can commit to.
In this chapter, you will learn about the importance of communication, as well as strategies that will accomplish this goal. Research will be presented, along with Anna’s perception about communication, and a video example of Anna discussing how she would like to communicate with her daughter Sabrina’s educational team.
When you open the lines of communication from the very beginning, you lay the foundation for a strong parent-school partnership.
Before anyone can plan for effective communication with a student’s educational team, the major components of communication must be considered. Pugach and Johnson (2002) commented on the importance of communication by saying, “Perhaps the most important skill of effective collaborators is the ability to communicate ideas effectively. Communication is the foundation of all interactions between humans. Without the ability to communicate, our lives would be barren (p.47).”
There are many factors that can shape a person’s communication style and interactions, these are: (1) cultural differences; (2) personal skills (i.e., the ability to feel empathy); (3) experiences; (4) attitudes; and (5) situational factors (Correa, Jones, Thomas, & Morsink, 2005). These factors affect a person’s own communication style, the information they may be more likely or less likely to communicate, and their overall sense of self. Educators should become familiar with their students’ families with the intent to get to know them so that communication can be enhanced.
There are two major forms of communication, verbal and nonverbal. Verbal communication refers to what is actually being said. This form of communication includes leading, reflecting, summarizing, and informing skills (Brammer, 1988). Nonverbal communication refers to a person’s body language, attending, and listening skills (Martin & Nakayama, 2000). Both types of communication can contribute to the outcome of a conversation or discussion. Educators should be aware of and practice their own verbal and nonverbal communication skills so that they can maximize their efforts to communicate with their students’ families.
Once you understand the different factors that can contribute to verbal and nonverbal communication, it is important for educators to meet with their students’ families to discuss the most effective communication system to use throughout the school year. Some examples of communication strategies are:
Ongoing communication allows an educational team to stay connected and aware of the student’s ongoing academic, social, behavioral, and emotional growth.
When I first started working with my daughter’s IEP team, I knew they thought I was ‘too involved’. But they always listened and responded to me. We needed a written form of communication when Sabrina was essentially non-verbal so that we all knew what each team member was doing. As Alison, the speech-language therapist says, she would still like having the notebook. It’s true, she and I hardly talk anymore- I trust her and more than that, I trust Sabrina to keep me informed. The back-and-forth notebook is essential when a child cannot or does not talk about their day. It should include information about what is going on in class and not just what happened in therapy. As the clip shows, drop-off and pick-up times are inappropriate to be talking about a child in front of other parents and students.
Please observe the following video example of Anna discussing how she would like to communicate with her daughter Sabrina’s educational team. Please take notice of the team discussion about previous communication systems, their effectiveness, as well as the current team’s decision about their communication plan for the upcoming year.
Correa, V.I., Jones, H.A., Thomas, C.C., & Morsink, C.V. (2005). Interactive teaming: Enhancing programs for students with special needs. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson
Brammer, L.M., (1988). The helping relationship: Process and skills. (4th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Pugach, M.C., & Johnson, L.J. (2002). Collaborative Practitioners, collaborative schools
(2nd ed.). Denver, CO: Love Publishing.
Martin. J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2000). Intercultural communication in contexts (2nd
ed.). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.
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