Late August means heat (and in many places, humidity, too). It means beaches. It means bugs. And it means back-to-school. đđ
Are you excited đ€©? Anxious đŹ? Both?
Itâs another strange school yearâbut the fundamental task of supporting and caring for students hasnât changed. Here are three science-backed communication strategies for parents and teachers.
keep the lines of communication open
Weâre a long way from quarterly report cards and twice-yearly parent-teacher meetings. Today, parents and educators stay in touch over email, text, social media, and special-purpose apps like Google Classroom, ClassDojo, and Bloomz.
The most important thing parents and teachers can do to communicate better is to make a sustained effort đȘ to stay in touch.
âA well-functioning partnership between parents and teachers constitutes the basis of the childâs social learning environment,â Finnish researchers wrote in 2019.
The lesson: Treat education as a shared effort. Aim for respectful, two-way communication with frequent interactions to build trust.
add context with rich media
Parents and teachers have a lot to talk about: the studentâs behavior, academic progress, health, interactions with other children, and more. Whatâs key is matching the communication style to the topic at hand.
For less complex topics, like grade updates, a âleanâ method like email đ§ might be best. When the topic is complex, phone đ±or face-to-face conversations may be better.
Teachers can facilitate this selection process (what researchers call âmedia richness theoryâ) by offering multiple means of getting in touch. Parents and teachers should flesh out which technologies are available and what works bestâbecause different conversations have different demands.
In some cases, a live conversation đŹ will make sense. In others, asynchronous methodsâlike leaving a voicemail or recording a short video đ„âwill work best.
The lesson: Early in the school year, establish the lines of communication. Look for communication methods that offer richness, like video chats for face-to-face contact.
expand conversations beyond the parent-teacher binary
It really does take a village to raise children. Communication about school shouldnât be a one- or two-way street involving only parents and educators. Instead, think of it as a highway, with different people using different âlanes.â
For example, parents can create parent-only groups to stay in touch with each other. This helps to build what experts call âsocial capital,â where parents can access social networks and information and learn the practices and policies of the school.
Parents can also engage policymakers, such as members of their local community education councils or education boards, to be sure theyâre being heard. đAnd itâs essential to talk to children about their own experiences. Theyâre part of the village, after all.
âCommunication is rarely a discrete, individual act,â school psychologist Susan Graham-Clay writes. âRather, it occurs within the context of ongoing exchanges.â
The lesson: Keeping communication lines open means regarding everyone as family not leaving anyone behind.
How are you feeling about the coming school year? Find us on social @illumyinc and share your thoughts.
Photo by Photo by CDC on Unsplash