Hi Carmen, thanks for posting the video. The first thing that came to mind is the flipped classroom. Parents see the videos and have a sense of involvement with what their child is doing in school. It's interesting that I could think of several ways to connect kids to other kids (Skype, etc.) but couldn't think of anything for parents. It's a good question. Caroline
Me again, some sort of survey tool (Survey Monkey or something like it) would be useful. You could get honest feedback from parents about what they think about their child's experience in school. Those survey tools may be too expensive for most schools. I'm not too familiar with them. 123Contact form, which I talked about for my second entry on the Wiki, might be a good solution. You can make basic surveys for free. Caroline
Caroline, These are good ides! I have used the free survey tools with parents of students I tutor, as well as the students themselves, before we begin working together. I ask questions about how the student learns best, learning preferences, challenges, etc. It has been helpful and seems to be a good tool for reflection. Home-school communication is a tough one -- it seems that each family has different preferences for how they communicate. We discussed this a bit in our group when brainstorming for the infographic and decided that it would be a good idea to communicate with parents at the beginning of the year to see which communication-style would work best for them. Maybe that could be a beginning of the year survey. While we can't 'cater to' everyone, we can be aware of how people receive and give information best, and then make informed decisions. Thanks for your thoughts!
Seems like perhaps tools like 3-Ring & Class Dojo can also help families stay involved... but do all families have SMART phones? And how do you get them started using these tools in the first place if they are families that have a full plate already?
I've been considering the same questions and issues, Dr. Gleason. I guess we have to diversify communication with parents just like we have to diversify content etc. for students. Seems like so much work, but I think the effort will save time and frustration in the long run.
Hi Carmen, thanks for posting the video. The first thing that came to mind is the flipped classroom. Parents see the videos and have a sense of involvement with what their child is doing in school. It's interesting that I could think of several ways to connect kids to other kids (Skype, etc.) but couldn't think of anything for parents. It's a good question.
ReplyDeleteCaroline
Caroline
Me again, some sort of survey tool (Survey Monkey or something like it) would be useful. You could get honest feedback from parents about what they think about their child's experience in school. Those survey tools may be too expensive for most schools. I'm not too familiar with them.
ReplyDelete123Contact form, which I talked about for my second entry on the Wiki, might be a good solution. You can make basic surveys for free.
Caroline
Caroline, These are good ides! I have used the free survey tools with parents of students I tutor, as well as the students themselves, before we begin working together. I ask questions about how the student learns best, learning preferences, challenges, etc. It has been helpful and seems to be a good tool for reflection. Home-school communication is a tough one -- it seems that each family has different preferences for how they communicate. We discussed this a bit in our group when brainstorming for the infographic and decided that it would be a good idea to communicate with parents at the beginning of the year to see which communication-style would work best for them. Maybe that could be a beginning of the year survey. While we can't 'cater to' everyone, we can be aware of how people receive and give information best, and then make informed decisions. Thanks for your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteSeems like perhaps tools like 3-Ring & Class Dojo can also help families stay involved... but do all families have SMART phones? And how do you get them started using these tools in the first place if they are families that have a full plate already?
ReplyDeleteI've been considering the same questions and issues, Dr. Gleason. I guess we have to diversify communication with parents just like we have to diversify content etc. for students. Seems like so much work, but I think the effort will save time and frustration in the long run.
Delete