Collaboration With Families

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Learning Goal

I can reflect on strategies to implement with family collaboration.

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Recap: We have discussed strategies to help support collaboration with teachers and school personnel. However, that is not the only form of collaboration that will help guide students on a path towards success. School and family relationships play a vital role in the classroom. It is important for a child to see a team surrounding them. Building those relationships can be uncomfortable. Some families have negatives experiences with school personnel and do not want to build healthy communication. Some families do not value the education system in a way we would like. Some families are so unaware of their child´s behaviors because ¨they do not behave like this at home.¨ I know we have all heard that line before. Sometimes we feel it is easier to just avoid the connections altogether, but then how do we receive healthy results from it?

Your task: Watch this video from Flamboyan Foundation to gather some perspective on the power of family and school relationships.

Explain

There are many strategies an educator can implement to support this collaboration. However, just like in unit 1, we first need to start with our mindset.

Strategies to collaborating with families:

Understand your role in a child´s life.
- In some cases, we assume we know what is best for a child. Sometimes, we take that knowledge too far and think we know how a parent should parent their child. However, we need to remember, we are not that child´s parent. Regardless of how much time we spend with them, how much effort we put into teaching them, and how hard we work to provide them a structured environment, we are not their parent. So when building this relationship, we need to remember that. We do not want to come from a place that oversteps a parent´s ideologies, regardless if we agree with them or not. We want to come from a place of support and open-mindedness.
Try to find some positives.
- When you are consistently messaging families about negative behaviors, it can be discouraging. Some families may even become defensive. No one likes to always hear what is negative about themselves, and family does not only want to hear what is negative about their child even if there are frequent behaviors. Find something positive. For instance, ¨Johnny did come in disruptive today. However, I noticed he responds well to being greeted at the door with our daily reminders. We will try to implement that, and see how it goes tomorrow.¨ A positive solution while also informing families of disruptions can go a long way. The goal is to help a student thrive. Not to tell on their every mistake. We want to form positive relationships.
Do not compromise your boundaries.
- When children begin the school year in our classrooms, we should share behavior expectations with their families. You can also ask those families about the behavior expectations at home. Through sharing this kind of information, teachers and families can attempt to create consistency across settings. When behaviors also happen, families are not surprised by your discipline methods. You are not the child´s parent, but that child is in your classroom. You keep your boundaries of what you will accept, and set your expectations high in order for students to achieve them.
Be inclusive.
- Not all families want to be involved in their child´s education like we would want them to. On some level, we have to be okay with that. We do not want to force our ideas of a relationship, but rather leave the door open for them to always be included. You can continuously use inclusive language like ¨Let´s partner¨ or ¨our goals.¨ Allow them to use any opportunity to communicate.
Seek their input.
- Families play an important role in a child´s development. We want to see the child as a whole, and we can´t do that without communicating with the people who know them best outside the classroom. Ask questions about the child to get to know them from their family´s perspective. This can help support creating that inclusive environment.
Personalize your communication.
- Try to avoid common phrases when communicating with families. Typically, they can pick up on certain lines especially if they have other children. Discuss goals or progress specific to the child. Send notes home or make phone calls. All of these allow families to understand that you SEE their child. They are not just another body in your room. They are a person.

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Your Task: Reflect on your experience with family collaboration, or what you envision. Answer the questions on typeform.

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Your Task: Reflect on your learning with Classroom Management for Frequent and Unsafe Behaviors on typeform.

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References

minute, teaching. (2012, May 4). Teachingminute: Positive reinforcements. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ml1tih5zSY

Epstein, M. H. (2008). Reducing behavior problems in the elementary school classroom. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education.
EAB. (2023). (issue brief). Building A Better Behavior Management Strategy for Students and Teachers. Retrieved 2023
McKinney, A. (2023, July 7). Educator mindsets affect student performance. Teach. Learn. Grow. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2023/educator-mindsets-affect-student-performance/
Vanberbilt University. (2024). How can teachers increase the chances that their students will behave appropriately?. IRIS Center. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/beh1/cresource/q2/p06/
Manzano, R. J., & Manzano, J. S. (2003, September). (PDF) the key to classroom management. Educational Leadership. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283749466_The_Key_to_Classroom_Management
Bath, P. (2019, May 4). How I respond to escalating behaviors. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3tAhFWaLE
YouTube. (2012, February 28). Second grade students misbehaving in reading group. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4KLmUdczc8&t=5s
Bath, P. (2014b, June 19). How to meet oppositional defiance with a consistent limit... YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giHErboGZno
Timm, M. (n.d.). Acknowledging children’s positive behaviors - CSEFEL. http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/briefs/wwb_22.pdf
YouTube. (2014, September 16). How can behavioral support staff collaborate with General Education Teachers to support students?. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG7Wb8u6rTI
School Support Staff. School Support Staff | National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE). (n.d.). https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/training-technical-assistance/roles/school-support-staff
Support, A. (2020, June 4). Building teacher collaboration school-wide. AMLE. https://www.amle.org/building-teacher-collaboration-school-wide/
Beebe, W. (2023, December 12). Six strategies for partnering with families at the start of the school year. Responsive Classroom. https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/six-strategies-for-partnering-with-families-at-the-start-of-the-school-year/
Flamboyan Foundation. (2011, November 18). The power of family-teacher partnerships. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNdwJTKuHDw