IPTE 5120 Session 4

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IPTE 5120 Session 4

• Creating Positive Peer Relationships
• Working with Parents
• Personal Philosophy

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Objectives - TSWBAT

• Understand the importance of peer relationships
  in enhancing student motivation and positive
  behavior as well as reducing violence in schools
• Understand the importance of self-esteem and how
  it relates to students academic and behavioral
  successes
• Apply acquaintance and team-building activities
  in the classroom

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• Outline a plan for enhancing diverse liking
  patterns and for improving school climate
• Discuss the importance of teacher-parent
  communication and collaboration
• Prepare and conduct parent conferences
• Identify personal philosophies of education

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Agenda

• Activity Appreciation
• Discussion Peer relationships
• Activities Acquaintance, team-building and
  diverse liking patterns
• Presentation Parent conferences
• Presentation Educational philosophy

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Appreciation
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Appreciation

• What is appreciation?
• How do you know when you are appreciated?
• What is it like when appreciation is present?
• What are some ways you could presence
  appreciation?

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• What difference would that make?
• What are examples of speaking and listening that
  might presence appreciation?
• What would you like to be acknowledged for?
• What would you like to acknowledge another person
  for?
• In pairs, acknowledge each other

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Positive Peer Relationships
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Creating positive peer relationships

• How are skills in peer relationships related to
  success in school? (pp. 121-123)
• What is the relationship between school violence
  and the quality of peer relationships in schools
  (Remember Columbine)?
• (p. 123)

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Understanding the classroom group

• What were some of the research findings discussed
  on pp. 124-126?
• Why do you think business and industry is so
  concerned about students interpersonal skills
  and their ability to work in groups? (pp.
  126-127)

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Activities for examining peer relationships

• What are the differences between acquaintance
  activities, team-building activities and
  activities designed to enhance diverse liking
  patterns? (pp. 128-148)
• What activities for creating school climate would
  you use? (p. 149)

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Acquaintance activities

• Whats in a name
• Interviews

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Activities for creating a supportive group

• Class spirit
• Opening and closing questions

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Activities for enhancing diverse liking patterns

• Positive bombardment
• I-booklets

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Working With Parents
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Methods for obtaining parent support

• Introductory letter
• Initial meeting
• Follow-up
• Continuing teacher/parent communication

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Introductory letter

• Introduce self
• State interest in meeting with parents
• Invite parents to initial parent meeting
• (See Figure 5.1 on p. 156)

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Initial meeting

• Description of the curriculum
• Class schedule and homework policy
• Characteristics of the grade level
• Statement of classroom management procedures
• List of projects requiring parental assistance
• Form eliciting parental assistance
• (See Figure 5.2 on p. 158)

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Homework policy

• Explanation of why homework is assigned
• Explanation of types of homework you will assign
• Information of amount and frequency of homework
• Guidelines for when and ho students are to
  complete homework

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• Statement of how you will record homework
• Explanation of how homework will affect students
  grades
• Information of testing schedule
• Explanation of what you will do if students do
  not complete homework
• Clarification of what is expected of parents

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Follow-up

• Call parents who did not attend parent night
• Call parents who volunteered
• Videotape the session and offer a time to view it

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Continuing parent/teacher communication

• Weekly planner
• Friday envelopes
• Informational letters
• Phone calls
• Asking parents to serve as volunteers

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Parent conferences

• Student preparation
• Tell them why you are meeting with parents
• Have students complete a self-evaluation
• Parent preparation

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• Teacher preparation
• Collect data
• Prepare an agenda
• Send a pre-conference parent questionnaire
• Record results of the conference
• Provide a conference summary
• (See Figures 5.4 5.9 on pp. 166-171)

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Communicating with secondary parents

• Introductory letters
• Newsletters
• Progress reports

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Conferences about problems

• Greet parent
• Use active listening
• Look interested
• Present a calm, professional manner
• Ask parents what they want to accomplish
• Set a time limit

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• Ask the parent if the child is aware of the
  problem
• Be honest
• Emphasize data
• Promise parent something will be done to deal
  with the problem

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What not to do

• Criticize school policies or other teachers
• Sit behind your desk
• Talk down to parents
• Jump to conclusions
• Place blame
• Talk in acronyms
• Recommend medication for students
• Diagnose students problems

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Ways to involve parents

• Offer ideas for ways parents can support children
  at home
• Communicate regularly
• Ask for parent volunteers
• Provide information of how to help students at
  home
• Include parents in school decisions
• Provide information on community resources