Learning Outcome #6: Collaborate with Other Staff, the Community, Higher Education, Other Agencies, and Cultural Institutions, as well as Parents and Other Caregivers, for the Benefit of Students.
Collaboration is necessary for the achievement of students in their future endeavors. Teachers need to also work with the local community and parents to ensure that there is continuity in the learning of the student. Community members should be kept abreast of student activities so that they can participate in assisting student learning; this may include approving the new school budget or allowing an increase in taxes so that schools can maintain a healthy atmosphere of learning.
Parents are a crucial component to becoming a successful teacher. In a study on Teacher-Student Discrepencies in Academic Ability Beliefs, Nimisha Patel and Sharon Stevens found that there are many "benefits of parental involvement such as improving students’ academic success to creating more positive academic self-beliefs and behaviors" (2).
At my first student teaching placement, I called two parents within the first two weeks to notify them of their child's progress. The first student was doing exceptionally well, and I wanted his mother to know that I appreciated the hard work and dedication that he demonstrated in my class. His mother was elated that I called, and she told me that I was the first teacher to ever call home with a good testament about her son.
The second phone call was to inform a parent that her child was not doing very well in my class; I thought that maybe the parent would be interested in discussing options for helping her daughter. She willingly accepted, so I regularly kept in touch through phone calls and emails to update her on the progress of her child. This benefitted me immensely because I was able to motivate her daughter at school, and she was able to motivate her at home. The collaboration also worked well because there was a mutual respect between myself and the parent; this aided in helping the student as well as gaining the respect of the student. Once this student realized my dedication to her, she started to participate more in class, and she did her homework. Without collaboration, it would have been very difficult to motivate this student outside of the classroom.
Parents are a crucial component to becoming a successful teacher. In a study on Teacher-Student Discrepencies in Academic Ability Beliefs, Nimisha Patel and Sharon Stevens found that there are many "benefits of parental involvement such as improving students’ academic success to creating more positive academic self-beliefs and behaviors" (2).
At my first student teaching placement, I called two parents within the first two weeks to notify them of their child's progress. The first student was doing exceptionally well, and I wanted his mother to know that I appreciated the hard work and dedication that he demonstrated in my class. His mother was elated that I called, and she told me that I was the first teacher to ever call home with a good testament about her son.
The second phone call was to inform a parent that her child was not doing very well in my class; I thought that maybe the parent would be interested in discussing options for helping her daughter. She willingly accepted, so I regularly kept in touch through phone calls and emails to update her on the progress of her child. This benefitted me immensely because I was able to motivate her daughter at school, and she was able to motivate her at home. The collaboration also worked well because there was a mutual respect between myself and the parent; this aided in helping the student as well as gaining the respect of the student. Once this student realized my dedication to her, she started to participate more in class, and she did her homework. Without collaboration, it would have been very difficult to motivate this student outside of the classroom.
Works cited
Patel, Nimisha and Sharon Stevens. "Teacher-Student Discrepencies in Academic Ability Beliefs: Influences
on Parent Involvment." School Community Journal 2010: 115-136. Education Research Complete. Web. 2 April
2011.
on Parent Involvment." School Community Journal 2010: 115-136. Education Research Complete. Web. 2 April
2011.