Successful Interaction Between Teachers and Parents – A workshop on Differentiated Communication

Kontext / Contexte

Context/Rationale

Teacher-parent interaction takes place inside and outside school grounds: during parent-teacher meetings, at school functions, by telephone, by email, and when a need arises.
Teachers' interaction with parents is smooth sailing when sharing information about students' good work, behaviour, or achievements. However, teachers often feel on the edge when students struggle academically or demonstrate behavioural problems. They have to choose their words and manner of communication with parents that show they have their students' best interests at heart.

In diverse school environments, as in Luxembourg, teachers' verbal and non-verbal communication must be differentiated to create positive, impactful interactions.

Differentiated communication is tailoring your communication style and content to the needs, preferences, and characteristics of the parent you are interacting with so that the message is received and understood with clarity and purpose. It is about acknowledging and understanding that not everyone communicates and processes information in the same way, particularly when there are added elements of ethnicity, a/gender, age, marital status, and physical challenges.

How can teachers make interacting with their diverse students’ parents more effective and impactful? This workshop will help them acquire knowledge and skills to do this. The presenter/facilitator will discuss with the participants the pillars of differentiated communication that lead to improved teacher-parent relationships.

Effective teacher-parent interactions benefit teachers, parents, and students. Parents are likelier to reach out to and cooperate with teachers who communicate positively. When parents motivate or help their children with schoolwork, students behave well in the classroom, and teachers can focus on teaching. Students of involved parents and stress-free teachers perform better than those who are not.

How about difficult parents? Even when teachers are professional and courteous, some parents are argumentative and poor listeners. As well, there can be cultural (including linguistic) barriers. How do you handle these parents' face-to-face meetings, telephone conversations, or correspondence? One crucial way is by adopting a differentiated communication approach.

Zielsetzung / Objectifs

Knowledge
Participants understand:
- the concept and worthiness of differentiated communication in their interactions with their students' parents
- the essentials and strategies of differentiated communication and how to apply these
- their non-verbal communication is as vital as their spoken words
- how to deal with difficult parents.


Skills
Participants will be able to:
- understand their students' parents cultural (including linguistic) backgrounds and personal situations
- modify oral and written messages and tone to be more impactful
- be culturally sensitive and avoid language or actions that can be misunderstood, demotivating, or offensive
- make non-verbal communication consistent with their verbal message
- choose a communication channel that is appropriate and preferred by their students' parents: individual or group face-to-face meetings, telephone, email, or text messages
- get and give feedback regularly
- empathise with the emotions and feelings of their student's parents, build rapport and trust, and be good listeners.

Attitudes
Participants will:
- have an emphatic and respectful attitude
- be patient and good listeners
- be optimistic yet realistic
- adopt a "There's always room for improvement" mentality.

Inhalt / Contenu

- Introduction and presentation of contents and activities
- rationale on the importance of differentiated communication
- theories and approaches to differentiated communication and effective interaction between teachers and parents
- situations and case studies on effective and failed interactions between teachers and parents, notably involving minority/target groups: ethnicity, a/gender, age, physically challenged, and socio-economic backgrounds
- input from participants
- words matter: If you're not sure, avoid them!
- non-verbal is as important as verbal communication; sometimes, "Action speaks louder than words".

Come with a "half-full glass" mentality.

Arbeitsformen / Approche méthodologique

Participant-centred:
- brief presenter's/facilitator's introduction and explanation - participants can ask questions anytime
- roundtable
- real-life school stories and incidents
- role-play
- mock conversation during teacher-parent meetings
- A/V
- handouts will be provided

Referent, Referentin / Formateur, formatrice

Rolade Berthier, (Dr.) English Language Trainer, Sociologist, Writer, www.roladesocietalblog.com