Experience/Artifact Reflection for
Wisconsin Standard for Teacher Development and Licensure #6
Title of Experience/Artifact: Communicating with Parents and Teachers
Date Experience Completed: March 2007
Describe your educational experience/artifact:
My student-teaching experience in Kindergarten at Waunakee Prairie Elementary School has contributed a great deal in helping me communicate with teachers, parents, and their children. During my student-teaching experience I communicated with teachers and parents through weekly newsletters, classroom volunteers, emails, parent-teacher conferences and team meetings. During my first week of student-teaching I sent home my first newsletter introducing myself and what my background in teaching was. During parent-teacher conferences I was able to meet all the families of the children I worked with. Lastly, I communicated with many parents and teachers through emails and meetings. These experiences gave me many different opportunities to communicate with the families of my students, as well as teachers.
ALIGNMENT:
Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment
This experience best aligns with the Wisconsin Teacher Licensure Standard #6: Teachers communicate well. During this time, I experienced how to model effective communicative strategies in conveying ideas and information of what learning was taking place in the classroom and communicating it back to the families of the children I was teaching. Furthermore, this experience best aligns with this standard because communicating with families through weekly newsletters, parent-teacher conferences, and emails allowed me the opportunity to reflect and assess my communication in the classroom. My self reflections on my communication showed me that I was effectively communicating with the students because I received feed back from the parents on a weekly basis that their child was coming home and sharing what they were learning. Due to the weekly newsletters the parents were able to stimulate discussion with their child to help enrich their child�s learning experiences. During my self assessments I also realized I was using many different ways to communicate with my students when it came to my teaching. Most of all I was using instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom. Lastly, I shared my ability to do this with other teachers in the school.
Also aligns with Wisconsin Standard for Teacher Development and Licensure:
WSTDL #9 Teachers are able to evaluate themselves.
WSTDL #10 Teachers are connected with other teachers and the community.
UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, & Disposition Statement Alignment
This experience best aligns with KS3.a. Communicates Clearly and Accurately. This artifact shows that I recognized within myself that my spoken and written language needs to be precise and accurate. I demonstrated this in my weekly newsletters, emails, and during parent-teacher conferences. This artifact also shows that I use well-chosen vocabulary that enriches my ability to communicate with kindergartners.
Also aligns with Knowledge, Skill, & Disposition Standards
KS4.a. Reflection on Teaching
KSD4.c. Communicates with Families
SD4.d. Contributes to the School and District
REFLECTION
This experience has taught me that it is very important to foster the capacity for students to stimulate discussion about their learning with their parents. I also learned that it is important to support the learning experience of the children in my classroom by communicating with parents to see if the children can utilize what they learn in the classroom at home. It is important to keep parents involved and informed of their child�s progress.
As an educator I learned that communication with parents through several different approaches is the key. I also learned as a prospective educator that the value of communicating with families allows them to get to know me as an educator and as a person. This allows them to feel comfortable to communicate with me and voice any concerns they may have. I feel that it is important for parents to get to know me. In my future capacity as a teacher, I will do my best to develop a good rapport with my students� parents and to make sure their presence in the classroom is always welcomed and encouraged. |
