Intro letter

Reflective Journal

Taneisha Watson

Fayetteville Technical Community College

26 August 2021

The activity I participated in during the placement practicum is facilitating communication between parents and teachers. Communication is critical for collaborative learning. Teachers and parents must maintain two-way conversations for better student outcomes (The Compassion School, 2019). During the practicum, I worked with my supervisor, who was in charge of communication at school. I witnessed how she received parents who visited their children. When she was out of work, I got the opportunity to talk with the parents face-to-face (The Compassion School, 2019). I also gained skills to convey information via emails and social media apps affiliated with the school. I learned how to handle high-tempered parents. I also learned how to start conversations with parents regarding their children and school programs. Lastly, the activity allowed me to amass knowledge on how to organize zoom meetings.

The preparation standard I learned is 4b. It involves understanding effective strategies and tools for early education, including technology (NAEYC, n.d). Communication between teachers and parents is the backbone of early education. The educators need to exhaust all communication channels to reach parents. One of the communication channels is organizing physical or zoom meetings. I managed to arrange about two zoom meetings during the practicum placement. I learned another communication method by sending emails to large audiences or using social media apps like Facebook and Twitter. I learned to use technology through organizing zoom meetings to converse with parents in their comfort zones. The use of emails also added to my technological skills. At the end of the activity, I had immense knowledge of communication using technology and preparing design features.

The learning practicum transformed my career. I learned how to strengthen relationships between parents and pupils. Through the event, I obtained an understanding of the consequences of lack of parent collaboration in school. Learners whose parents failed to show up performed dismally (The Compassion School, 2019). There are some things that I feel would have been done better than what I experienced. I needed more opportunities to prepare for zoom meetings between the school and parents. During my stay, numerous meetings were conducted on zoom due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I also feel that I would learn using video games to promote learning among the children. Some exceptional moments from the event are my supervisor's trust in me and the opportunity to communicate between the school and parents. Professionally, I have strengthened my interpersonal skills.

References

Importance of parent-teacher communications. The Compass School. (2019, December 27). https://www.thecompassschool.com/blog/parent-teacher-communications/#:~:text=When%20successful%20communication%20occurs%2C%20parents,a%20great%20feeling%20of%20community

NAEYC. (n.d.). https://www.naeyc.org/accreditation/higher-ed/standards/summary