Danielle Green

Communication with parents: Conference Plan

1. Plan for communication with families (PLAN)

 Gather student work, notes, assessments, data.
 Be aware of the families preferred language.
 Create an environment for comfortable communication (face to face)
 Identify questions to ask families
 Get to know the resources and knowledge used by families.
 Be culturally sensitive

2. Use open, respectful language and maintain a professional tone. (LANGUAGE)

 Maintain appropriate body language, eye contact, and actively listen and allow
time for both parents and teachers to talk.
 If an interpreter is needed, I would have the interpreter introduce themselves
using the preferred language.
 Begin by greeting family members in a warm and friendly manner.
 Ask families about student’s home life; academically; behaviorally.
 Begin by sharing with the family’s positive remarks about their student. Talk in a
way that shows how you care about the student and appreciate them.
 Give families opportunities to share their comments, opinions, and questions.

3. Use intentional language/evidence to share information about academic success,

behavior, and development with families. (EVIDENCE)
 Use parent-friendly language when talking to families.
 Give specific examples about students learning and behavior.
 Use student work, notes, assessment, and data to provide evidence to support
your comments about student.
 Discuss behavioral issues by using the sandwich method; positive remark,
behavioral issue, and positive closing remark.

4. Collaborate with families to set goals for students/determine the next steps.
(COLLABORATION)
 Discuss potential goals and invite families to share goals.
 Teacher and families will work together to set goals for individual student.
 Discuss goals and how they can be accomplished within a time frame.
 Review the main points discussed earlier in the meeting.
 Follow up meeting to monitor progress and access goals, as needed when
appropriate.
 Create a line of communication (journal, notes home) to communicate with
parents about behavioral/academic progress and if there is a need for a follow-
up meeting.
5. Communication Plan Reflection
 My communication plan meets the four areas of communication by including the
processes of planning, respectful language, providing evidence, and
collaboration. My plan meets the planning aspect by ensuring I have a
comfortable, appropriate place to hold a parent-teacher conference. I also will
plan by having student work samples, assessments, and data accessible. I will be
prepared by having questions pre-prepared to ask. If a translator is needed, I will
be sure to provide a translator and give families materials in preferred language.
My plan includes respectful language by incorporating friendly and appropriate
body language during the meeting while also giving families the time to express
any comments, concerns, or questions they may have. The evidence that is
present in my communication plan includes evidence of student samples using
data, assessments, and other means of work. This allows me to give families
specific details and examples of any concerns. It also allows me to show student
work after positive remarks, as well. The plan I created includes the availability
for collaboration between families and the teacher through sharing of goals and
abilities. The collaboration is evident through creation of a line of
communication between families and teachers through a journal or take-home
notes. I believe that my communication plan includes the four domains of
appropriate family communication and I plan to use this communication plan
within my future classroom.