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Supporting Families in Varying Learning Environments Biby Hannah Sunni…

- - - - Adjusting Communication: In a Hybrid learning environment, teachers and administration will face the challenges of juggling between online and in-person modes of communication.
        
        Having a flowchart of tasks to post on shared platforms or sent home for review will help streamline communication and ensure nothing is lost in the mail - in this case, quite literally and figuratively.
        
        Tasks to post, update, review and check on should be divided into mini-tasks, delegated to different personnel in the way of collaborating as a team.
        
        Strengthening and encouraging parents/guardians to participate in a two-way conversation by having them sign or comment on the agenda and newsletters sent home.
        
        Focusing on short-term information, such as current and ongoing assignments and topics, vs long-term throughout the unit lengthy outlines.
      - Communication Tools:
        
        You could say it’s the best of both worlds. However, knowing that it’s double the intensity, it’s important to make sure that we are not overwhelming parents, and teachers, with the amount of information shared over the communication lines.
        
        Keeping it clear, brief, and simple will encourage parents to read through and get involved. By doing so, we are also supporting them by providing a game plan they could use with their children at home.
        
        Modes of communication could be through platforms such as management softwares like Google Classroom and Brightwheel, e-mails and schedules online or in-person meetings, and printout shorthand notes and agendas.
      - Support For & From Families:
        
        Let parents/guardians know that the door is always open, and they are free to contact you for any clarification of lessons, homework, and projects; based on the weekly newsletters on subject unit and topics of the week.
        
        Informing them on a Family Advocacy Group and Classroom Blog, they could join as a welcoming and safe space for families to exchange ideas on types of support they’ve given their children and have found beneficial.
        
        Scheduling group and one-on-one meet-up opportunities, such as Coffee Chats, Family Workshops, and Parent-Teacher conferences.
        
        Performing a run-through with the classroom management software of choice by hosting a trial and Q&A session with care adults.
        
        Sharing resources, such as Remind, Google Keep, with a master list made by teachers, all families, and students of the classroom have access to.
    - - Learn about each family’s culture.
        Culture plays a huge role in communication; it often determines what is expected and what is acceptable. Acknowledge and respect the diverse needs of each family. Be mindful of:
        
        Nonverbal Communication
        
        Content
        
        Word choice
        
        Language
        
        Communication Channel
      - Provide daily communication opportunities.
        
        Document student experiences through photos, videos, voice notes, or written anecdotes.
        
        Share the documentation through conversations, daily journals, class websites, or bulletin boards.
        
        Learn about the each family's schedule. What are their needs, preferences, and limitations for daily communication?
        
        Share your own schedule. Specify and commit to a plan for daily communication.
      - Make communication accessible.
        Families have different resources and needs.
        Pick and choose the methods of communication that work best for the families in your classroom.
        
        Verbal Communication Strategies
        
        Provide a translator.
        
        Learn a greeting or relevant phrase in the family’s language.
        
        Make phone calls with good news.
        
        Host family parties and workshops.
        
        Host parent-teacher conferences.
        
        Invite families to join field trips and special events.
        
        Connect with families during drop-off and pick-up.
        
        Visit each family’s home.
        
        Written Communication Strategies
        
        Avoid language that is overly technical. Include a definition if a technical word is important for parents to understand.
        
        Translate written materials to the languages that your families read.
        
        Be mindful of the length. Too much writing might scare families away from reading important information.
        
        Make all information available in another format for families with sight impairment or low literacy.
        
        Write newsletters about what the students have been learning. Include questions that the family could ask the student.
        
        Utilize interactive journals. Share brief notes about the students each day and invite parents to answer or share notes of their own. Be sure to respond to family notes.
        
        Place a bulletin board outside of the classroom. Add photos of the students, student work, and pertinent information.
        
        Provide a daily folder for the students.
        
        Place a teacher and a family mailbox outside of the classroom. Put letters, thank you notes, funny stories, etc. in the mailbox for parents to pick-up. Encourage parents to leave messages in the teacher mailbox as well.
        
        Make sure that each family has access to the school’s family handbook. If there is no handbook, consider making a short handbook for your class. (What are the norms and routines in your classroom? What are your values? What are your promises? How will the families be included?)
        
        Digital Communication Strategies
        
        Consider the age and background of the families. What type of technology is most useful and familiar to them?
        
        Select and prioritize the technologies to be used; which are the most beneficial and time-efficient? How easy are they to navigate and manage as a parent or a teacher?
        
        Set clear boundaries and expectations around when and how technology will be used.
        
        Use programs that provide multiple language options.
        
        Write emails to provide important information, collect feedback, share adorable stories, or check-in.
        
        Create an interactive online bulletin board that displays student work, share the current topics of learning, and allows families to communicate with the teacher and with each other.
        
        Utilize a classroom app like Seesaw, Class Dojo, Storypark, or Bloomz.
        
        Create and maintain a digital portfolio for each student in class. This can be as simple as a folder on a class app or Google drive.
        
        Make a class website on Wix or Google Sites.
        
        Make a private “Group” for the families on social media (Line, Facebook, Instagram).
        Help the parents familiarize themselves with the school website. Notify administrators if the website doesn’t function properly or provides outdated information.
    - - Online Counterparts for In-Person Communication Strategies
        
        Strategies such as home visits, parent teacher conferences, curriculum nights, and parent workshops can be replicated with tools such as Skype, Zoom, and the like.
        
        Backpack communication journals can be replaced by one to one texting or emails.
        
        For special persons days, such as "Grandparents Day", Padlets or Flipgrid video sharing can be used to share about loved ones asynchronously, or synchronously by having them present in the Zoom or Google meeting room with the student.
        
        Announcements for these activities can be shared in a variety of ways--the virtual classroom, school website, weekly newsletter, email, digital tool/app, or by text.
      - Digital Tools to Engage Disengaged Families
        Some popular resources for enhanced communication include:
        
        Class Dojo--timelines of the child's learning experiences, including photos and videos, can be shared with families easily. Up to 35 language translation options are available for texting.
        
        Spotlight--video report cards that provide effective, growth mindset-style feedback. Translation in up to four languages (Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Mandarin) are available at this time.
        
        Remind--a tool created just for connecting parents to the school. One to one, class-wide, and school-wide options for weekly text updates are available. These can be translated into up to 70 languages. Families get the chance to see what their children are learning in each subject, and pictures of students in class. They can also receive helpful tips on how they can help their children with homework.
        
        Seesaw is another popular option, with parents being able to see school activities, monitor academic/behavioral progress, and receive updates on natural disasters and snow days. Report card translation is another feature. Seesaw's provision of learning journals is great for parents to see the documentation of their child's work. In addition, their child can explain what they are working on to parents.
      - Provide Various Lines of Communication for Flexibility
        
        Even in the online learning circumstance, traditional methods such as phone calls and email may be preferable for some families.
        
        Others may prefer texting, use of the school website, face-to-face meetings.
        
        As with the in person and hybrid school structures, teachers can take into account the cultural and personal preferences of parents.
        
        The use of digital tools as a boost for communication is also a consideration for parents that appreciate texting and translation features.
      - Create an All-in-One Platform for Easy Access of Information
        
        Many teachers now create virtual classroom using a platform provided by Bitmoji. These “classrooms” serves as a one-stop-shop for the various kinds of information that parents need to support their children’s learning.
        
        Accessible information can include student schedules, teacher’s office hours, announcements, subject area resources/tools/materials/sites.
        
        The days agenda and assignments (links to Google classroom) can also be accessed.