Running Head: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

Effective Communication and Collaboration

Jennifer King
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2015

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

Introduction
Communication and collaboration are important not only within the classroom but
throughout the school and the surrounding community. Teachers not only need to communicate
with their students, but also with their co-workers in the school at all levels and their students
parents. My artifacts demonstrate my ability to collaborate with other teachers within the school
and to communicate with the classroom parents.
Rationale
The first artifact is a page of notes I took on February 9th, 2015 that shows how my
Cooperating Teacher, Cynthia George, at my first placement and I planned instruction. After a
grade level collaboration meeting where all the 4th grade teachers met with the Reading
Specialist, Cynthia George and I planned a 30 minute math lesson reviewing decimals together.
As we talked about how the lesson should flow I wrote down our ideas in my notebook. As the
lesson progressed and became longer than I had anticipated, I moved over into my column on the
left which I had originally designated for plans for my science lesson. Our discussion focused on
how to review rounding decimals using money. The underlying concept we wanted the students
to be able to connect the new concept of decimals with the familiar concept of money.
The second artifact is the lesson plan that resulted from our planning. Due to a week of
snow days I did not teach this lesson until February 24. I wrote the lesson plan based on the plans
that resulted from planning with Cynthia George. It also includes some elements that we
discussed at a later time such as the anchor chart at the opening of the lesson. This lesson is the
final product of both Cynthia Georges and my efforts and together with my notes shows how I
can work with another teacher in creating a lesson plan.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

My third artifact is a letter I wrote to the parents of the kindergarten class (K-5) where I
completed my second student teaching placement at a Christian school. In this letter I provide the
parents and guardians of the students with my background and experience. I also included
information about my faith as this was important for them as I would be teaching their students
lessons in the faith since it was part of the schools curriculum. In the letter, I invite the parents
to communicate with me. At this school, the parents drop their children off at the classroom
door, I was able to see and communicate with them every day. This letter reflects my desire to
connect with my students parents and address and provide relevant information that allows them
to connect with their child in my classroom.
Reflection
Communication and collaboration are essential elements of good schools and teachers
should be able to work together and provide their students parents with information that
encourages them to become involved in their childs education. A mark of a good school is a
faculty that works together and communicated beyond the necessary exchange of information to
get through the day. While studying at Regent, I learned that collaboration is an important
element of education. Many of my professors stressed the importance of the students learning
how to work together in order to produce a product. Group assignments allowed me to practice
collaborating with my classmates and gave me a foundation to use when I entered the classroom
for the first time. Then I saw the importance of not only teaching students to collaborate through
having them work in groups, but of teaching them through example through working together
with my cooperating teacher and having open communication with the other teachers on the
grade level. Collaborating with my cooperating teacher on creating the math lesson plan allowed
me to experience the give and take necessary when working with another person.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

My experience at Regent also showed me how important it is for the parents to be

involved in their childs education. Positive parental involvement is important for students to
succeed in the classroom and these students are more engaged in school (Bergin & Bergin,
2012, p. 556). This occurs when teachers encourage not only their students parents but also
other adults in the community to become involved and create ways that allow them access to the
classroom. I still have a lot to learn about involving parents in the classroom, but through
reaching out to them with a letter of introduction allowed me to further the connection between
me and my students parents. As I grow as a teacher I will also grow in my ability to
communicate and work alongside others in the school community.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

Reference
Bergin, C. C. & Bergin, D. A. (2012). Child and adolescent development in your classroom.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.