Running head: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION 1

Effective Communication and Collaboration

Caitlin Jennings

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2017

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Introduction

Effective communication and collaboration are essential skills every teacher needs. Being

able to communicate and collaborate effectively with students, parents or guardians, colleagues, and

other members of the school community, contributes to a positive and productive learning

environment. To communicate effectively one must be skilled at expressing themselves and

explaining things clearly and efficiently. Teachers must be able to clearly communicate to students,

their expectations, rules, lesson objectives, and content knowledge. It is also important for teachers

to communicate positively, by being mindful of what messages they convey verbally and

nonverbally. Building a bridge between home and school is essential to student success as effective

communication can help develop a positive relationship between teachers and parents. Lastly,

engaging in valuable communication and collaboration with colleagues has an important role in

students success. As a teacher your primary goal is to get your students to learn, and collaboration

among teachers and administrators fosters a community that shares ideas, skills, and resources in

order to achieve that common goal.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

. The first artifact I selected is a letter that I sent home to the parents notifying them about

my placement in their childs classroom. I introduced myself to the families and informed them of

my role in their childs education, as well as their role in my own. Creating an open line of

communication, and developing positive relationships with parents is important for student success.

There are many ways teachers can invite families to be involved in their students education. For

example, a Welcome Letter at the beginning of the year is a good way of introducing yourself as

their childs teacher. Letting parents know about the rules and procedures of your class, informing
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parents about opportunities to volunteer, and letting parents know how and when to contact you can

all be covered in a welcome letter (Powell, 2015).

The second artifact I selected is a copy of my notes from a grade level collaborative

planning meeting. During collaboration planning we followed the provided agenda where we

identified what we wanted the student to learn, target areas, formative and summative assessments,

and target area ideas. In this meeting the focus was on an upcoming reading unit covering authors

purpose, fact/opinion, and compare/contrast. We started out by discussing the topics being covered,

and what was important for students to learn from them. We then determined two target areas, the

concept of contrast in comparing and contrast activities, and TEI (technology-enhanced items)

format, as well as SOL like questions. These areas were identified as points of weakness in previous

years. Next we examined a couple samples of formative assessment, before deciding on the ones

that best fit the learning targets of the unit. Finally, we discussed and shared ideas and resources on

the content, and how best to present it to our students. Grade level collaboration meetings are

beneficial in creating unity among the classes, and brainstorming new ideas of how to teach familiar

material to be most effective for student learning.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

I have learned that effective communication and collaboration are essential elements in

creating a successful learning environment. Effective communication within the classroom requires,

teachers to be skilled at explaining things clearly and efficiently. It is important as a teacher to be

able to take complex ideas and break them down into simple steps that are more manageable for

students at their respective levels. Teachers communicate constantly throughout the day, verbally

and nonverbally. The constant stream of messages we convey through our tone of voice, and body

language impact students (Powell, 2015). Therefore, it is important for teachers to be mindful of
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what they say, as well as what they dont say. A warm greeting or a thoughtful question asked with

genuine interest, can greatly improve a students mood. Provide students with constant positive

reinforcement for doing good work, and encouragement to do better. Communicating with optimum

effectiveness also requires teachers to be skilled at listening to their students. As Powell (2015)

explains, Simply hearing will not give us the clues we need to thoughtfully and appropriately

respond (p.152). When we truly listen, we take time to formulate responses with reason and

thoughtfulness. It is also critical to establish positive communication between home and school.

Good news is powerful, and when teachers make the effort to reach out to parents about their child

with good news, it helps facilitate a positive teacher-parent relationship. This is an important step in

gaining parents as partners in their students education, and support should you need assistance in

the future to correct an issue in the classroom such as misbehavior (Powell, 2015).

Finally, collaboration among members of a school community, in particularly other teachers,

is important for the development of an effective teacher. Collaborating with other teachers

encourages professional growth through the sharing of knowledge, skills, and resources.

Collaboration strengthens teachers individually, and as a school community in a common goal to

teach and support students in the learning process. In her book Instruction for All Students, author,

Paula Rutherford, explains collaborative efforts are a part of teachers professional life, and

successful efforts include: ongoing discussions about current reality and best practices, a

commitment to continued improvement, being result oriented, and involving more and more

colleagues over time (2008, p. 268). A community with effective collaboration supports an

environment where people can share ideas and learn from each other.
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References

Powell, S. D. (2015). Your introduction to education: Explorations in teaching (3 ed.). Boston, MA:

Pearson Education Inc.

Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK Publications.