Effective Communication and Collaboration 1

Effective Communication and Collaboration

Isabella Szczur
Regent University
Effective Communication and Collaboration 2

Introduction
Part of being a well-rounded teacher is understanding the importance of discussion and

the different forms of communication. This applies to not just the students, but to a teacher’s

coworkers and other professionals. I have learned through my student teaching experiences that

an important part of any relationship is not just communication but collaboration as well. With

proper use of both of these, there is the potential to help enrich the lives of all those who are

involved. For this competency I have chosen artifacts which I believe to best reflect the

communication and collaboration that needs to occur. I have chosen notes taken during a PLC

meeting between the 8th grade Civics and Economics teachers, as well as a letter to the parents

that was sent in my first placement.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact I chose is the notes from the PLC (Professional Learning Committee)

meeting I was a part of during my first placement. One of the benefits of these, is they help

teachers to share what has worked in the classroom as well as where improvements can be made.

They also allow for the teachers to share new ideas with each other and to tweak resources when

needed. This can be as simple as a brief meeting where the teachers discuss the effectiveness of

their lessons, or even a discussion of what they thought would work and what would not for a

lesson. PLC meetings help teachers and students by “improving the quality of teaching and

contributing to sustainable progress in student learning” (Hallam, Smith, Hite, Hite, & Wilcox,

2015). Not only are they beneficial for the teachers, but for the students as well.

During the meeting I attended, the teachers mainly were discussing the current unit of

civics that their classes were on. As I was at this time teaching the unit, I found it very helpful to

attend and share my thoughts with the teachers. Mainly our focus was on a discussion of the
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upcoming unit of political campaigns and the current unit of the judicial system. In this meeting I

contributed by discussing the activities that worked well in my classroom. These examples

included interactive I civics worksheets/activities, the use of visual media (videos) along with the

accompanying video thought guides and lastly the implementation of a mock trial in our

classroom. These resources were all activities that my teacher and I were able to collaborate on

together for our students. The biggest example of this was our collaboration to ensure the success

of the mock trial activity. The other teachers were very enthusiastic and wanted to know more

regarding the specifics of the mock trial. I explained how the trial was a real life application of

the material the students were learning and how excited the students were to participate in it. I

continued on to explain the system my teacher and I had devised to help us decide who to choose

for each role, and how the students were involved in choosing the roles they wanted most. At the

end of the meeting, the teachers and discussed how they might incorporate these activities in

their own classes, as well as potentially alter them to fit the needs of their students.

The second artifact I chose, is a letter created for the parents of my first placement. This

introductory letter serves its purpose to introduce me to them and allow them to know a little

more about me. In my statement I also included my goals for the class and what I would be

doing. This way there would be no confusion about my role in the classroom. My hope was to

inform parents that not only would I be in the classroom, but that I would also be trying to help

their student grow and learn from their experiences. As such if they had any questions or even

concerns, I was more than willing to address them.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Connecting with others is something that is vital for a classroom to function. I stated

before that students need to feel as though they are being heard, and one way I did this was by
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making it clear from the start that my students could come to me if they needed help. As a result,

I ended up getting know a lot of the students in my classes very well. I kept myself open for

communication with them by taking the time to answer their questions and helping them where I

could. I asked about not just how they were doing in the classroom, but outside of the classroom

as well.

Getting to know my students was an absolute blessing, and I even had the opportunity to

talk with one of the parents of a girl in my class. In our conversation I brought up how attentive

the student was in class and how willing she was to work on improving herself. This parent

appreciated hearing about their daughter’s growth and told me it meant a lot to them to hear this.

When I have my own classroom, one of my goals as a teacher will be to communicate

with both parents and students about performance in the classroom. If I see a student has actively

been struggling and is working to improve, I want to praise that student, and let their parents

know as well. This communication can help to encourage the student and parent, and make the

student feel good about their accomplishments. In addition, studies conducted in 2007 by Julie

Nelson, Paul Caldarella, Richard Young, & Natalie Webb as well as in 2014 by Angela Howell,

Paul Caldarella, Bryan Korth, & Richard Young, have provided insight into the benefits of

positive praise in the form of notes and verbal communication. These have associated the action

of giving praise with “decreases in maladaptive student behavior” (Nelson, Caldarella, Young, &

Webb, 2008) such as tardiness or discipline referrals. It has also been found that in both

elementary and secondary education, students “viewed praise positively… [and that it] made

them feel good” (Howell, Caldarella, Korth, & Young, 2014, pg. 24). When a teacher takes the

time to invest in the student and provides positive feedback and encouragement, there is a higher
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chance the student will want to continue this behavior because they like the results. This could

especially be a good practice for the students who display attention seeking behavior.

A good teacher should take the time to collaborate with others about ideas and

experiences. This way all who are involved are able to take away something different and maybe

alter their approach for teaching, to make it more interesting and engaging for the students. In

addition, these meetings can also be a place where the teachers can discuss problems they are

facing in their classroom, and seek advice on how to best reach their students. If there is good

communication and collaboration it can be a place of learning and encouragement for the

teachers.
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References

Hallam, P. R., Smith, H. R., Hite, J. M., Hite, S. J., & Wilcox, B. R. (2015). Trust and

Collaboration in PLC Teams: Teacher Relationships, Principal Support, and

Collaborative Benefits. NASSP Bulletin, 99(3).

Howell, A., Caldarella, P., Korth, B., & Young, K. R. (2014). Exploring the Social Validity of

Teacher Praise Notes in Elementary School. The Journal of Classroom Interaction, 49(2).

Nelson, J. A. P., Caldarella, P., Young, K. R., & Webb, N. (2008). Using peer praise notes to

increase the social involvement of withdrawn adolescents. TEACHING Exceptional

Children, 41(2).