Constructive parent-teacher communications always lead to the student’s excellent performance. It is the most crucial part of an elementary online school. Elementary school-age students might not be that open to their online teachers to a great extent. So, parental involvement is important in this aspect. A productive communication ensures the student’s overall progress while attending online classes. Since there are no face-to-face interactions, both teachers, parents and the child depends on online communication or communication via phone. The communication needs to be crisp, clear and to-the-point so that the teachers can genuinely impart help to the students. They need to get a clear overview before giving their recommendations.
Parental involvement encourages students, heightening their academic achievement. They stand a higher chance at remaining motivated for learning as well as showing “internal change” required to get comfortable in the online learning system.
Teachers too, learn more about students’ issues and what is it like to study in a home environment. This adds to their practical knowledge which they can implement in their future career to do a better job at fulfilling the child’s needs. Parents generally count a lot upon the online teachers. This boosts the teachers’ confidence and they get better at dealing with students’ academic as well as mental traumas.
Here are certain tips that can lead to an effective parent-teacher communication:
- Two-way communication
Parents can be the best medium to convey the issues faced by their children to their teachers. However, it should be a two-way communication. The parent should maintain transparency and address all the little concerns that the child is facing, both emotionally and academically. With a clear overview of the child’s condition, the teacher can grasp the exact root of the cause as to where the child is lagging behind. The teacher has professional experience, so she can understand certain aspects of the child’s psychology better than the parent. She can prescribe certain methods of improvement to the parent. Both the parent and the teacher should speak and listen to one another well, when their respective term comes.
- Knowledge on the utility of all the communication tools
The online teacher has been trained and knows the utility of all the virtual tools and resources that the online school implements in its courses. However, parents need to make an extra effort to self-educate regarding the tools, especially the communication related tools. Only then can they avail tools like live chats, emails, communicators, specific web portals and others to talk directly to the teachers and track their child’s progress.
- Innovative Mobile Apps
Both parents and teachers should be aware of the several mobile apps that facilitate parent-teacher communication. In this New Age of Technology, complex things have been made simpler by manifolds. However, the elders must be up-to-date with these Mobile apps to avail them. These are a smart medium of communication between parents and teachers. These have gained popular grounds and are used by millions of teachers, parents and students.
- Clarification via Email
Though E-mails might not be the first option in the parents’ mind to clarify his child’s doubts, it can be an effective mode of communication. There are times when the parents might not directly get to talk to a teacher via phone or live chats since she or he is on vacation or currently ill. However, the matter might be too urgent to be addressed immediately. Moreover, you can provide a more detailed information of your child’s concern via email. The teacher can reply you back in his or her “off” hours or once she or he resumes work. No wonder Emails have replaced all conventional means of communication in the Global Age. Reporting of assignments submission etc. can be separately done by the teacher to the parent.
- Other Online Platforms
The online teacher might maintain a webpage to provide updated info on all the class activities of the day. Along with this, they can maintain the performance grades of the student in each of these activities. This might facilitate in making the parents aware of their child’s academic progress or stagnation. This helps in cases when the child is not that communicative with his or her parent.
- Social networking
With the flourishing option of social networking sites such as Facebook, Whatsapp etc., it is much easier today to create bonds. Teachers and parents can avail this mode to create genuine rapport and discuss issues faced by the child. In fact, it can support the partnership of teacher, parent and the student. However, possible digital distractions are to be taken care of, especially by the student. Teachers and parents can even bond over these networking sites and plan to meet up on a specific day to discuss some urgent issue that might be faced by the child. However, this is applicable only in cases where the online teacher resides in the same place.
- Video conferencing
This mode can be availed more frequently, even on a daily basis. It is more required in case of the online elementary schooling of the child. The parent wants to remain fully updated with their child’s little progress as well as setbacks. Live video podcasts of the online activities can make the parent feel more involved in their child’s education. The parent gets the first-hand info the nature of a specific online class, how much the child has grasped and which are the crucial areas that call for the child’s improvement. Video calls can be quite effective in leading the two-way communication between the parents and the teachers.
- Live interactions
Live chats are equally effective. Video chat options can make it easy for teachers and parents to carry out meaningful conversations.
However, one thing has to be made sure of. These communications should always be made from a positive space. Neither of the parent or the teacher should be harsh upon each other, even if there are probable discrepancies. The exchange of thoughts should be carried out in a cordial manner no matter what. After all, the child’s future is involved. So, exercise caution!
