This document discusses how teachers can collaborate with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals. It provides examples of parent-teacher conferences, working with the local community, participating in professional learning communities, and meeting the needs of English language learners. The importance of collaboration among teachers and students is explained. Ensuring instructional resources are appropriate for learners is also addressed.

1. COHORT #6
VA N E S S A H Y D E R , M E G A N H O F F PA U I R ,
A N D TAY L O R H O LT

3. STANDARD #1
•
The teacher understands how learners grow and develop,
recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary
individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social,
emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements
developmentally appropriate and challenging learning
experiences.
o 1(c) The teacher collaborates with families,
communities, colleagues, and other professionals to
promote learner growth and development.

4. HOW CAN TEACHERS
COLLABORATE WITH
FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES,
COLLEAGUES, AND OTHER
PROFESSIONALS?

5. FAMILIES

6. PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
•
What is a Parent-Teacher Conference?
o A parent-teacher conference is a short meeting or
conference between the parents and teachers of
students to discuss children’s progress at school and
find solutions to academic or behavioral problems.

7. EFFECTIVENESS OF PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
•
Studies have shown that when a parent is actively involved with their
child's education, it is very beneficial. Communication is one of the top
strategies for making the relationships that grows between a parent and
the educators that work with their child. The educational system is
faced with many challenges and obstacles, and when parents and
teachers communicate effectively these may be successfully overcome
•
It is also more than acquiring information about the child's behavior
while in the educational environment. It is about achieving an exchange
of information between both the teacher and the parent about the
achievements within the classroom as well. It is about sharing the
child's weaknesses and strengths both at home and at school. It also
helps in the collaboration between the teacher's agenda and lesson
plans with the parent so that the skills being introduced in the
classroom are being reinforced in the home environment.

8. HOW TO CONDUCT A
PARENT TEACHER
CONFERENCE

10. COMMUNITIES

11. WHY IS WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY
IMPORTANT IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION?
•
Good communication with community members also allows
teachers to make the best use of local resources -- and to find
material for projects, field trips, and other activities that they
might not otherwise be aware of. Family and local volunteers
can help with lessons which require additional adult assistance
that might not otherwise be possible with available resources.
o Examples such as: Having weekly community
meetings
o Things that can be discussed in the meeting are ideas
to help better the students’ education.

12. COLLEAGUES AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS

13. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLC)
•
What is a professional learning community ?
o A professional learning community, or PLC, is a group
of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise,
and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills
and the academic performance of students.

14. PURPOSE OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
•
PLCs serve two purposes
o 1. Improving the skills and knowledge of educators
through collaborative study, expertise exchange, and
professional dialogue.
o 2. Improving the educational aspirations,
achievement, and attainment of students through
stronger leadership and teaching.

15. PLC
•
Professional learning communities often function as a form
of Action Research, a way to question, reevaluate, refine, and
improve teaching strategies and knowledge. Meetings are goaldriven exchanges between educators who have been trained to
lead professional learning communities. Participation in
meetings may be entirely voluntary, or it may be a school-wide
requirement that all faculty members participate.

16. EXAMPLE OF PLC IN BOWIE ELEMENTARY
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yond9NTkupk&list=PLG4LE4_x42jjbQe-S4DVo9HXQJnl0ft9

18. STANDARD #2
•
The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and
diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning
environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
o 2(e) The teacher incorporates tools of language
development into planning and instruction, including
strategies for making content accessible to English
language learners and for evaluating and supporting
their development of English proficiency.

19. HOW CAN TEACHERS MEET
THE NEEDS OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE LEARNERS?

20. ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
•
In the recent years there have been more students learning
English than ever before. Due to an increase in immigration “An
estimated 25 percent “ of “… children in America are from
immigrant families and live in households where a language
other than English is spoken.”
•
How to Meet the Needs of English Language to be
o Teachers should change their speech in orderLearners
understood more clearly: enunciate, use shorter
sentences, use simpler syntax, and if needed, repeat
words or phrases
o Use visuals to reinforce words.
o If needed, use gestures.
o Make sure the students are participating
o Be enthusiastic about the students’ learning

21. THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
•
http://youtu.be/9cL7Cbk5Lss

23. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
•
“The teacher works with others to create environments that
support individual and collaborative learning, and that
encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in
learning and self motivation”
o 3(e) The teacher uses a variety of methods to engage
learners in evaluating the learning environment and
collaborates with learners to make appropriate
adjustments.

24. WHAT IS COLLABORATION?
•
COLLABORATION IS WORKING TOGETHER TO ACCOMPLISH
GOALS IN SMALL GROUPS.
o Student to Student
o Teacher to Student
o Teacher to Teacher

25. WHY IS COLLABORATION
IMPORTANT?

26. IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION
•
Creating a Teacher collaborative environment helps the
teachers be more effective in the class. (example. Share lesson
plan ideas with each other)
•
Creating a Collaborative environment for students helps to
create a positive outcome in education.

27. EXAMPLE OF COLLABORATION
http://youtu.be/ODJVGLk0NWs

29. STANDARD #4
•
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry,
and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and
creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the
discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure
mastery of the content.
o 4(f) The teacher evaluates and modifies instructional
resources and curriculum materials for their
comprehensiveness, accuracy for representing
particular concepts in the discipline, and
appropriateness for his/her learners.

30. HOW CAN TEACHERS
ENSURE INSTRUCTIONAL
RESOURCES ARE
APPROPRIATE FOR HIS/HER
LEARNERS?

31. APPROPRIATENESS OF RESOURCES
• Teachers should test the instructional resource they plan on
using before they introduce it to their classroom.
• Teachers should make sure it is age and grade-appropriate
• The resources should also apply to the lesson plan. There
should be no unnecessary resources.
o For example: There should not be a history resource
to help with English.

32. EXAMPLES OF RESOURCES
•
Websites that can be used:
o Math:
http://www.funbrain.com/brain/MathBrain/MathBrain.h
tml
o Reading: http://www.smartygames.com/reading.php
o Science: http://www.extremescience.com/