|
The purpose of this study is to explore the parent-teacher relationship and communication cultivated by elementary school excellent teachers for first and second grade. The content of this study has covered parent-teacher relationship and their communication ideas, parents’ participation in class teaching activities, the types of parent-teacher relationship, the content of parent-teacher communication, the causes of the obstacles and conflicts occurring in parent-teacher relationship and communication, the handling methods, the influence and the strategy as well as tactics to cultivate parent-teacher relationship and communication. It is hoped that accumulated experience from six excellent teachers will be provided as the reference for elementary school first and second grade teachers to reinforce their expertise and reflect on themselves.
This study uses qualitative method. Six excellent teachers were invited as the study objects, and the research was mainly made by interviews while observations were also conducted as needed. Also, document analysis and collation inspection were used to collect data. In the end, the results show as follows:
1. Parent-teacher relationship and communication ideas
(1) With proactive and aggressive attitude and dedication spirit, excellent teachers activate classes with subtle cultivation by including parents’ concerns about their first and second grade children in elementary schools, so they are recognized by parents and win their trust.
(2) Due to enthusiasm of the parents of first and second graders, excellent teachers invite parents to join class activities in a sincere manner, so as to open more channels for communication. It leads to more intimate relationship between class and parent.
(3) With their excellent emotional intelligence, excellent teachers can well master communication skills, place focus on communication situations, and cultivate harmonious atmosphere, so the communication can smoothly proceed.
2.Parents’ participation in the education in the class
(1) For the most part, parents play the role as a supporter, provider and helper in their participation in the education in the class. They cooperate with teachers.
(2) While parents are enthusiastic at joining the activities relating to their children, teachers place a high premium on parents’ guidance for the children’s learning at home.
3. The types of parent-teacher relationship and communication
(1) Since excellent teachers’ expertise is recognized by parents, parent-teacher relationship and communication are mostly in the type of entrustment. There are few parents who are in partnership type. However, during the critical moment, the parents can well play their role to assist.
(2) There are still dissatisfied parents showing indifference to teachers. In this case, excellent teachers can acutely discern parents’ dissatisfaction and try to change the cold attitude with their sincerity. Although very few parents go to extremes to interfere the class running, they can take feasible opinions in due course.
4. Parent-teacher communication content
(1) Excellent teachers can get hold of parents’ major concerns for their children and are attentive to a wide variety of dimension which includes the establishment of learning foundation, cultivation of behavior and habits, body and mind health, and peer interaction.
(2) Excellent teachers can proactively elucidate their educational ideas, teaching methods, class activities and school issues to parents, so parents will have a clearer picture about their teaching and intention.
5. Parent-teacher relationship and communication disorder
(1) In the process to establish parent-teacher relationship and communication, obstacles are usually accrued from the busy working schedule of parents and teachers, the variance of their role perception, and parents’ lack of confidence and communication skills.
(2) Out of the disorder types, “indifference type” of parents ranks first to make teachers feel helpless while “anti-education type” parents frustrate teachers, “hostility/resistance type” parents affect teacher’s teaching sentiments, and “excessive interference type” parents disrupt the autonomy of class running.
(3) In the face of difficulties, excellent teachers will never give up. They utilize various strategies and fluent channels and make every effort to overcome the difficulties. Even though they feel frustrated once in a while, they can always adjust themselves and adapt to the status.
6. Parent-teacher conflicts
(1) Excellent teachers have lower parent-teacher conflict rate than general teachers. The conflicts are mainly caused by the variance of educational ideas and perception. The conflicts resulting from teaching issues are very few.
(2) Since excellent teachers have professional knowledge and rich teaching experience, in the face of parent-teacher conflicts, they can identify the core of the problem and handle it flexibly.
(3) The few failure cases occurring in parent-teacher communication may temporarily affect teacher’s sentiments. However, excellent teachers can quickly adjust themselves and modify their communication skills or improve their teaching method according to their experience.。
7. Parent-teacher relationship and communication cultivation
(1) Excellent teachers regard parents as their partners, and proactively use verbal or non-verbal communication skills to establish good relationship with parents through fluent channels.
(2) Due to versatile communication channels, excellent teachers can grasp the attribute of each communication channel. For small incidents, they get in touch with parents through student’s home-school notebooks. It is very convenient for communication with parents. For emergency cases, telephone contact is the rapidest way. For dynamic activities, class publications and webpage can give best effectiveness.
Based on the above findings, the researcher submits the following recommendations respectively for the teachers of first and second graders, school’s administrative units and future researchers：
1. Recommendations for the elementary school class teachers of first and second graders
(1) To realize the importance and uniqueness as a teacher of first and second graders, establish warm and harmonious communication environment with proactive, sincere and tactful attitude, and substantively cultivate parent-teacher relation.
(2) To smooth parent-teacher communication channels, promote frequent and versatile parent-teacher activities, open your mind to passionately invite and encourage parents to join various class affairs.
(3) According to parents’ demands, teacher shall take initiative to discuss student’s behavior and learning progress with parents, so as to build an intimate parent-teacher partnership.
(4) To cultivate the capacity to communicate and interact with the parents from different backgrounds, so your verbal and non-verbal communication skills can be enhanced and parent-teacher communication disorder can be removed.
(5) To look on multi-intelligence and individual difference, and adjust the thinking model for applying unified standards on everything.
(6) To listen to parents and take their different opinions and recommendations into account, be sensitive to the messages expressed by parents and the meaning they imply, and flexibly review and adjust the existing ideas and practices.
(7) To fully utilize various strategies of parent-teacher communication and be aware of advantages and restrictions of various communication channels so as to maximize the function.
(8) To step out of the ivory of your class kingdom, frequently participate in the practical training for parent-teacher interaction and class cultivation, share and exchange your experience with others and reinforce your ability for class cultivation and parent-teacher communication.
2. Recommendations for school
(1) To provide channels to resolve parent-teacher conflicts, and act as the opinion exchange bridge for parents and teachers.
(2).To establish a platform to compile information and have excellent teachers share and exchange their experience with others.
(3) To hold courses relating to the enhancement of parent-teacher relation and communication
(4) To hold parenthood educational seminars or activities through diversified channels and help parents improve themselves.
3. Recommendation for future researchers
(1) To explore in different lights of administrative personnel, parents and students, so as to present a wide variety of views in the research.
(2) To conduct investigation with more dimensions on the parent-teacher relation and communication cultivation respectively for third and forth graders and fifth and sixth graders.
|