Standard 6:
Collaboration and Communication Teachers collaborate and communicate with students, parents, other educators, administrators and the community to support student learning.
6.1 Teachers communicate clearly and effectively.
I use several different types of communication daily to make sure my students are retaining information. I keep a daily log of activities on the board with homework for the week listed along the right hand side. I use Edmodo to post assignments so my students can see written directions (as well as hear my verbal directions in class). I am also a big fan of the Remind 101 App to communicate with my students outside of school. I send out reminders for tests, quizzes, homework activities, and supplemental activities all the time. I also use Twitter for students to communicate back to me outside of school and ask questions in a safe and professional way. Between Edmodo, Remind 101, and Twitter, my students and I are in constant communication.
You can view my twitter feed on my blog to see evidence of this communication.
6.2 Teachers share responsibility with parents and caregivers to support student learning, emotional and physical development and mental health.
I primarily use email and phone calls to keep in touch with parents about student progress. Many parents are most comfortable with these types of communication as they are traditional. I do use Edmodo, Twitter, and Remind 101 to interact with parents also. I send home access codes for parents to enroll in Edmodo as a parent user attached to their child’s account so they can keep tabs on what we do in class. I also send home the information for Remind 101 for parents to receive the same alerts their students receive for class.
6.3 Teachers collaborate effectively with other teachers, administrators and school and district staff.
I participate in weekly department and team meetings with other teachers. I also am a member of the discipline committee at JMHS. I have also been asked to facilitate a staff training on Edmodo and Twitter for my colleagues. These trainings should happen before the end of the school year, but have not yet.
6.4 Teachers collaborate effectively with the local community and community agencies, when and where appropriate, to promote a positive environment for student learning.
I wrote and earned a $10,000 grant from Consol and Noble Energies for use of the JMHS Volleyball Program. The grant focused on the growth of youth volleyball within the Ohio Valley to help young women better mature into young adults with the lessons taught through sports. Although this was not something that happened within my classroom, I do have the experience of large fund grant writing and have made connections with local organizations and community members. I started a youth program where they was none previously, I hosted youth camps for young ladies to learn about the game of volleyball and to learn life long leadership skills. I could easily transition these community efforts into school wide efforts or classroom specific endeavors.