Chapter 15: Parents as Partners in 21st Century Learning Synthesis and Analysis

Synthesis

This chapter was about how to bring parents closer into the classroom. With the help of technology, innovation, and invitation, parent communications can be improved now and in years to come. The internet is a powerful tool in the hands of teachers and parents because it can help teachers post homework assignments, test and quizzes, project directions, samples of students work, reminders... the possibilities are endless! The author describes many electronic bulletin boards that he finds useful such as MyClass.net, Schoolnotes.com, Funbrain.com, and of course Blackboard.com. Emailing parents is another way of contacting them if they tend to forget to check the assignments on these bulletin board sites.

Even though the author raves about the wonders of the internet, he does recognize that some parents and families do not have computers or access to the internet. With this in mind, he still keeps a personal touch when talking with parents of his students. Wormeli suggests sending postcards to the parents about how their child is doing. He also suggests having parents come in to visit whenever they can and sometimes visiting the student's home to fully understand that student. Index card inquires seemed to be a popular approach when having conversations with parents so that the teacher is sure of what the parent and student wants out of his/her class. Having parents fill out a form or answer a few questions on an index card about their child would help the student immensely.

Analysis

People thought it was great that the author put this in the book. There weren't many tips but great ideas. Everyone seemed to agree on how important it is to include parents in the classroom. Using the internet is a great way to post assignments so parents can check on what their children need to do for that class and everyone agreed this is a good way to communicate past, present, and upcoming projects. Everyone realized that not all parents and families have the internet so the Post Card idea was so great. Another way to have parents discuss their concerns with their children is to fill out forms. Some people did not agree with the suggestion of going to the students' houses to talk with the parents.