Communication is the cornerstone of a successful educational experience. When parents and educators collaborate, students benefit from the support that nurtures their growth. However, maintaining these connections isn’t without facing challenges. Luckily, the success of modern solutions, like academic transcription companies, has become one avenue to help improve parent-teacher communications and increase student engagement.
In addition, our modern learning environment has allowed new ways to communicate. Traditional face-to-face conferences now coexist with online platforms to offer real-time updates so busy parents can stay informed about their child’s progress. So, aside from transcription, what are the most effective methods for teachers to maintain consistent communication with parents throughout the school year?
In this blog, you’ll learn:
- Start regular check-ins throughout the school year to build stronger partnerships between teachers and families.
- Providing specific feedback on student progress and offering resources for at-home learning helps parents engage and support their child’s education.
- Recording and transcribing lectures gives parents insights into classroom content and helps them better support learning at home.
What Is Parent-Teacher Communication?
Regular dialogue between educators and families forms the foundation of improved parent-teacher communication. However, for it to become great communication, these exchanges should include updates on a student’s skill or overall academic development.
Teachers must share insights about social interactions through various channels, whether face-to-face meetings or digital platforms. Parents, in turn, should provide important context about their child’s home life or individual needs.
It’s also worth noting that collaborative efforts between parents and teachers allow for early identification of challenges or the development of strategies to improve one’s learning.
Benefits of an Improved Parent-Teacher Communication
Parents and teachers who practice good communication surely understand its benefits. Below are the most significant ones.
Beneficiaries | Description |
Teachers | Gains valuable classroom support. Increases parental cooperation. Allows more focus on instruction. Improves homework completion rates. Often leads to better student grades. |
Students | It improves academic performance, increases student accountability, demonstrates family support for education, develops good study habits, and boosts confidence through parental encouragement. |
Parents | It provides insight into a child’s academic strengths and weaknesses, increases parental confidence in supporting learning, enables greater involvement in the child’s education, and allows for at-home educational support. |
Ways To Improve Parent-Teacher Communication
While it’s not often this way, parent-to-teacher communication should always be a two-way street. In a perfect world, parents and teachers should work together and not against. For now, I’ll focus on what educators can do from their end.
Use Different Messaging Methods
Teachers can leverage different communication channels to speak with parents. For example, I find that instead of using traditional methods like phone calls or parent-teacher conferences, teachers can send emails and text messages to the parents. Also, some schools have their own app where they can communicate with parents, so that could be another more high-tech way to keep parents informed.
It’s important to remember that not all parents will want to be communicated with in the same way. For example, some parents would prefer a text message over an email. Others might prefer a phone call. What’s important is that teachers can reach parents through their preferred medium.
Keep in Touch Regularly
Rather than waiting for issues to surface, teachers should proactively schedule regular check-ins with parents throughout the school year – I feel like this should be conveyed to education institutions.
However, these check-ins don’t always have to be formal parent-teacher conferences; they can be brief chats that keep parents informed about their child’s progress. Let’s say a teacher might set up monthly office hours where parents can quickly chat or schedule bi-weekly email updates about classroom activities.
Though it may seem like an added responsibility, regular touchpoints like these can help create a sense of partnership between teachers and families and make it easier to address any challenges that may come up.
Listen with Heart and Ears
When interacting with parents, teachers should consciously try to hear and understand their perspectives.
It can be as simple as giving full attention during conversations and reflecting on what’s been heard to ensure understanding. It’s not really simple if you do this with all 35 of your students, right? It’s difficult, yet it goes a long way.
If a parent expresses concern about their child’s behavior, a teacher might say, “It sounds like you’re worried about Johnny’s recent outbursts in class. Can you tell me more about what you’ve observed at home?” or something like that. You get the idea.
Share Feedback on Student Progress
Parents want detailed information about their child’s progress. Vague comments like “Johnny is doing fine” are no longer sufficient. This alone is an opportunity. Educators should focus on providing specific feedback about each child’s key developmental domains, like academic performance or social-emotional development.
Instead of simply saying, “Sarah is struggling in math,” a teacher might explain, “Sarah has mastered addition and subtraction yet is struggling with multiplication tables. Here are some activities you can do at home to support her learning.” Remember, specific and targeted advice is better for improvement than vague tidbits.
Get Everyone on the Same Page
It would be best if teachers could set expectations from the beginning of the school year—outline communication policies, classroom rules, academic expectations, etc. Setting expectations might involve sending home a detailed syllabus or creating a class website with all the essential information.
For example, a teacher might explain sending weekly email updates every Friday and a more detailed progress report at the end of each month. Establishing these ground rules early sets the stage for smooth communication throughout the year.
Lend a Helping Hand with Resources
Educators can provide resources to parents who want to help their children. However, this means going the extra mile, such as offering guidance and support to help families reinforce learning at home.
Teachers could also host parent workshops on topics like helping with homework or understanding the curriculum. For example, a teacher might send out an email saying, “I’ve noticed several students struggling with fractions. I’ve put together a list of fun math games you can play at home to reinforce these concepts,” or something similar.
It can be a bit daunting, certainly. Yet, providing these resources lets parents actively participate in their child’s education and bridges the gap between school and home learning. You, as the teacher, will benefit from baseline improvements at home.
Roll Out the Welcome Mat
A welcoming atmosphere is essential to establishing good parent-teacher communication. Educators should create an environment where parents feel comfortable reaching out and getting involved in their child’s education.
It can be as simple as small gestures like greeting parents warmly when they visit the classroom or responding promptly to their messages. Also, hosting casual events like “Coffee with the Teacher” mornings or family picnics can help build relationships in a relaxed setting.
For example, a teacher might send out an invitation saying, “Join us for our monthly Family Reading Day!” Breaking down barriers by showing approachability encourages honest communication with parents.
Bonus Tip: Record and Transcribe Your Lectures
While it may not be immediately apparent, parents can gain insights into classroom content when the lectures are recorded and transcribed, creating an opportunity to support their children’s learning at home better.
Modern Android and iOS phones can be used as recording devices, while Google’s Live Transcribe can simplify converting speech to text. Teachers can then share these resources with parents who miss meetings or need additional clarification.
However, when it comes to academic transcription, human-made transcripts offer superior accuracy compared to automated solutions. In addition, non-native English-speaking families can utilize translation tools on written transcripts to stay informed about their child’s education.
Is It Better To Use Automated Transcription For Academic Recordings?
Again, the short answer is “No.” Let me explain.
Although automated transcription has become quite common due to the popularity of AI, it’s not the perfect fit for every academic. Automated transcription can be an option for tasks where speed is more important than capturing every detail—though I can’t think of many transcription tasks that require speed at the expense of accuracy.
Besides, automated transcription, with its 86% accuracy (at best), will only mess up the student’s learning process.
Automated systems are hugely impacted by heavy accents, technical jargon, background noise, multiple speakers, and other factors. In these scenarios, human transcriptionists are your best bet. Their ability to understand context, grasp unclear audio or video, and ensure terminology makes them the preferred choice for complicated academic recordings.
That’s why manual academic transcription services are the most efficient way to support learning.
Why Choose Ditto Transcripts As Your Transcription Service Partner?
We’re fully aware of the importance of improved parent-teacher communication. You can take advantage of transcription’s benefits while enjoying Ditto’s perks.
- Experience: There’s no substitute for experience; since 2010, we’ve perfected our processes and tools to give our customers the highest level of service every single time.
- Accuracy: Accuracy is non-negotiable for lectures and research discussions. That’s why we focus on delivering transcripts with 99% accuracy.
- Human Transcribers: At Ditto, we don’t use automated transcription tools. All projects are done by humans, for humans, to ensure the highest level of accuracy.
- Speed: We know deadlines are essential, so we offer flexible turnaround times. This way, you can get the needed transcripts whenever you need them.
- Foreign Language: We offer transcription services in multiple languages. We can make your academic content accessible to foreign students.
- Customer Service: We also believe in providing quality customer service. Our team is here to answer your questions or address any concerns.
- ADA-Compliant: Our transcripts can help you comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing access to educational materials for students with disabilities.
- Security Compliance: We understand the importance of securing your data. So, we implement security to keep it confidential. When we say security, we mean CJIS, HIPAA, and FINRA compliance.
Ditto’s Transcription Supports Learning
Academic transcription services can support learning by helping you focus on lectures, review concepts easily, and study efficiently. So, stop wasting time with inaccurate notes. Get a transcript with 99% accuracy at affordable rates and without any of the headaches.
Ditto Transcripts is a HIPAA, FINRA, and CJIS-compliant Denver, Colorado-based transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for schools, universities, and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.