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THE LEARNER, PARENT AND TEACHER PARTNERSHIP
Our Commitment
The most important partnership in the district is the one among learners, parents, and teachers. This partnership is promoted through our
commitment to support the qualities of clarity, consistency, and communication in the student-parent-teacher relationship, and in parents’ and teachers’ shared desire to provide the learner with the best possible education.
Here is what we mean by clarity:
• The learner is clear about what he is learning and why, what is expected of him, and how he is progressing.
• The teacher is clear about how the child learns best; what his needs, interests and abilities are; how he is feeling about his learning; and how the home environment can support his learning.
• The parent is clear about what the child is being taught, how and why it is being taught, what is expected of the child, and how he is progressing as a learner.
• The school district is clear in its expectations of the school and community, and in its support of these expectations.
Here is what we mean by consistency:
• The learner is consistent in developing strong work habits, producing quality work, and having positive attitudes toward herself and others.
• The teacher’s knowledge and organization of the curriculum
is consistent with provincial and district guidelines. Instruction, assessment and evaluation are consistent with sound professional practice. Expectations for the learner’s behaviour are consistent with the school code of conduct.
• Parents are consistent in supporting and preparing their child
for school. Their support of her learning is consistent with the expectations and processes of the teacher and the school.
• The school and district are consistent in their organization and delivery of curriculum and in their expectations of the student.
Here is what we mean by communication:
• The learner lets his teacher and parents know whenever he has a question, interest, or concern about his school or classroom experience.
• The teacher lets the learner and his parents know what is being taught and why; what is expected of the learner in his work and behaviour; how his performance will be evaluated; and if there are any questions, concerns, or significant observations about his progress, conduct or experience in the classroom or school.
• The parents let the learner and/or teacher know their observations about the learner’s needs, interests and abilities. They remain in touch with the teacher about their child’s schooling, informing the teacher whenever they have a question, concern, or significant observation about the learner’s progress, conduct or experience in the classroom
or school.
• The school and district provide effective support to promote and guide communication among learners, teachers and parents.
In order for this partnership to work, everyone in the district needs to be committed to the cycle of continuous improvement, to take responsibility, and to be involved. It is a challenge upheld by a shared sense of caring for the student’s overall well-being and promise for the future.
For more information, you can contact your school principal.
The Teacher’s Role
According to the BC School Act, teachers are responsible for:
• Using Ministry of Education guidelines in designing, supervising, and assessing educational programs to promote students’ intellectual development, human and social development, and career development.
• Providing instruction and advice to individual students and groups.
• Monitoring the behaviour and progress of each learner, in keeping with provincial and local policies.
• Communicating with students and parents through reports, newsletters, and/or personal contact.
• Reporting to parents on student progress.
Every child is unique and our classrooms consist of students of different characteristics and ability levels. Because students’ needs are so diverse, teachers make the decisions about content, resources, instructional design and assessment practices within the framework of Ministry of Education guidelines. This “professional autonomy” is set forth in the Collective Agreement between teachers and the district.
Teachers also collaborate with other teachers, support staff and administrators to shape a student’s educational program. It is becoming more and more important to create a close working relationship with parents and guardians as well. Every September, teachers provide parents and guardians with an overview of what they will be teaching in the upcoming school year and what their expectations are. Regular conversations can also enhance the parent-teacher relationship.
Changes in the Teacher’s Role
Besides their traditional role of providing instruction in the core subject areas, today’s teachers have a number of additional roles:
• Providing students with extra emotional support.
• Identifying potential social and emotional problems – potential suicides, drug abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, date rape, etc.
• Identifying potential health problems – poor eyesight, hearing problems, speech defects, disease, etc.
• Providing instruction in tolerance, sex education, alcohol and drug abuse, environmental awareness, time management, media literacy, peer pressure, self-esteem, personal safety, harassment issues, etc.
• Becoming versed in different cultures’ habits and mores and communicating these with students, parents, and colleagues.
• Providing liaison with government and other agencies such as the Ministry for Children and Family Development.
Curriculum
In our schools, the educational program is designed and constructed by the teacher to meet learning outcomes prescribed by the BC Ministry of Education. These outcomes are set out in Integrated Resource Packages, called “IRPs,” that are
produced by the Ministry of Education and issued to all schools in BC.
IRPs have a standard format from Kindergarten to Grade 12, and offer guidelines as to what students are expected to knowand do in each subject area, and at each grade level. They also suggest teaching strategies, assessment techniques, and recommended learning resources.
Teachers Interpret the Curriculum
All teachers are pursuing the same educational goals set out in the IRPs, but the methods they use and some of the content they choose will vary, depending on the needs, interests, and abilities of their students. The learning activities the teacher presents to students will also depend on factors such as current events, available resources, classroom dynamics, student
interest, and the teacher’s experience and interests.
There are many different ways that learning can take place, and there are many different styles of learning. There is also a wide range of developmental levels at any given age. There is no such thing, for example, as “Grade 2 work” because children in Grade 2 have a range of abilities. Instruction and the choice of learning activities take into account these varied abilities. It is the teacher’s goal to adapt, develop, design what she is doing to suit each learner’s always-changing needs.
For this reason, a teacher will use a number of different resources with students. For example, in a reading program there may be several different books on a theme, as well as CD-ROMs, internet sources, and so on.
Instruction Takes Different Forms
Classroom instruction can take different forms, depending on the subject matter and the needs of the learner:
• Full group instruction is used to present and discuss information that is relevant
to the whole class.
• Individualized instruction, in which students work on lessons, exercises or projects on their own with teacher support, gives them an opportunity to pace their own learning.
• Small group instruction allows students to witness many different perspectives and viewpoints. Since language and mental development are enhanced through speaking, teachers encourage students to speak with their peers. This isn’t random chatter, but structured exercises that support learning outcomes.
Research tells us that students have to be actively engaged in their learning. For example, teachers may provide them with a choice of three activities to reinforce the learning of a skill, or they may choose one of three tasks that they have to complete by recess. The teacher still structures the framework within which students are choosing but students are given responsibility to the extent that they are capable.
While writing used to be taught after students had learned to read, it is now encouraged right from the pre-school level, with children scribbling and drawing their ideas. We now understand that writing is a foundation for reading and that reading and writing are not separate. Students are also encouraged to talk out their ideas before writing, because speech is a foundation for writing skills, and talking enables them to compose their thoughts.
Combined Classes
Two-thirds of the elementary classes in Richmond are combined classes (two and occasionally three grades in one class), and they are common throughout BC. They allow a greater number of students to be educated in a smaller number of classrooms, which makes better use of our available resources.
Research indicates that students from combined (or multi-age) classes perform as well or better academically than students in single-age classes. There is also evidence that students in combined classes often perform better in the areas of independence, responsibility, study habits, and attitude toward school.
Teachers of combined classes follow the curriculum requirements as specified in the provincial IRPs. Age-appropriate curriculum is taught, but with different expectations of the students, depending on their ability. Many teachers do this by taking a theme or topic such as “Exploring the Universe” and designing learning activities that address a range of content areas (Science, Math, Language Arts, etc.) and a range of learning styles and developmental levels.
These classrooms offer benefits to students that aren’t as available in single-grade classes.
Younger students benefit by:
• being welcomed into a community of learners.
• observing older children and modeling their behaviour.
• having supportive older friends on the playground.
Older students benefit by:
• taking leadership roles and demonstrating mature behaviour.
• developing self-esteem, confidence, and responsibility.
• consolidating and extending what they have learned.
Creating Class Groupings
In composing classes, school staff consider a wide range of characteristics:
The intention is to create a balanced group that will work as a unit. Students with special needs, learning disabilities, or behavioural difficulties are distributed among the different classes. Factors such as which teaching style works with which child are also taken into consideration.
Parents are often consulted to determine a child’s likes, learning style, friendships, and so on, and this information is taken into consideration.
Learning Plans for Students With Specific Needs
Students who require adaptations to their program in order to meet the standard learning outcomes prescribed by the Ministry of Education, or cannot meet these objectives even with support, will receive an Individual Education Plan, or “IEP.” IEPs are developed for students with special needs and for those students receiving more than 25 hours of learning assistance support per year.
Each student’s IEP is developed in consultation with his parents, teachers, and other staff on the school-based team. ESL (English as a Second Language) students have Annual Instruction Plans (AIPs).
Homework
Homework is a bridge between home and school and is most effective when student, teacher, and parent work together. Students in the earlier grades need your support with their homework. As students mature, they become more independent and assume greater personal responsibility. However, even graduating students benefit from their parents’ interest and encouragement.
Each school in our district develops its own statement about homework purposes and practices, based on district homework policy. The statement will also outline school-wide procedures for communicating with the home and for addressing student, parent, or teacher concerns about homework. Staff and parents are involved in developing each school’s homework statement, and, at the secondary level, students are also included. Each school’s statement is reviewed annually.
How Students are Assessed and Evaluated
To understand how students are evaluated, we need to distinguish between “assessment” and “evaluation.” Assessment is the process of gathering data; evaluation is the process of making judgments based on that data.
Assessment is an ongoing and regular part of the teaching and learning process and important in the cycle of continuous improvement. Its purpose is to acquire information to make every child a successful learner. Teachers observe students carefully, listening to their use of language, and examining their daily work and larger projects. Teachers may also use homework assignments, learning logs, questions, tests, quizzes, and portfolios of students’ work to find out what students have learned.
Students often learn the criteria for successful completion of the task beforehand, as opposed to after they’ve received their mark. Frequently they have a say as to what these criteria will be and are asked, How do you know if you’ve done a good job? This motivates students and involves them in their schoolwork in a meaningful way.
Students’ written work is one way of assessing their learning. Depending on their abilities and interests, they may also be encouraged to draw a diagram, build a model, make up a song, make up a dramatic play, and/or write a poem to show what they have learned.
Assessment for learning (formative assessment) occurs during teaching and learning as opposed to after it and has ongoing improvement as it primary goal. It uses day-to-day classroom assessment activities to involve students directly in their own learning, increasing their confidence and motivation to learn by emphasizing progress and achievement rather than failure and defeat. Once students become involved, assessment for learning looks more like teaching than it does testing. It takes advantage of the power of assessment as an instructional tool that promotes learning rather than an event designed solely for the purpose of evaluating and assigning grades.
The main purpose of assessment of learning (summative assessment) is to gather and report evidence of progress or achievement. While there is a legitimate need for occasional summative assessment, it is a much less frequent task and not nearly as central to the instructional purposes of teaching and learning as is formative assessment.
One example of evaluation is the formal assessment required under the School Act. Parents receive this evaluation most often in the form of a report card. The School Act requires three formal reporting periods in the year – in the fall, spring and at year end. There are also two informal reports, and/or parent-teacher conferences.
All progress reports from Kindergarten to Grade 7 describe:
• what the student is able to do.
• what areas need further attention or development.
• ways of supporting the student in his learning.
Students from Grade 4 to Grade 12 are assigned letter grades which are explained in each child’s report card.
In Richmond schools, reporting means much more than report cards. It means a continuous flow of communication between home and school. Comments and marks on homework and other assignments, class newsletters or “homework books” that discuss assignments and class activities, open-house events, and regular informal communication with the teacher can often convey more than report cards about how your child is doing.
More detailed information on progress reports is available on the district website at www.sd38.bc.ca, or at your child’s school. Please contact the classroom teacher any time you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress.
Building a Relationship with Your Child’s Teacher
As a parent, creating a positive relationship with your child’s teacher is one of the best things you can do for his education. It is best to develop this relationship at the beginning of the year. Then, if questions or problems arise later on, it is much easier to resolve them.
Here are some ways you can build trust and understanding with your child’s teacher:
• Respect a teacher’s uniqueness by not expecting all
teachers to have the same teaching style and approach. One of the strengths of our public school system is the
different experiences your child will have each year.
• Maintain an open line of communication with teachers. If you have a concern or a question, let your child’s teacher know about it before it becomes a real problem. Let him know if there is an important change in your family. A death, an illness, extended absence of a parent, the death of a pet, a move, home renovations, or even a vacation to Disneyland, can all have an impact on a child’s schoolwork. It’s very helpful to teachers to know these things.
• Be courteous and respectful when you raise questions with teachers. Always speak to the teacher first, but if the issue cannot be resolved, ask to speak to the principal.
• Don’t be too influenced by your secondary level son or daughter’s message to not get involved at the school. Although adolescence is the age at which children begin to separate from their parents, they still need your
interest in and support for their education.
• Always speak respectfully about teachers to your children and to other adults. Your child needs to respect her teacher as well as you, and she should not feel torn between the two.
• Support your child, and know when to encourage independence. Sometimes you need to speak with the teacher on your child’s behalf. Other times it will be better
to help her speak to the teacher herself.
• Take the time to respond to letters, questionnaires, etc., from school. Some teachers send home a description of what the class did for the week. If you sign it and write a response back, teachers will know that you are interested in what your child is learning.
• Take an active role by attending parent-teacher interviews and other school functions.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences occur every fall and every spring. For many parents they can be a cause for concern: Do I really have to sit in those little chairs? What do we say to each other? What if my child isn’t doing well?
Here are some things you can do to avoid such anxieties:
• Get to know your child’s teacher right at the beginning of the year. Tell her how and when she can reach you and, if possible, make yourself available to help out in classroom and school activities. Having a relationship beforehand makes a parent-teacher conference much easier.
• Come to the meeting prepared with any questions or concerns you may have.
If your child is experiencing learning or behaviour problems, the questions on
page 28 may help guide the discussion.
• If there are no outstanding concerns, here are some questions you can ask that could make for a productive discussion:
What does my child do that surprises you? This will tell you what expectations the teacher has of your child and may reveal some surprises for you as well, since children sometimes behave differently at school than at home.
What is my child reluctant to do? You might find out more about your child’s interests and dislikes than you would ordinarily know.
What goal would you like to see my child achieve? Even“good students” may benefit from setting goals in areas that need improvement or in which they might excel.
What can I do at home to support what is being done at school? This question is always appreciated and helps create a team feeling.
Children are far more likely to succeed in school if they see their parents and teachers working together cooperatively. The partnership among parent, teacher and student takes effort and commitment, but if we are willing, the learner benefits immensely and so does everyone else.
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