Communicating with parents
Meets Student feedback & Reflection
Incorporating Student reflection in Class
You may not have thought about it very much, but there are a lot of ways to get students reflecting on their learning during class time. We've all used engagement strategies like thumbs up, thumbs down, fist to 5, and exit tickets for this purpose. But what successes have we had with deeper reflection and what are some ways to make that process part of the class's routine?
One form of reflection that I have been dabbling with this year combines student parent communication with Gmail correspondence. Both of which were made possible by the "new" 2022 features in Google docs, email draft and dropdown menus. Creating reflection templates for students gets the process started. Keep in mind that the topic(s) of student reflection in these templates is completely up to you.
I first entertained this idea after reading Catlin Tucker's book "Balance with Blended Learning". In her book, the focus of chapter 10 is students communicating directly with parents. One of the many ideas that I resonated with from her book is, as she states, "I tell them that the purpose of the email is not to apologize, but rather to make it clear what they plan to do to catch up on missing or incomplete work."
Gmail Templates
With these ideas in mind, I took Catlin's advice and created several Gmail templates in Docs. Since these Gmail templates are Google Docs, they can easily be assigned through Google Classroom. If you have more than one need to communicate, which template the student receives can also be differentiated quite quickly as well.
Check out the samples and watch the screencast below to see how to set up the templates in Gmail. Try using dropdown menus to incorporate choice using sentence starters to support students in creating their letters to their parents.
End of year Reflcection with Drop Down sentence starters template
Using this type of reflection allows students to think back on their favorite parts of the year and share those with you and their guardians.
You may find this type of template easier to start with because you are sending positive news home to parents from their child.
Use Insert>>Drop Down in Docs to create your own Drop Downs for sentences starters.
skill acheivement & assignment Progress Template
Using this type of template allows students to reflect on their successes as discussed during your short 1-1 conference. It also gives them an opportunity to convey that information to their parents or guardians. Use a paragraph like the second only for students who did not finish. During the 1-1 feedback conference, use the template you create as a guide to support the student in making a plan for success.
Making a specific plan with a student supports them in finishing a task that most likely contains multiple steps. Including guardians as a recipient of the plan increases the accountability for the student. All three parties are now aware of the plan agreed upon, and doing this reduces the frustration a parent might feel in a situation like this. Best of all both of these communication steps, sharing skill growth and a plan for success, empower the student to take more ownership of their learning.
A.J. Juliani - "When we reflect we must be honest. At least honest with ourselves about our choices, our success, our mistakes, and our growth."