Cuyahoga Community College
ZPDI0455 - Effective Parent-Teacher Meetings (Online)
Course Description
Review constructive verbal and nonverbal communication skills that can enhance parent-teacher meetings and assist in building positive relationships. Learn techniques to handle difficult conversations, as well as methods for defusing a escalated conversation and redirecting the tone of the meeting. Watch videos of productive and non-productive parent-teacher meetings and reflect on the skills previously learned. Identify additional tips and tricks that may be useful in your own classroom, such as setting an action plan for the teacher, student and parent to work on together. Lastly, review follow-up activities for parent-teacher meetings.Course Outline
Lesson 1: Constructive Communication
Within parent-teacher meetings, as in life, positive communication skills can play a large role in building and maintaining good relationships.
Lesson 2: Elements of a Positive Parent-Teacher Meeting
Look at the different components of a parent-teacher meeting. What can teachers do throughout the year to make these meetings more productive? How should a teacher prepare, and what should they cover?
Lesson 3: Addressing Difficult Topics
While the parent-teacher meeting is an opportunity to discuss the positives of a student's academic life, it may also be a time for teachers and parents to discuss areas for improvement or negative behaviors. Discover strategies for addressing these topics while managing the conversation in a productive way.
Lesson 4: After the Meeting: Follow-Up
Learn about proper follow-up procedures to help maintain a positive and engaging relationship with parents.
Learner Outcomes
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Identify skills and behaviors that can enhance the parent/teacher meeting dynamic.
- Recognize techniques that can be used before, during and after a meeting to reinforce a positive experience for everyone involved.
- Evaluate methods to maintain a positive tone in the meeting, as well as address difficult conversations.
- Identify follow-up actions that encourage ongoing communication.
Notes
Participants will have 180 days to complete this self-paced online course.
System Requirements
Internet Connectivity Requirements:
- Cable/DSL internet connection recommended for best experience
Hardware Requirements:
- CPU: 1 GHz or higher
- RAM: 2 GB or higher
- Resolution: 1280x720 or higher
- Speakers/headphones
- Microphone (webinar/live online sessions)
Operating System Requirements:
- Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 (Home, Pro)
- Mac OSX 10 or higher
- Latest Chrome OS
- Latest Linux distributions
- NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses.
Web Browser Requirements:
- Latest Google Chrome recommended for best experience
- Latest Mozilla Firefox
- Latest Microsoft Edge
- Latest Apple Safari
Basic Software Requirements:
- Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice or LibreOffice)
- PDF reader program (Adobe Reader or FoxIt)
- Courses may require other software (denoted in course outline above)