ACEI 5.2 Collaboration with families, colleagues, and community agencies
Candidates know the importance of establishing and maintaining a positive collaborative relationship with families, school colleagues, and agencies in the larger community to promote the intellectual, social, emotional, physical growth and well-being of children.
Professionalism Reflection Two
0ACEI 5.2 Collaboration with Families, Colleagues, and Community Agencies
It is imperative that teachers value the collaboration with families, colleagues, and the community. In Block B, we had experience and practice collaborating with each of these groups. After our enrichment session in the Loving Care program, we wrote a letter to the director, Mrs. Johnson, who could also pass this along to the families of the students. We wanted to inform her of what we had focused on and the strengths of each individual in our group. This is beneficial to the students because Mrs. Johnson can use this information to find topics or activities the students enjoy doing during the after school care. It also helps the teachers to know what these students have had experience with when they introduce these topics to them in the classroom.
Also included in the enrichment experience was the collaboration with a colleague, Lauren Prop. Together we created all of the lesson plans in each enrichment session. It was helpful to have another teacher to bounce ideas off of and to help with instruction of the lesson. I believe that without the chance to co-teach, my enrichment lessons wouldn’t have helped the students or myself grow professionally.
In Dr. Bloom’s class, we were asked to collaborate with the classroom teacher to develop a lesson plan for a small group of students who were ready to be challenged with further learning in rounding whole numbers. Ms. Allison helped me find new resources and teaching materials to help me in my lesson. Without her aid, I may not have chosen the best strategies for the students that she already knew so well.
At the STEAM! Convention in Connor Prairie, we came in contact with many families and the community who brought their children to our table to participate in an activity on Morse code. It was definitely interesting to see a different side of students. Most of us know that children are usually different around their parents and our customary experience with children does not involve their parents. The community was able to see Butler students in action, and the students had a great time learning with us.
In the future, I hope to have more contact with parents. I believe that I can learn so much about a student by meeting the family they come from. I hope I can have this opportunity when I begin to student teach. Although Block B has given me a multitude of opportunities, more practice in this area is still needed.