There is no family engagement in place at green street preschool in Grenada west indies. Develop a interview questions in order to get information. Based on your findings (especially if there are ga

Unit 8 Presented by: Lill James MA Clinical Community Psychology  At the end of this unit, participants will be able to: 1. Develop formal and informal communication skills necessary to work with families and the community 2. Understand the inter - relatedness of the child’s home, school and community.  The environment in which the young child grows has significant impact on the development of the child.  The understanding of how the sections of the environment , such as school, home and community are related will help the practitioner to better communicate between the entities whether formally or informally.  Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages through verbal or nonverbal means, including speech, or oral communication; writing and graphical representations (such as info graphics, maps, and charts); and signs, signals, and behavior. Nordquist (2019)  More simply, communication is said to be "the creation and exchange of meaning."  Being able to get the message across effectively to parents and community members requires teachers to practice these three skills. 1. Active Listening , 2. Clarification 3. Reflection  Active listening involves listening with all senses. As well as giving full attention to the speaker, it is important that the ‘active listener’ is also ‘seen’ to be listening - otherwise the speaker may conclude that what they are talking about is uninteresting to the listener.  Interest can be conveyed to the speaker by using both verbal and non - verbal messages such as: maintaining eye contact, nodding your head and smiling, agreeing by saying ‘Yes’ or simply ‘ Mmm hmm’ to encourage them to continue.  By providing this 'feedback' the person speaking will usually feel more at ease and therefore communicate more easily, openly and honestly.  Clarification involves offering back to the speaker the essential meaning, as understood by the listener, of what they have just said. Thereby checking that the listener's understanding is correct and resolving any areas of confusion or misunderstanding .  This can be done by:  Admit if you are unsure about what the speaker means. Ask for repetition.  State what the speaker has said as you understand it ,  check whether this is what they really said.  Ask for specific examples.  Use open, non - directive questions - if appropriate.  Ask if you have got it right and be prepared to be corrected.  Reflecting is the process of paraphrasing and restating both the feelings and words of the speaker.  The purposes of reflecting are : 1. To allow the speaker to 'hear' their own thoughts and to focus on what they say and feel. 2. To show the speaker that you are trying to perceive the world as they see it and that you are doing your best to understand their messages. 3. To encourage them to continue talking.  Mirroring is a simple form of reflecting and involves repeating almost exactly what the speaker says .  Paraphrasing involves using other words to reflect what the speaker has said. Paraphrasing shows not only that you are listening, but that you are attempting to understand what the speaker is saying.  These can be: 1. Language 2. Psychological 3. Physiological 4. Physical 5. Systemic 6. Attitudinal  A parent’s language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to communication.  Even when communicating in the same language, the terminology used by the teacher in a message may act as a barrier if it is not fully understood by the parent(s). For example, a message that includes a lot of specialist jargon and abbreviations will not be understood by a parent who is not familiar with the terminology used.  Regional colloquialisms and expressions may be misinterpreted or even considered offensive.  The psychological state of the communicators will influence how the message is sent, received and perceived . Teachers and parents who are stressed, angry or not sure of themselves may misinterpret messages or say things in inappropriate ways.  If someone is stressed they may be preoccupied by personal concerns and not as receptive to the message as if they were not stressed.  When we are angry it is easy to say things that we may later regret, and also to misinterpret what others are saying .  People with low self - esteem may be less assertive and therefore may not feel comfortable communicating - they may feel shy or embarrassed about saying how they really feel, or read unintended negative sub - texts in messages they hear.  Physiological barriers to communication may result from the receiver’s physical state.  For example, a receiver with reduced hearing may not fully grasp the content of a spoken conversation especially if there is significant background noise.  A physical barrier to communication is geographic distance between the sender and receiver(s).  Communication is generally easier over shorter distances as more communication channels are available and less technology is required. The ideal communication is face - to - face.  Although modern technology often helps to reduce the impact of physical barriers, the advantages and disadvantages of each communication channel should be understood so that an appropriate channel can be used to overcome the physical barriers.  Systematic barriers to communication may exist in structures and organizations where there are inefficient or inappropriate information systems and communication channels, or where there is a lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities for communication.  Teachers may be unclear of what is being asked of them and convey this misinformation to parents.  Disparity between what school administrators say on paper and what is actually required on the job.  Attitudinal barriers are behaviours or perceptions of the parent or teacher that prevent people from communicating effectively.  Attitudinal barriers to communication may result from: personality conflicts, poor management, resistance to change or a lack of motivation. NB: To be an effective receiver of messages you should attempt to overcome your own attitudinal barriers to help ensure more effective communication.  Be accessible by making every day Open House at your school/ class.  Use technology, open door policy to give immediate information and feedback to parents.  Know the background/ environment of your students and their parents.  Create a partnership. Let the parents tell you what they know. These give great clues about the student, parenting style and family structure.  Be fair and unbiased in our reporting of student behaviour and performance.  Be relatable! Use words and terms that parents understand. Communication is for understanding and not for proving the teacher’s intelligence.  Always start the conversation with the positive, followed by the areas of weakness and end on a positive note.  Calm down before you right. Do not take the parents attitude or response personally.  Remember to balance the messages! Simply drop the parent a note or give them a call when a child pleases (or surprises!) you with positive behavior or progress .  Offer your advice and expertise and if need be provide a referral contact.  Create a welcoming atmosphere in your meeting space. Be pleasing to talk too.  Be clear on school policies from the start and discipline measures.  Be seen to care about the student and the parent. The teacher my be the only positive influence for both.  Group 1 : Create a concept map to show the relationship between school , home and community and show why communication with each is important.  Group 2 : Discuss at least 5 ways in which your school can work and communicate with the families of the children in your classroom and the community.  Group 3 : Develop a PTA meeting agenda and write an invitation to the stakeholders that you wish to attend the meeting.