|
WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Students of all ages should be involved as much a possible in making the community connections and gaining financial support. They will develop practical skills and learn social graces such as telephoning, interviewing, writing letters, soliciting support and thanking people. Students are often more likely to get a positive response than adults.
Be clear about what you expect from the community member and communicate this clearly. Keep in mind that agency staff and other community resource people are busy, so demonstrate your respect for their time by being organized. After you have identified curriculum needs in the preliminary project design, tailor your requests accordingly. Example: Rather than approaching a landowner with a vaguely worded request such as "What can my students do?" try "My students are studying plant communities and how they change in response to different influences. Do you have any plant study opportunities on your property?"
Communicate what to expect from your class, including what students already know about the subject being studied and student management requirements. Keep in mind that not all specialists in a subject area know how to relate to students.
Let inexperienced community partners team-teach the first few times, working closely with the teacher. Ideally, teachers could provide a brief training session for a group of community partners to introduce them to basic educational concepts and techniques, especially regarding child development and age appropriate approaches to their presentations. The Center has provided this service, with teachers from the primary, middle, and secondary school levels as trainers in half-day educational overviews for community leaders who are given an overview of child development and receive coaching on how to create age-appropriate presentations and activities.
Evaluate community participants and share findings with other teachers. Train those who do a poor job and note those who would not be able to do a good job even if they had training.
Follow up on no-shows. Community members who do not follow through on commitment should understand the consequence to your students.
(See SOURCES OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS, below)
|
|
