I think my ability to communicate with students is one of my stronger points as a teacher. I am skilled at recognizing their abilities and misunderstandings and am able to explain ideas in multiple ways to ensure that it matches both their age level and their ability level in math. I make a point to provide clear written and oral instructions and though I do sometimes talk a bit fast for some, I make sure to always repeat and clarify when necessary.
Some students acknowledged this fact in their teacher feedback writing:
"Mr. Roberts is extremely friendly and is always ready to repeat procedures or instructions for people who don't understand. He makes me look forward to Algebra 1, even though it is my hardest subject. I think he is spectacular."
"Mr. Roberts is a very fun teacher. He bonds really well with us and is able to understand the way that we think."
"He talks to the class in a very genuine way as if we are his friends and he does have alot of other different activities"
"He has helped me by explaining things slowly and carefully."
"He explains things to us in way that we understand it."
During class, I make it a point to ask questions that encourage dialogue, challenge students to explain and clarify their thinking, and promote an environment of collaboration and inquiry. Students are not afraid to come up to the board to answer a question or to get into passionate discussions about methods and theories on how to solve a problem. Below is a sample of a lesson where students were trying to calculate how many cups needed to be stacked to reach my height. I was rotating from group to group asking them to explain their thinking:
I do quite a bit of communicating via email with students and use the ASB Portal to provide links to resources and helpful materials for class. I tend to struggle with getting my homework assignments up on the portal in a timely manner but this is something that I have been working to remind myself of as much as possible. If something is not posted on the portal, I make sure that it is communicated in several other ways included orally and written in class, checking student planners that they have recorded assignments, and also providing a copy of the assignment within the DyKnow session for students to save on their computers. I also often use email to send assignments and quick links instead of posting on the portal.
Sample of a class portal page with resource folders and calendar
As for communication with parents I am always extremely professional and responsive although I need to continue working on being more proactive in communication for both positive and negative situations. I tend to work directly through the students as much as possible to give them the chance to practice responsibility and autonomy, but it is important to include parents in these conversations and I am working to make this more of a regular habit. See Standard 5 - Clear Expectations and Feedback for some samples of parent emails and more discussion on this topic.