Connecting to the Community: A Model for Caregiver-Teacher Conference Instruction

Professionals throughout the field of education agree on the importance of teacher-caregiver communication. Yet teacher education programs still do very little to prepare future teachers for these interactions. This exploratory study investigated the use of a standardized caregiver model, with 12 teacher education students involved in a simulated caregiver conference. The results indicate that participating in simulated practice conferences with caregivers provides an opportunity for teacher candidates to engage in trial and error, develop personally and professionally, and address some of their entrenched beliefs related to caregivers.