Difficult Conversations: A Toolkit for Educators in Handling Real-Life Situations

by Anni K. Reinking

Overview

Educators have many job descriptions. One of those descriptions includes the idea of customer service or professional communication, especially when engaging in difficult conversations. Difficult conversations are conversations that may be argumentative, combative, or otherwise contentious in some way. Every educator has or will have difficult conversations in their professional life. The difficult conversations may be with a family member, a student, a colleague, or an administrator. Regardless of the person, difficult conversations can influence relationships. While the idea of difficult conversations originated in the business profession, difficult conversations are also applicable and abundant in the field of education. Therefore, developing a toolkit of resources and strategies to engage in professional conversations with various stakeholders is imperative and the goal of this book. Throughout the toolkits introduced in this book, real-life examples and reflection questions are inserted. Overall, this book moves from defining difficult conversations, understanding the unconscious reactions to difficult conversations, and the tools to build positive relationships through communication.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475845860
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/17/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	122
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dr. Anni Reinking has degrees in Psychology, Early Childhood Education, and Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Reinking’s research interests include play-based and developmentally appropriate practice in birth-2nd grade classrooms, teacher preparation techniques, effective coaching and mentoring strategies, and multicultural education in early childhood classrooms.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: Communication

Chapter 2: Technology Communication

Chapter 3: Communication Barriers and Blocks

Chapter 4: Difficult Conversations

Chapter 5: Toolkit 1- Supervisor/s and Staff/Teachers

Chapter 6: Toolkit 2- Colleagues

Chapter 7: Toolkit 3- Educator (Administrator) to Student

Chapter 8: Toolkit 4- Student to Student

Chapter 9: Toolkit 5: Administrator and Educator to Families

Chapter 10: A Research Study: Education, Technology, and Knowledge Sharing Communities

Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

I think this is a great resource for teachers and administrators to communicate more effectively. I really appreciate that this book brings these ideas directly to an educator context. The toolkits are great—I really like how they are organized around the different types of relationships that educators might encounter, especially as they progress in their career. The real-life scenarios are a great way of explaining the concepts and ideas that you’re developing and they’re authentic and relatable. Communication is such a challenge for educators who are promoted to administrative roles, but don’t receive much training or guidance on effective and respectful communication approaches to use with parents and teachers. This is going to truly help people in the field examine their own practices and reflect on the ways in which they communicate with those around them and the impact that has on the outcomes they get.

Bryan Stokes

I think this is a great resource for teachers and administrators to communicate more effectively. I really appreciate that this book brings these ideas directly to an educator context. The toolkits are great--I really like how they are organized around the different types of relationships that educators might encounter, especially as they progress in their career. The real-life scenarios are a great way of explaining the concepts and ideas that you're developing and they're authentic and relatable. Communication is such a challenge for educators who are promoted to administrative roles, but don't receive much training or guidance on effective and respectful communication approaches to use with parents and teachers. This is going to truly help people in the field examine their own practices and reflect on the ways in which they communicate with those around them and the impact that has on the outcomes they get.

From the Publisher