Abstract:

The education system in the State of Israel pays a lot of attention to the relationship between parents and teachers. Research findings also support the importance of the relationship and emphasize that a good relationship improves the cooperation between parents and teachers and contributes to the mental well-being and academic achievements of the student.

The importance of the parents' contribution to the advancement of their children's educational achievements and mental well-being is not in doubt. Many research works show that cooperation between parents and teachers contribute to the quality of life and development of student's studies. Telephone communication between teachers and parents has become acceptable and convenient since covid-19. Therefore, teaching students and teachers need to professionalize and maximize the skills needed for optimal digital behavior with parents. But, unlike conversations with students and class management, which teaching students practice during their training, conversations and communication with parents will only begin when they become teachers.

One of the methods used recently in teacher training is the telephone simulation. Through it, students can practice dialogue with parents and analyze the conversation and receive feedback in a safe environment and in the teacher's authentic space, outside the simulation room.

This study examines the benefits and challenges of the telephone simulation in promoting communication skills between parents and teachers. The purpose of the study is to identify the main elements that contributed to students promoting their discourse and communication skills with parents in the classroom. 32 students in their third year of study participated in a telephone simulation. During the simulations, actors played parents of students in special education schools. The simulation intended to prepare and to train the students to communicate with parents in telephone conversations. The simulation conversations took place when the student was at home, outside of school hours, in an authentic manner to what happens all the time to teachers in their work.

We used the qualitative research method to find out the characteristics of the telephone simulation that came up in the students' discourse in order to create as complete a picture as possible. We coded the elements of the simulation that contributed to the students and the communication skill with parents that the young teachers who experienced the simulation acquired.

The findings show that the telephone simulations contribute to the sense of security of the teaching students in managing communication with parents in general and in the telephone conversation in particular. The simulations highlighted challenges teachers have with parents, and invited students to see the parents' point of view in their relationship with them. The training in the telephone simulations allowed thinking and discussion about the factors that promote the relationship or hinder it. The students defined and described the role of the teacher in relation to the parents. The conclusion that emerges from the research results that is important to deepen the initial findings and examine the contribution of telephone simulation in teacher training.

Keywords:

Telephone simulation, parent teacher relationship, Teacher training.