Effective Communication

CommunicationCompetenciesCommunication is the key to being an effective classroom teacher. Teaching and learning would not be possible without good communication. Effective communication occurs when the message sent by the sender is interpreted the same way by the recipient. Good communication is free from barriers.

Domains and Roles of Communication in EducationCommunication Pedagogy the study of effective ways of teaching communication. Modeling good communication and watching videos on good communication can help the students become better communicators.Developmental Communication studies communication levels over timeInstructional Communication how teachers use communication to teach. A teacher may be an expert in her field, but not know how to communicate the information to the students. The teacher should present the material in a variety of ways to ensure student understanding.

Application of Communication Competencies for TeachersIt is critical for teachers to be effective communicators. Teachers need to have the ability to analyze a situation and determine the most appropriate act of communication. It takes some years of experience and feedback to become a better communicator.The effective communicator can analyze the situation and apply the most appropriate communication act.Creating a supportive classroom climate where students are encouraged to be open and treated fairly allows students to focus on the content and increases student participation and learning.Giving and receiving feedback is important to student learning. Feedback can be verbal spoken aloud, or nonverbal a headshake or frown.Effective classroom communication also includes presenting information in different ways to reach diverse learners.

Benefits of Effective Interpersonal CommunicationInterpersonal communication is essential in order to connect and have a great year of learning for teacher and students. It is important to build these relationships at the start of the year. A teacher has the ability to increase a childs self-esteem or diminish it. As teachers we need to find the good in each person and build on that. Educators should set high expectations and value each individual. Teachers who enjoy teaching and have good communication have a positive influence on student achievement.

Similarities and Differences Between Teacher Expectations and Students ExpectationsSimilaritiesDifferencesTeachers should enjoy teaching and students expect to have a fun and enjoyable learning environment.Students focus more on enthusiasm while teachers focus more on teaching objectives.Teachers expect all students to meet the minimum objectives and student want to know clearly whats expected.Clarity is important to students; however, teachers sometimes dont realize that they have not communicated effectively.Teacher expectations directly affect student performance. Students will usually have greater success if the teacher expects more.Students expect compassion but not all teachers show compassion.Teachers expect to access regularly and students expect timely and effective feedbackStudents expect organization and not all teachers are organized.While many of the teacher and student expectations are similar, the disparity seems to come in when the two sides are determining how well those expectations are being met.

What is Listening?It is the 1st communication skill we learnWe spend more time listening than any other skillListening requires hearing, understanding, remembering, interpreting, evaluating, and respondingListening takes practice and requires attentionListening for understanding improves with practice

4 Types of ListeningInformative listening - listen to gain knowledge and it require you to remember the knowledge to use in the futureAppreciative Listening listen for enjoyment Empathic Listening listen for the feelings of another personCritical Listening listen to make judgments about the message

Barriers to ListeningFactual Distractions listening to facts instead of the main ideaSemantic Distractions reacting to unfamiliar words differentlyMental Distractions occurs when we focus on ourselves or how we are going to respondPhysical Distractions noises, color of clothes, temperature

Strategies to overcome barriers:Remove any physical barriers if possible, for example move somewhere quieterTry to focus on the speakerGive the person your full attention