Communication
About this skill
Communication is an essential
professional skill that involves the exchange of information between two or
more people. This exchange of information can be delivered or transmitted verbally and non-verbally. On a daily basis, teachers are required to communicate with students; parents and guardians; colleagues (including aides and volunteers); leadership team members and the wider community (Groundwater-Smith, Ewing, and Le Cornu, 2011, p.213). As a pre-service teacher it is important to develop an understanding that not all people communicate the same way. Therefore, having a range of strategies to communicate your message effectively to a variety of audiences, followed up with effective checks for understanding will be extremely beneficial (personal communication, A. Weston, 1 September, 2014).
Key elements that contribute to effective learning
During our conversation, Mrs Weston highlighted key elements of
this skill that contribute to effective learning as follows:
To further support Mrs Weston's views, Cope and Kalantzis (2000, as cited in Lowrie & Higgs, 2010, p.19) suggest that teachers engage in the use of a balanced variety of oral, written and multimodal forms of communication.
- Teaching is based on effective communication. Learning cannot
occur unless a message has been shared and understood. Clarity is the key.
- Teaching is no longer about 'filling empty vessels'. Not only do
teachers need to communicate clearly, they need to develop the skill to do so
in a way that helps their students 'discover' the answer or at least in a way
that promotes thinking and curiosity.
- The fundamental element of this skill is an appreciation that we
often need to change how we communicate with others – we cannot expect others
to change how they learn or receive information to appease us. This flexibility
and sense of empathy is the key to clear communication.
To further support Mrs Weston's views, Cope and Kalantzis (2000, as cited in Lowrie & Higgs, 2010, p.19) suggest that teachers engage in the use of a balanced variety of oral, written and multimodal forms of communication.
when you may be required to use this skill
Below are examples of situations you will be faced with that will require effective communication skills:
- presenting new information to a class
- checking for student understanding during a lesson
- delivery of instructions for student tasks
- giving feedback (including correctional feedback) to a student about their work
- preparing class newsletters that update parents on what is happening in the classroom
- sharing with a parent concerns about their child's behaviour at school
- parent/teacher interviews
- requesting assistance from a mentor or member of the school leadership team
Tips for effective communication
The document below contains a number of suggestions for effective communication.
Checking for understanding
Checking for understanding is an essential aspect of effective communication, particularly during a lesson. The following short You Tube clip contains some fantastic suggestions.
This page has served to highlight the importance of communication skills in the classroom. Not only are these skills important to ensure that learning occurs, they are fundamental to the development of relationships, the next aspect of this resource.