Reflection on Communication in Teaching

Let me define communication as an interpersonal activity carried out via messaging. Messages can be officially coded, symbolic, or representational events that have a common cultural importance and are created with the intention of invoking significance.

Communication is a fundamental pillar of education since all interactions between teachers and students involve some form of communication. The most basic model of communication is for a sender to relay some kind of information or message to a recipient. An example of this is a student who sits and listens to a lecture with no opportunity to ask questions. In other words, this one-way communication can lead to recipient frustration. This frustration can create communication barriers as students can get lost and have difficulty catching up. Communication between two people or more should be in a two-way manner in which participants are getting different roles such as sender and receiver. This kind of communication will let the students interact with each other and ask questions.

Basically, communication is critical in the classroom: good teaching is said to need just 50% knowledge and 50% communication skills. As a result, a teacher should be skilled in all four ways of communication – listening, speaking, reading, and writing – and understand how to use these skills successfully in the classroom. It has been demonstrated that being able to do so has an influence on the academic performance of pupils as well as the teacher’s personal professional success.

Communication skills are essential for interactions with students since teaching itself needs them. As a teacher, I am responsible for taking and breaking down complicated information, clearly communicating this knowledge to my students (both verbally and non-verbally), presenting in a way that keeps their attention, and listening to and dealing with any queries or problems.

As a teacher, I will also need to effectively interact with parents. This might happen through a multitude of channels, such as phone conversations, emails, and in-person meetings, thus I must be fluent in both verbal and written communication. This is especially crucial since I will frequently have to discuss delicate topics, such as behavioral concerns, learning challenges, and the student’s strengths and limitations, without confusing or offending the parent. It is critical that I be transparent while remaining polite at all times. Failure to communicate effectively with parents may lead to parental misgivings about my capacity to teach, as well as complaints and a lack of comprehension of their child’s performance and educational requirements.

Effective communication can be difficult, especially when students have diverse communication preferences. It is critical for teachers to be able to develop a straightforward message while also keeping in mind that understanding nonverbal communication is not an exact science and can be misread, especially when dealing with children who have Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. Many communication models and theories exist to improve communication, such as The Shannon-Weaver Model, Berne’s Ego States of Communication, and so on.

The Shannon-Weaver Model

This model of communication was developed in 1949 by Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver. In communication, this model has been called the “Mother of all Models”. The model includes six variables that are present in all types of communication. The sender is the individual who creates the message, which is subsequently transformed into signals, which might be binary data, sound waves, or ink on a page. The medium used to convey the message is the next stage, which might be cabling for binary data or the atmosphere for sound waves. The message is then received by the following stage, the decoder, which turns the signals back into a comprehensible message for the receiver, which is the model’s final stage. The receiver’s ear might serve as the decoder, converting sound waves into nerve impulses that are then transferred to the auditory cortex of the brain, where they are translated into meaningful sounds.

The Shannon-Weaver model illustrates various communication concerns, the first of which is that noise will develop on the communication medium. When you do not receive the intended response when communicating, it may be due to a noise element within the communication; in this situation, choosing an alternative style of communication that uses a different communication channel may be more successful.

Other students in the classroom can cause noise if they are loud, but simply having other students there could prevent pupils from processing the content correctly due to embarrassment A further instance is an emotional noise, which distracts the pupil and stops them from getting the signal you are intending to communicate.

Another consideration when communicating is whether the decoder will be able to convert the signals into a meaningful message. Failure to convert could be due to a disability, such as the recipient experiencing hearing loss, or it could be that the recipient failed to comprehend the signal sufficiently to convert it into a meaningful message. For example, if the sender uses jargon or acronyms that the recipient does not recognize, the recipient will not get a relevant message.

What we consider ‘good’ or ‘effective’ communication depends on the situation. A presentation in front of a class full of young learners takes different tactics than leading a group discussion with a few adults or speaking to a learner one-on-one. Many strategies are available to improve communication skills with children. To keep communication with a young learner, I should listen to understand not to reply. It is critical that youngsters feel free to talk as doing so can boost their confidence and self-esteem while speaking. Another hint is to bend to their eye levels; to make youngsters feel more at ease while speaking with you. This proactively shows you are listening to what they are saying and you are paying attention. Children might say and do things that trigger an emotional reaction from you. Positive communication with children is highly dependent on how you manage your emotions. Avoid saying anything you might regret later. Control your powerful emotions and strive to be cool, especially when terrible behavior happens. Counting to ten before replying to a youngster is an excellent approach to help calm emotions before expressing them. Another approach to effective communication is to speak clearly. Teachers should be clear in their instructions and confident in their delivery. The way you communicate with children not only displays your personality but also sets a good example. Children will copy what they observe.

Teamwork and group discussions help to make the classroom a more pleasant place. Working in small groups allows students to communicate their thoughts and enhance their communication skills. These exercises also provide students with an opportunity to ask me questions and receive feedback on their work, resulting in improved communication, greater understanding of the lesson, and educational advantages.

Communication is not just verbal, but also nonverbal: I have to make sure the signals I send with my body language are positive, confident, and engaging. Making eye contact with kids when speaking to them, for example, demonstrates that I am helpful and attentive.

Communication also includes giving and receiving feedback both positive and negative, and maintaining a sense of humor in the classroom. Positive feedback increases their likelihood of believing they can achieve, which contributes to the creation of a supportive atmosphere and increases academic accomplishment. It has been discovered that using humor in the classroom increases learning, self-motivation, and healthy interactions between pupils and teachers.

Interpersonal and Group Communication

The Process of living in a very great part consists of communicating with other people. Communicating with others is not simply a question of talking at them, for it involves an understanding of how they will receive one’s message. Group work is thus largely a means of encouraging discussion between students. Students should be able to say what they feel & think in groups so that they can share their ideas with others (Sharma, 2020).

Possible group interaction:

1. Buzz Group: This is useful technique that can be employed between two students who happen to be sitting next to each other, or with a small group of people. Each one gives his thoughts on a particular topic to other in group. In this way a quick informal exchange of ideas is brought about. Student can share their ideas in a non-threatening environment.
2. Case study discussion: As its name implies, the group is given a case study, which can be details of a real–life situation or problem. The discussion of the material allows students to apply things learned in other situations, to develop their critical facilities and powers of judgment.
3. Lecture Discussion: At the end of a lecture or lesson there is often a point where the teacher says, ‘Any question?’ This is an opportunity for the group, which has probably been subjected until that moment to the uninterrupted discourse of the teacher, to ask questions on the material presented.
4. Tutorial: Here a small group of students meets a teacher for a discussion, usually without a central topic. Because of the anxiety of the students not to expose their ignorance before the teacher or their fellow students, nothing is said. The teacher then feels the need to fill the gap of silence. The tutorial should be an opportunity for free discussion and for interaction between student & student, and between student and teacher.

To wrap up, since we are social beings and communication is a component of who we are, communication will always be crucial. We must remember that once the words are out, they cannot be taken back, and they have an immediate influence on children and their viewpoints.

Some References and Recommendations:

1. Why Is It Important for Teachers to Have Good Communication Skills? (2018, July 1). Work – Chron.com. https://work.chron.com/important-teachers-good-communication-skills-10512.html
2. Terra, J. (2023). What is Interpersonal Communication? Skills, Types, and Examples. Simplilearn.com. https://www.simplilearn.com/what-is-interpersonal-communication-article
3. Prozesky DR. Communication and effective teaching. Community Eye Health. 2000;13(35):44-5. PMID: 17491962; PMCID: PMC1705977.
4. Allen, L. Q. (1999). Functions of Nonverbal Communication in Teaching and Learning a Foreign Language. The French Review, 72(3), 469–480. http://www.jstor.org/stable/398116
5. Nicole D. Dobransky & Ann Bainbridge Frymier (2004) Developing teacher‐student relationships through out of class communication, Communication Quarterly, 52:3, 211-223, DOI: 10.1080/01463370409370193
6. Rebecca M. Chory & James C. McCroskey (1999) The relationship between teacher management communication style and affective learning, Communication Quarterly, 47:1, 1-11, DOI: 10.1080/01463379909370120
7. Sharma, D.M. (2020). SIGNIFICANCE OF COMMUNICATION IN TEACHING LEARNING & SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS.