"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas wont get you anywhere."
Lee Lacocca
Lee Lacocca
Communicating
In this fast paced world good communication skills can mean the difference between success and failure but more then that it is an essential part of everyday life. The New London Group suggests that there are three domains of communication; our working lives, our public lives and our private lives (Department of Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIICCSRTE, 2013, p. 1).
Communication is an ongoing continuum which includes listening, analysing and sharing ideas. In education, “open and interactive communication processes are used to obtain and share information, solve problems, generate new ideas and evaluate issues relating to student learning experiences and outcomes, and key school objectives” (Department of Education, 2005, p. 29). Communication underpins every other professional skill and is one of the most important aspects of the teaching and learning experience. For teachers the ability to communicate effortlessly with students, parents and colleagues is essential. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership outlines a number of attributes in Standard 7 of the National Professional Standards for Teachers (2011). |
Standard 7 – Engage professionally with colleagues,
parents/carers and the community Source: AITSL (2011).
|
Communicating in the Classroom
Within the classroom good communication skills are essential and teachers must constantly set high communication goals for themselves and their students as classroom operations rely on the constant stream of communication between students and teachers. It is important to remember that there is more to communicating then simply talking to people. Body language, hand gestures and facial expressions all play a role in communicating with others and need to be used professionally and effectively to ensure the right message is being transmitted. Written communication is also a large part of the teaching profession and includes responding to letters or emails, giving students feedback in the form of report cards and as discussed earlier in this development package planning units and lessons along with a wide range of other tasks.
Ewing, Lowrie and Higgs (2010, p.15) suggest that in order to maintain the transforming network of communication, society needs an expanding repertoire of communication skills. They go on to state that "this is a challenging time for traditional classroom contexts and the nature of the teaching profession". Teachers are constantly working collaboratively to enhance learning experiences for their students. As an educator it is important to communicate ideas and points of view while respecting the views of others and avoiding animosity amongst colleagues. According to Farlex (2012), communication is "The exchange of thoughts, messages and information by using speech, signals, writing or behaviour." A closer look at the National Professional Standards for Teachers shows that teachers are expected to model effective language, literacy and numeracy skills while developing their own teaching strategies. |
Examples of CommunicationAs a pre-service teacher it is important to use a wide range of communication tools that not only appeal to students but help them to engage and relate to the information being provided. Below is an example of a website created for a SOSE unit that looks at Australia. There is also an example of a web quest that has been put together in Power Point. Both of these examples can be used in the classroom and can either be teacher guided or done individually by the students.
CQU Gladstone Sign Language Workshop, 2012
|
Reflecting on Your Communication SkillsHow many different methods of communication do you use to communicate with the people around you on a daily basis?
Why is it so important for teachers to have good communication skills? Reflect on your experiences. What strategies have you put in place to help you communicate effectively with students, parents and your peers? How has this helped you in the classroom? |
Teacher Communication
Emails can be sent to all parents at once to save time on general communication about excursions, a sickness within the classroom, or to inform parents of your absence. Emails are also an effective means of communicating directly with a parent on behaviour or student concerns. “Keeping parents up-to-date is important, and it goes a long way when you need their support” (Springer, Alexander and Persiani-Becker, 2009, p. 168).
Newsletters can be submitted weekly or monthly to communicate upcoming events or important assessment tasks. Staff newsletters can also be used to inform the cohort of staff meetings, curriculum information or updates to school policies and procedures. Phone calls are a great way to communicate and gives teachers the chance to share achievements and positive feedback about students with their parents. Communicating with parents does not have to be negative. It is important to provide positive feedback to parents and students. Similar to phone calls, speaker systems in the classrooms can be used to receive school wide messages. Timetables are an effective strategy to use when looking for parent helpers as many, “parents aren’t aware that they can volunteer, or are not sure how to do so” (Springer, Alexander and Persiani-Becker, 2009, p. 168) |
Teacher Tips!"Building a solid relationship with parents right from the start of the year will make handling any issues so much easier because the parents are already comfortable with you." - Grade 4 Teacher
"Communicate with parents at least once a fortnight by email, a communication diary, face to face or any other way that you and the parents are comfortable with. This gives parents peace of mind that you care about their child's learning. " - Grade 2 Teacher. |
References
AITSL. (2011). National professional standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/aitsl_national_professional_standards_for_teachers
Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIICSRTE). (2013). Domains of Communication. Retrieved from http://www.innovation.gov.au/Skills/LiteracyAndNumeracy/ AustralianCoreSkillsFramework/AboutTheACSF/Pages/DomainsOfCommunication.aspx.
Ewing, R., Lowrie, T., & Higgs, J. (2010). Teaching and Communicating; Rethinking professional experiences. Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.
Springer, S., Alexander, B., & Persiani-Becker, K. (Eds.). (2009). The Master Teacher. USA: The McGaw-Hill Companies.
AITSL. (2011). National professional standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/aitsl_national_professional_standards_for_teachers
Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIICSRTE). (2013). Domains of Communication. Retrieved from http://www.innovation.gov.au/Skills/LiteracyAndNumeracy/ AustralianCoreSkillsFramework/AboutTheACSF/Pages/DomainsOfCommunication.aspx.
Ewing, R., Lowrie, T., & Higgs, J. (2010). Teaching and Communicating; Rethinking professional experiences. Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.
Springer, S., Alexander, B., & Persiani-Becker, K. (Eds.). (2009). The Master Teacher. USA: The McGaw-Hill Companies.