Effective communication for effective teaching

Prof. Dr. M. A. Pasha at DSD Lahore

Prof. Dr. M. A. PashaChairman

Department of CS & ITUniversity of Sargodha

2/17/2014

Effective Communication for Successful Teaching

Prof. Dr. M. A. Pasha at DSD Lahore2/17/2014


What is Communication and Why Is It Important?

Teaching is based on communication, and a teacher who communicates effectively with his/her students is a great teacher.

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What is Communication and Why Is It Important?Verbal and non-verbal transmission and

understanding of information, feelings, and emotions among human being.

Instructional communication is the process by which teachers and students stimulate meanings in the minds of each other using verbal and nonverbal messages.

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What is Communication and Why Is It Important?In education, communication is essential for:

understanding roles and assignments, planning and carrying out learning activities, coordinating approaches with students, providing information to teachers on student

progress and behaviors, and building a positive relationship with students,

teachers and other staff.

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Persuasion

To Aristotle, there are three factors that enhance a person's ability to persuade: (1) ethos (the personal character of the speaker), (2) pathos (the use of emotion), and (3) logos (the logical, rational nature of the message).

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The Rhetorical Approach to Instructional Communication

The function of rhetorical communication is to get others to do what you want or need them to do and/or think the way you want or need them to think—to persuade them (McCroskey and Richmond, 1996).

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The Relational Approach to Instructional CommunicationBoth teachers and students mutually create and use

verbal and nonverbal messages to establish a relationship with one other.

Focuses on how teachers and students perceive and affectively respond to each other, which influences teachers' motivation to teach and students' motivation to learn (Mottet, Beebe, Raffeld, & Medlock, 2004; Ellis, 2000, 2004).

Nonverbal cues such as eye contact, posture, facial expressions, and gestures stimulate the majority of the emotional or social meaning in messages (Burgoon, Buller, & Woodall, 1996; Mehrabian, 1972).

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Role of Teachers' Credibility Teachers who have higher perceived credibility are also perceived as more effective

teachers. Students who perceive their teachers as having high credibility are more motivated

to learn than students who perceive their teachers as having low credibility. Students who perceive their teachers as having high credibility report higher

cognitive learning than students who perceive their teachers as having low credibility.

Students who perceive their teachers as having high credibility report higher affective learning than students who perceive their teachers as having low credibility.

Students who perceive their teachers as having high credibility are more likely to recommend the course and instructor to their friends than students who perceive their teachers as having low credibility.

Students who perceive their teachers as having high credibility are more likely to participate in class discussions than students who perceive their teachers as having low credibility.

Students who perceive their teachers as having high credibility are more likely to talk to their teacher outside of class than students who perceive their teachers as having low credibility.

Students who perceive their teachers as having high credibility are more likely to take another class with the teachers than students who perceive their teachers as having low credibility.

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Role of Clarity

Teachers who are perceived as clear are perceived as more effective teachers.

Students who perceive their teachers as clear learn more than from teachers who are perceived as not clear.

Teachers who are clear reduce students' fear or apprehension of communicating in the classroom.

Teachers who are perceived as clear are liked more by their students, and students liked their course content more than that of teachers who are not perceived as clear.

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Role of Humor

Teachers who win awards for their teaching use moderate amounts of humor.

Students do not prefer teachers who use an excessive amount of humor but do like teachers who use some humor when teaching.

Students have individual differences and preferences for the amount and type of humor used by instructors.

High school teachers use the same kinds and types of humor in the classroom as college teachers but not as extensively.

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Role of Immediacy

Teachers who use affinity-seeking strategies are perceived to be more credible—that is more knowledgeable, trustworthy, and dynamic—than teachers who do not use affinity-seeking strategies.

Teacher use of affinity-seeking strategies is moderately correlated with student motivation to learn.

Teachers who evoke more positive feelings from students enhance the learning climate.

Teachers who consciously use affinity-seeking strategies engender increased affinity with both the teacher and the subject matter.

Teachers who use selected affinity-seeking strategies (e.g., assuming equality, conversational rule keeping, eliciting others' disclosure, facilitating enjoyment, and optimism) enhance student liking toward the teacher.

Teachers of lower grade levels use different affinity-seeking strategies than teachers of higher grade levels.

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Factors Facilitate Openness and Acceptance

Posture: Try to make your posture mirror that of the students. It is helpful to have your shoulders squared with the student's and on about the same level so you are face-to-face. It is also helpful to have a slightly forward lean toward the student.

Eye Contact: Eye contact with students shows that you are interested in what they have to say.

Facial Expression: What is shown on your face should match what is on the child's. Smiling when the child is obviously sad would be an example of an incongruent facial expression.

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Factors Facilitate Openness and Acceptance (Cont.)

Distance: Distance from the child shouldn't be too close or too distant; about 3 to 4 feet is the average. Standing too close can make the student uncomfortable, while standing too far away can indicate that you are disinterested in what the students is saying.

Distracting Behaviors: Distracting behaviors, such as playing with your hands, staring out the window, or doing something else while listening should be eliminated when talking to students or staff members.

Voice Quality: Your tone should match the child's. It would be inappropriate to be loud if the child is in a quiet mood.

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Helpful Hints for Effective CommunicationEstablish a positive relationship with the students

(respect, courtesy, friendship)Our job is to encourage students rather than to

control.Be positive in speaking to the students, avoid

"putting them down."When possible, organize ahead of time and think

before speaking.Use the student's name.When giving directions, get the student's

attention first.Speak in a calm manner.Try to maintain eye contact with the student.2/17/2014


Helpful Hints for Effective Communication (Cont.)Minimize distractions.Let them know why the topic is important.Let them know that you are talking to them for

their benefit.Use questions to involve the student and monitor

understanding.Include examples from the student's experience.Avoid discussing a student's personal problems

when you feel uncomfortable about it.If frustration, anger, or boredom occurs, stop,.Reinforce and support students for listening.

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Factors Encouraging Student ResponsesPause effectively before and after asking a question: Pausing

before you ask a question gives you time to phrase your question. Pausing after you ask your question allows the student to think about their response.

Monitor questioning interactions: What types of questions do you ask? Do you ask closed questions when what you really wanted was for the student to elaborate on his or her answer?

Meaningful questions: Monitor how many questions you ask, and the types of questions. Could you make questioning more effective if you asked less questions, more questions, or different types of questions?

Check for Understanding: It is important that we monitor students' understanding. To check if a student understands what was communicated, ask the student to repeat directions, questions or summarize what was said.

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Roadblocks to CommunicationOrdering, commanding, directing. Example: "Stop

whining and get back to work." Warning, threatening. Example: "You had better get your

act together if you expect to pass my class."Moralizing, preaching, giving "shoulds" and "oughts".

Example: "You should leave your personal problems out of the classroom."

Advising, offering solutions or suggestions. Example: "I think you need to get a daily planner so you can organize your time better to get your homework finished."

Teaching, lecturing, giving logical arguments. Example: "You better remember you only have four days to complete that project."

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Responses Tend to Communicate Inadequacies and Faults

Judging, criticizing, disagreeing, blaming. Example: "You are such a lazy kid. You never do what you say you will."

Name-calling, stereotyping, labeling. Example: "Act your age. You are not a kindergartner."

Interpreting, analyzing, diagnosing. Example: "You are avoiding facing this assignment because you missed the directions due to talking."

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Messages Try to Make the Student Feel Better or Deny there is a ProblemPraising, agreeing, giving positive

evaluations. Example: "You are a smart kid. You can figure out a way to finish this assignment."

Reassuring, sympathizing, consoling, supporting. Example: "I know exactly how you are feeling. If you just begin, it won't seem so bad."

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Response Tends to Try to Solve the Problem for the Student

Questioning, probing, interrogating, cross-examining. "Why did you wait so long to ask for assistance? What was so hard about this worksheet?"

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Messages Tend to Divert the Student or Avoid the Student Altogether

Withdrawing, distracting, being sarcastic, humoring, diverting. "Seems like you got up on the wrong side of the bed today."

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Active ListeningListening is an important part of effective

communication. A good teacher must exhibit good listening behaviors and strategies.Helps students deal with and "defuse" strong

feelings.Helps students understand their own emotions.Facilitates problem solving.Keeps the responsibility with the student.Makes students more willing to listen to others.Promotes a closer, more meaningful relationship

between teacher and student.

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Factors of Affecting Listening

Listening can be affected by personal bias, environmental factors, a short attention span, rehearsing a response, daydreaming, hot words, or through the use of filtering.

Using Visual AidsTalking and ListeningCommunicating Positively with ParentsListening to ParentsLearning Disabled Children

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Factors of Affecting Listening (Cont.)

Listening can be affected by personal bias, environmental factors, a short attention span, rehearsing a response, daydreaming, hot words, etc.

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Any Question Please

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Education

Effective communication for effective teaching