When is classroom communication effective

Body language can easily contradict our words, and kids are exceptionally adept at picking up on the disconnect if one exists.

When it comes down to it, non-verbal beats out verbal every time. So what are we saying through body language? However, students quickly sense boredom, anger, anxiety, lack of preparation, and detachment whenever they exist.

Identifying negative non-verbal messaging and changing it are two different things. One idea is to start with something you can easily change: your physical appearance or health.

Maybe a new outfit or hairstyle is the simple thing you need to get out of a rut. Or perhaps adjusting your exercise routine, diet, or sleep schedule could help you feel better. In addition to how we look and feel physically, we can regularly evaluate our social and emotional wellbeing.

But staying aware of your habitual non-verbal cues, and changing them when necessary, can assure students of your love for teaching and your love for them. If nothing else, the simplest things like smiling, maintaining eye contact, using movement, and projecting excitement and energy will take your teaching from great to amazing. Effective communication is a two-way street. Gone are the days hopefully!

Educators are well aware of the huge benefits that come from collaborative, engaged, and project-based learning. Hearing never directly translates into listening. By completeness means the message must bear all the necessary information to bring the response you desire. The sender should answer all the questions and with facts and figures. Consideration demands to put oneself in the place of the receiver while composing a message.

Being definite, vivid and specific rather than vague, obscure and general leads to the concreteness of the message. Facts and figures being presented in the message should be specif. In business, almost everything starts and ends in courtesy. Courtesy means not only thinking about receiver but also valuing his feelings. Much can be achieved by using polite words and gestures, being appreciative, thoughtful, tactful, and showing respect to the receiver.

Courtesy builds goodwill. Hence, one way of viewing intercultural communication is as communication that unfolds in symbolic intercultural spaces. Arasaratnam, In the classroom, the spoken word is the most effective medium of communication because it enables the teacher to use voice inflection and tone to underline and emphasize the meaning of the message.

Voice communication also enables the teacher to make use of direct feedback from the students, so that the teacher can know what the students are hearing and what they are failing to hear.

Spilt et al. Harter, As such, you should ensure that you use negative feedback only sparingly; for general classroom management, using positive feedback to illustrate the behaviour that you want to see is much more effective. In situations where you do have to use negative feedback, you should explicitly address the behaviour you want to stop, give an explanation why e.

These techniques increase the effectiveness of negative feedback, and decrease any detrimental impact that it might have. Finally, you should give students the opportunity to give you feedback on your lessons or teaching styles. This shows that you value their opinion, increases communication between you, and helps you to improve your teaching and their learning.

It allows you to establish a rapport with your class, and keep them interested in the lesson. Only continue to use humour that has received a positive response from the class such as laughing. Using up-to-date teaching aids such as computers, videos, and online resources is another way to keep students engaged and reinforce their understanding.

It can also increase the effectiveness of your communication with students with different learning styles, who may benefit more from online resources than more old-fashioned ones. Try to work some of these aids into your lessons on a regular basis. Good communication — and good teaching — is about understanding and being understood. For this reason, you should always be clear and unambiguous, and adapt your words to your audience. Think about this while writing lesson plans ensure that you break complex ideas down into simple, logical parts for your audience to understand , but also while you interact with the children after presenting the lesson.

For example, you may wish to check that your teaching was clear by asking your students questions, or requesting summaries of the lesson in their own words. When you ask your students questions, use appropriate scaffolding to ensure that they understand exactly what you are asking. Skip to content. Tags: Education Teachers and Parents. Like This Article? Post Author Rosalyn Sword.

This can lead to poor performance on exams. A degree of communication is required in every profession, and communication skills are necessary at even the most preliminary stages of career growth.

For example, an applicant must be able to communicate her skills and abilities during an interview in order to acquire a job.

Michelle McKinley has been writing professionally since