Communication skills:
Being a great teacher takes great communication skills (ACE, 2013).
Teaching is generally considered as only fifty percent knowledge and fifty percent interpersonal or communication skills. Communication skills for teachers are thus as important as their in-depth knowledge of the particular subject which they teach (Communication Skills World, n.d.).
Research shows that effective teachers communicate clearly about classroom rules (see Appendix 1), course objectives, purpose of the lessons (Appendix 2a; Appendix 2b; Appendix 2c), assessment methods and adapt instruction to their student’s level of knowledge (see Appendix 3) and skill (Rubio, 2009). Prozesky (2000) advocate that effective teacher can take something that is complex and present it in a way that can be easily absorbed by the students, and through different verbal and non-verbal communications.
Following are some of the communication skills that a teacher must possess:
Reading and comprehension: Reading and comprehension skills are essential for teachers to acquire the knowledge, understand, synthesise, and extend and refine information meaningfully (O'Donnell et al., 2011). These skills are critical for teachers to keep up with the contemporary learning theories, pedagogical approaches and further become vibrant lifelong learners and act as inspiring role-models for their students. Furthermore, teachers should be able to “read” their students and adapt to the learning needs of the individual (Silver, n.d.).
Writing: Excellent writing skills are essential for teachers to communicate message with clarity and ease and also gain respect and trust from all parties. Correct grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and spelling are crucial in written communications (Skills You Need, n.d.).
Speaking: Language is the popular medium of instruction, and care should be taken to ensure there is clarity of expression and all students understand the subject (Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs, 2010). It is vital to match the pace of teaching to student’s needs (Tomlinson, 2001).
Empathetic listening: Listen with full attention by showing genuine interest and care and respect stakeholder’s point of view (Perlitz, 2007).
Questionable skills: It is crucial for teachers to develop questionable skills by asking stimulating open-ended, clarifying and leading questions that promote higher-order thinking in students (O'Donnell et al., 2011). Quality teachers respond positively to student’s varied responses (Marzano & Pickering, 1997) and encourage all the students to answer questions in the classroom (see Appendix 4).
Body language: The effective use of body language plays a key role in communication (Goman, 2014). Maintain good eye contact while talking with others, use open gestures, offer neutral handshakes and exhibit pleasant facial expressions (Skills You Need, n.d.).
Tone, pitch and volume of voice: Maintain pleasant tone with inspiration, enthusiasm and excitement, and retain pleasant pitch and volume of voice (Perlitz, 2007).
Rate of speech: The rate of speech is a good indicator of a person’s feelings (Perlitz, 2007). It is crucial for teachers to maintain adequate rate of speech and pitch for gaining students attention.
Physical appearance: Personal presentation is very important for teachers to gain respect from everyone. Maintain cleanliness, and keep hair clean and neat, clothes clean and pressed, shoes clean and polished. Look confident, smile with eyes and have good posture that represents poise and caring attitude (Perlitz, 2007).
Comprehend Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic communication styles: By recognising student’s communication style and emulating it, teachers can make students feel comfortable and develop good rapport with them (Perlitz, 2007).
21st century literacies: In order to prepare students to navigate the contemporary globalised knowledge economy successfully, teachers must become proficient in multimodal literacies including global awareness, multicultural, information, emotional, ecological, agility, economic, scientific, visual, multimedia, and technological and cyber literacies.
Progressive communication: Teachers need to understand cognitive, social, physiological and psychological characteristics of young children, middle phase (See Appendix 5) and senior phase of students and consider all forms of communication to interact efficiently (Ewing et al., 2010). It is vital to set realistically high and personally meaningful expectations and goals, and provide regular, timely and specific feedback that inspires students to develop engagement-rich exploratory behaviour, innovation and enterprise (Bailey et al., 2010) (see Appendix 6). The strategies for building positive communication and relationship with all students are illustrated in Appendix 7.
Communicate compassion: Good teachers care about their students' progress and let their students know it at all times (Silver, n.d.). They transmit genuine commitment and affection for their students by offering a designated time to assist them in learning activities (Nichols. 2012). They communicate their appreciation for what their students do by celebrating their successes and constantly encouraging them to reach their full potential (Silver, n.d.).
Positive motivation: The role of the teacher is to create curiosity and enthusiasm in students and remove any fear and inhibitions towards their academic learning (Communication Skills World, n.d.).
Sense of humour: A good sense of humour keeps the students active and interested in the lessons (Communication Skills World, n.d.). Kasser and Ryan (1993, 1996), Sheldon et al. (1996), Sheldon, Elliot, Kim and Kasser (2001) (as cited in O’Donnell et al., 2011, p. 454) endorse that “The more positive is student’s mood, the greater is their wellbeing and the greater is the likelihood that they will want to learn”.
Cross-cultural and inclusive communication: Teachers should be culturally responsive and competent as schools and classrooms become increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse (Pratt-Johnson, 2006). Teachers need to act positively and responsibly towards diverse learners including Aboriginal students and students diagnosed with ADHD, Autism and Learning Difficulties. Teachers have moral and professional obligation to ensure that learning is not restricted by anticipations based on their own attitudes, stereotypes and prejudices, and provide supportive learning atmosphere for all students (McInerney & McInerney, 2006).
Conflict management: Inevitably when people work together in schools, they will have varying ideas about how things should be done. It is crucial that pre-service teachers develop ways of dealing with different opinions, perspectives and personalities, especially when these can lead to conflicting situations (Ewing et al., 2010).
Accepting constructive criticism: Pre-service teachers need to accept constructive criticism from their mentor teachers and students (Ewing et al., 2010).
Interacting with colleagues and supervisors: Good teaching involves consultation with colleagues. Schools that see themselves as professional learning communities encourage teachers to plan lessons together and learn from one another. They take a team approach when problem-solving, especially for difficult students. This all requires excellent communication. Teachers stay abreast of new developments in education by reading journals, listening to new ideas from their administrators and school board consultants, and sharing and discussing these ideas with colleagues (Silver, n.d.).
Communicating to parents: Teachers must be able to express themselves both verbally and in writing in order to report student progress to parents. They need to explain the strengths and weaknesses of their students so that parents will understand the message and be receptive rather than defensive. This is especially important when the teacher conveys a difficult message about the student's misbehaviour or learning problems. The message must be delivered clearly and with tact. Teachers should be comfortable communicating with parents regularly, with phone calls and informal notes in addition to formal report cards (Silver, n.d.).
Conclusion:
Students are the future of every nation. The role of teachers is crucial to the society. It is through a teacher that generations of youngsters are deeply influenced. Overall improvement in a student can be expected when communication skills for teachers is given due importance. Thus, it is important that communication skills become an important ingredient of a teachers’ professional competency (Communication Skills World, n.d.).
References:
ACE. (2013). Family health. Retrieved from
http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/59/3663/being-a-great-teacher-takes-great/
Bailey, J., Little, C., Rigney, R., Thaler, A., Weiderman, K., & Yorkovich, B. (2010).
Assessment 101: Assessment made easy for first-year teachers. Retrieved from Central Queensland University online library.
Communication Skills World. (n.d.). Communication skills for teachers: An overview. Retrieved from
http://www.communicationskillsworld.com/communicationskillsforteachers.html
Ewing, R., Lowrie, T., & Higgs, J. (2010). Teaching and communicating: Rethinking professional experiences. South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press.
Goman, C.K. (2014). 10 Powerful body language tips. Retrieved from
http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/10-Powerful-Body-Language-Tips.aspx
Marzano, R.J., & Pickering, D.J. (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual
(2nd ed.). Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory.
McInerney & McInerney. (2006). Educational psychology constructing learning. French's Forest: Pearson Prentice Hall, pp. 348-373. Retrieved from Central Queensland University library.
Nichols, R. (2012). 8 Tips for Effective communication skills for teachers. Retrieved from
http://effectivecommunicationadvice.com/effective-communication-for-teachers
O'Donnell, A.M., Dobozy, E., Bartlett, B., Bryer, F., Reeve, J., & Smith, J.K. (2011). Educational psychology (1st ed.). Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons Australia.
Perlitz, L. (2007). Professional business skills. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.
Pratt-Johnson, Y. (2006). Communicating cross-culturally: What teachers should know. Retrieved from
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Pratt-Johnson-CrossCultural.html
Prozesky, R.D. (2000). Communication and effective teaching. Journal of Community Eye Health, International centre for eye health, London, UK.
Rubio, C.M. (2009). Effective teachers - professional and personal skills. Viewed from
http://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/3282843.pdf
Silver, F. (n.d.). Why is it important for teachers to have good communication skills?. Retrieved from
http://work.chron.com/important-teachers-good-communication-skills-10512.html
Skills You Need. (n.d.). Non-verbal communication. Retrieved from
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/nonverbal-communication.html
Skills You Need. (n.d.). Writing skills. Retrieved from
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/writing-skills.html
Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Retrieved from Central Queensland University course resource online.
Being a great teacher takes great communication skills (ACE, 2013).
Teaching is generally considered as only fifty percent knowledge and fifty percent interpersonal or communication skills. Communication skills for teachers are thus as important as their in-depth knowledge of the particular subject which they teach (Communication Skills World, n.d.).
Research shows that effective teachers communicate clearly about classroom rules (see Appendix 1), course objectives, purpose of the lessons (Appendix 2a; Appendix 2b; Appendix 2c), assessment methods and adapt instruction to their student’s level of knowledge (see Appendix 3) and skill (Rubio, 2009). Prozesky (2000) advocate that effective teacher can take something that is complex and present it in a way that can be easily absorbed by the students, and through different verbal and non-verbal communications.
Following are some of the communication skills that a teacher must possess:
Reading and comprehension: Reading and comprehension skills are essential for teachers to acquire the knowledge, understand, synthesise, and extend and refine information meaningfully (O'Donnell et al., 2011). These skills are critical for teachers to keep up with the contemporary learning theories, pedagogical approaches and further become vibrant lifelong learners and act as inspiring role-models for their students. Furthermore, teachers should be able to “read” their students and adapt to the learning needs of the individual (Silver, n.d.).
Writing: Excellent writing skills are essential for teachers to communicate message with clarity and ease and also gain respect and trust from all parties. Correct grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and spelling are crucial in written communications (Skills You Need, n.d.).
Speaking: Language is the popular medium of instruction, and care should be taken to ensure there is clarity of expression and all students understand the subject (Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs, 2010). It is vital to match the pace of teaching to student’s needs (Tomlinson, 2001).
Empathetic listening: Listen with full attention by showing genuine interest and care and respect stakeholder’s point of view (Perlitz, 2007).
Questionable skills: It is crucial for teachers to develop questionable skills by asking stimulating open-ended, clarifying and leading questions that promote higher-order thinking in students (O'Donnell et al., 2011). Quality teachers respond positively to student’s varied responses (Marzano & Pickering, 1997) and encourage all the students to answer questions in the classroom (see Appendix 4).
Body language: The effective use of body language plays a key role in communication (Goman, 2014). Maintain good eye contact while talking with others, use open gestures, offer neutral handshakes and exhibit pleasant facial expressions (Skills You Need, n.d.).
Tone, pitch and volume of voice: Maintain pleasant tone with inspiration, enthusiasm and excitement, and retain pleasant pitch and volume of voice (Perlitz, 2007).
Rate of speech: The rate of speech is a good indicator of a person’s feelings (Perlitz, 2007). It is crucial for teachers to maintain adequate rate of speech and pitch for gaining students attention.
Physical appearance: Personal presentation is very important for teachers to gain respect from everyone. Maintain cleanliness, and keep hair clean and neat, clothes clean and pressed, shoes clean and polished. Look confident, smile with eyes and have good posture that represents poise and caring attitude (Perlitz, 2007).
Comprehend Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic communication styles: By recognising student’s communication style and emulating it, teachers can make students feel comfortable and develop good rapport with them (Perlitz, 2007).
21st century literacies: In order to prepare students to navigate the contemporary globalised knowledge economy successfully, teachers must become proficient in multimodal literacies including global awareness, multicultural, information, emotional, ecological, agility, economic, scientific, visual, multimedia, and technological and cyber literacies.
Progressive communication: Teachers need to understand cognitive, social, physiological and psychological characteristics of young children, middle phase (See Appendix 5) and senior phase of students and consider all forms of communication to interact efficiently (Ewing et al., 2010). It is vital to set realistically high and personally meaningful expectations and goals, and provide regular, timely and specific feedback that inspires students to develop engagement-rich exploratory behaviour, innovation and enterprise (Bailey et al., 2010) (see Appendix 6). The strategies for building positive communication and relationship with all students are illustrated in Appendix 7.
Communicate compassion: Good teachers care about their students' progress and let their students know it at all times (Silver, n.d.). They transmit genuine commitment and affection for their students by offering a designated time to assist them in learning activities (Nichols. 2012). They communicate their appreciation for what their students do by celebrating their successes and constantly encouraging them to reach their full potential (Silver, n.d.).
Positive motivation: The role of the teacher is to create curiosity and enthusiasm in students and remove any fear and inhibitions towards their academic learning (Communication Skills World, n.d.).
Sense of humour: A good sense of humour keeps the students active and interested in the lessons (Communication Skills World, n.d.). Kasser and Ryan (1993, 1996), Sheldon et al. (1996), Sheldon, Elliot, Kim and Kasser (2001) (as cited in O’Donnell et al., 2011, p. 454) endorse that “The more positive is student’s mood, the greater is their wellbeing and the greater is the likelihood that they will want to learn”.
Cross-cultural and inclusive communication: Teachers should be culturally responsive and competent as schools and classrooms become increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse (Pratt-Johnson, 2006). Teachers need to act positively and responsibly towards diverse learners including Aboriginal students and students diagnosed with ADHD, Autism and Learning Difficulties. Teachers have moral and professional obligation to ensure that learning is not restricted by anticipations based on their own attitudes, stereotypes and prejudices, and provide supportive learning atmosphere for all students (McInerney & McInerney, 2006).
Conflict management: Inevitably when people work together in schools, they will have varying ideas about how things should be done. It is crucial that pre-service teachers develop ways of dealing with different opinions, perspectives and personalities, especially when these can lead to conflicting situations (Ewing et al., 2010).
Accepting constructive criticism: Pre-service teachers need to accept constructive criticism from their mentor teachers and students (Ewing et al., 2010).
Interacting with colleagues and supervisors: Good teaching involves consultation with colleagues. Schools that see themselves as professional learning communities encourage teachers to plan lessons together and learn from one another. They take a team approach when problem-solving, especially for difficult students. This all requires excellent communication. Teachers stay abreast of new developments in education by reading journals, listening to new ideas from their administrators and school board consultants, and sharing and discussing these ideas with colleagues (Silver, n.d.).
Communicating to parents: Teachers must be able to express themselves both verbally and in writing in order to report student progress to parents. They need to explain the strengths and weaknesses of their students so that parents will understand the message and be receptive rather than defensive. This is especially important when the teacher conveys a difficult message about the student's misbehaviour or learning problems. The message must be delivered clearly and with tact. Teachers should be comfortable communicating with parents regularly, with phone calls and informal notes in addition to formal report cards (Silver, n.d.).
Conclusion:
Students are the future of every nation. The role of teachers is crucial to the society. It is through a teacher that generations of youngsters are deeply influenced. Overall improvement in a student can be expected when communication skills for teachers is given due importance. Thus, it is important that communication skills become an important ingredient of a teachers’ professional competency (Communication Skills World, n.d.).
References:
ACE. (2013). Family health. Retrieved from
http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/59/3663/being-a-great-teacher-takes-great/
Bailey, J., Little, C., Rigney, R., Thaler, A., Weiderman, K., & Yorkovich, B. (2010).
Assessment 101: Assessment made easy for first-year teachers. Retrieved from Central Queensland University online library.
Communication Skills World. (n.d.). Communication skills for teachers: An overview. Retrieved from
http://www.communicationskillsworld.com/communicationskillsforteachers.html
Ewing, R., Lowrie, T., & Higgs, J. (2010). Teaching and communicating: Rethinking professional experiences. South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press.
Goman, C.K. (2014). 10 Powerful body language tips. Retrieved from
http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/10-Powerful-Body-Language-Tips.aspx
Marzano, R.J., & Pickering, D.J. (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual
(2nd ed.). Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory.
McInerney & McInerney. (2006). Educational psychology constructing learning. French's Forest: Pearson Prentice Hall, pp. 348-373. Retrieved from Central Queensland University library.
Nichols, R. (2012). 8 Tips for Effective communication skills for teachers. Retrieved from
http://effectivecommunicationadvice.com/effective-communication-for-teachers
O'Donnell, A.M., Dobozy, E., Bartlett, B., Bryer, F., Reeve, J., & Smith, J.K. (2011). Educational psychology (1st ed.). Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons Australia.
Perlitz, L. (2007). Professional business skills. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.
Pratt-Johnson, Y. (2006). Communicating cross-culturally: What teachers should know. Retrieved from
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Pratt-Johnson-CrossCultural.html
Prozesky, R.D. (2000). Communication and effective teaching. Journal of Community Eye Health, International centre for eye health, London, UK.
Rubio, C.M. (2009). Effective teachers - professional and personal skills. Viewed from
http://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/3282843.pdf
Silver, F. (n.d.). Why is it important for teachers to have good communication skills?. Retrieved from
http://work.chron.com/important-teachers-good-communication-skills-10512.html
Skills You Need. (n.d.). Non-verbal communication. Retrieved from
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/nonverbal-communication.html
Skills You Need. (n.d.). Writing skills. Retrieved from
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/writing-skills.html
Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Retrieved from Central Queensland University course resource online.