Effective classroom communication is a skill every teacher must strive to acquire and, if already acquired, be intentionally worked on.
Teachers should understand that the classroom really is not for them. It wasn’t in any way meant for them. They are there because of some important individuals- the learners. No one would employ a teacher if there were no students to teach.
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It was a visiting day at Ade’s school.
Mrs Adebola; Ade’s mum had left the house early so she could beat the Lagos traffic.
After exchanging pleasantries with the class teacher, Mrs Adebola complained that her son’s handwriting had gone worse from bad.
‘Ma’am, what are you doing about this situation?’ ‘This boy’s handwriting is not getting better. I can see him doing well with his class exercises, but it won’t be long before his handwriting would stop you from reading his note’ Mrs Adebola said before leaving the classroom that day.
Miss Susan had been the class teacher of class three for close to five years. Ade’s case still continues to be a mystery she has not been able to unravel. Seeing his mum complain about, was a slap to her face and profession. Something must be done. And be done real fast!
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Hello Ade, how are you doing? I am fine. Thank you, ma’am. Ade had replied shyly.
‘Alright, you don’t have to be shy okay?’ ‘Yes ma’am.’ ‘Ade, how would you feel if someone else writes your notes for you?’ he had hesitated before replying, ‘I wouldn’t feel so good about it because I am in class three, and can write by myself. ‘Very good!’ ‘Okay, no one is going to write your notes for you.’ ‘Ade, why don’t you write clearly in your notes?’
‘I can’t see the board from my seat.’ ‘It’s difficult writing from that angle.’ An ‘ohh’ had escaped her mouth. ‘Is that it? Okay, you may go back to your seat now.’ ‘Thank you very much.’
At the beginning of the term, Miss Susan had thought to change the seating arrangements of her classroom and also changed the seats of some of the learners of which Ade had been part. ‘How come I didn’t notice this on time?’ ‘He should have told me he couldn’t see.’ ‘Would I have listened?’
Then she went on a ride to Reflection Paradise. ‘Had she been too hard on her learners?’ ‘Too hard that they can not bear to look into her eyes?’ ‘Ade’s replies had been well thought of.’ ‘Was he waiting for me to call him before he stated his complaints.’ ‘His mum wasn’t lying when she complimented his grades, Ade was one of the smartest.’
Someone had corrected her long ago on her decision not to smile in the presence of her students. ‘Was that the problem?’ ‘Has her face gone hard without a show of emotion?’
Effective classroom communication goes beyond the teacher asking questions and receiving answers from the learners.
It has to do with the teacher being conscious of every single little thing that happens within the classroom environment.
The teacher is to know when a voice sounds distracted, when a learner is not present in the classroom, when a learner is so sure of an answer when a learner doesn’t understand all that has been said from the beginning of the class, and the list goes on and on.
People nowadays no longer blame the children for scoring low in their exercises, some of the blame now goes to the teacher. The way the success of a learner can be attributed to the teacher so are their shortcomings.
This is why the subject of effective classroom communication among teachers shouldn’t be underestimated.
READ ALSO: How to Talk to Anyone, The Secret to Better Communication
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7 Tips and Skills for Mastering Effective Classroom Communication As a Teacher
The tips and skills for mastering effective classroom communication are for the taking and learning for Teachers who want to be exceptional.
1. Verbal cues
Verbal cues are direct words and phrases such as ‘Come’, ‘Sit down’, ‘Get up’, ‘Go back to your seat’, ‘First’, ‘Next’ etc.
As these words are short and to the point, learners would be able to understand without being confused.
Sometimes teachers say a whole lot of things at the same time that the learners are confused about which to obey and act upon. Verbal cues are simple to follow.
2. Nonverbal communication
These involve using unspoken words to pass information to the learners.
Using nonverbal communication implies walking around, making gesticulations, making eye contact with the learners, changing body postures, clapping the hands, tapping the feet, tapping the table, etc.
All these and more are to keep the learners in an active mood. This would disallow them from being distracted because you as a teacher are taking charge of the classroom.
READ ALSO: 12 Must-Known Learning Strategies for Tactile Learners
3. Active listening
Teachers must build interest in whatever thing their learners say.
If they are not audible the teacher should be able to encourage them to speak out loud. Learners should not be forced to speak out loud when it is not necessary.
What the student might be trying to pass across, could be something for only your own ears. Maybe he or she wants to use the toilet or needs some kind of privacy.
The student would feel somewhat intimidated or disrespected if forced to speak.
When a learner needs to talk to you as a teacher, you should always give utmost attention, raise your head, and answer the learner. They would feel important and would not hesitate to meet you the next time.
You can also repeat what he or she may be saying, to be sure you are on the same page
4. Feedback mechanisms
The popular question and answer germane to the classroom setting is the ‘do you understand ?’ question and the shouts of ‘yessssss’ that follow.
It can be so interesting when students do this because the majority of the time they just do not understand.
Some might not have even heard the question. Learners do this mostly because they don’t want to be picked on, so they would rather follow the crowd.
A teacher who is keen on effective classroom communication would be sure he or she has not wasted time by evaluating the learners. It could be by giving class exercises, asking them individually to either explain what has been taught or answer a question/
5. Questioning techniques
One of the goals of successful teachers is to see their students ask questions during, before, and after the course of the teaching.
Teachers should ask open-ended questions and not close-ended questions.
Open-ended questions allow for the learners to bring different perspectives of the subject matter without boxing them, while close-ended questions are the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions.
Even when the learners have something to contribute they would somewhat feel restricted because of the nature of the question.
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6. Body language
No one ever goes wrong with smiling.
Studies show it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown. If Miss Susan smiled, Ade would have probably let out his grievances.
A teacher who smiles is not unserious!
If a teacher is known for her smiles, the students would be able to adjust very fast when she is not smiling. They would know he or she means business at that particular time. A teacher should be able to take charge of her class, their presence must be felt in every corner and area of the classroom.
Their appearance must ooze confidence and authority.
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7. Classroom discourse
Teachers should be able to know when to pause during teaching.
Classroom discussion allows the learners to explain terms in their own words.
The Think, Pair, and Share strategy may be used, as it influences collaboration. Learners are grouped into teams, to discuss their opinions with their classmates.
In this case, learning is child-centered and not teacher-centered, as it is the learner's opinions that would be taken into consideration.
Learning this way would also foster retention for the learners.
FAQs on Effective Classroom Communication Tips and Skills for Teachers
1. How Can I Master Effective Classroom Communication?
You can master effective classroom communication by reading books, listening to podcasts of teachers who have excelled using the communication skill
You can also attend communication-related conferences, workshops, and seminars.
2. How Do I Reinforce An Action In My Classroom?
Praise and celebrate the learners after every good deed.
It is important to do this immediately after the action is done, for them to know the reason behind the celebration.
This would encourage them to do the same act to earn more praise.
You could also get the learner a gift if it calls for it.
3. Is Mastering Effective Communication a Difficult Task?
This skill is not in any way hard.
If everything listed can be thoroughly followed, you should not have any problem mastering the skill.
Final Thoughts on 7 Tips and Skills for Mastering Effective Classroom Communication As a Teacher
Effective classroom communication would facilitate good teacher-student rapport.
It would also lead to a win/win situation for both parties. The success of the learner is the success of the teacher.
Kudos to all the teachers out there who do nothing but bring out the best in their learners.
Use the comment section and let me know which of the skills you will start with.
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