As Lee Iacocca, former president and CEO of automobile giants, Chrysler and Ford, aptly puts, "One can have brilliant ideas, but if he cannot get them across, his ideas would not get him anywhere." I cannot agree more.
Effective communication is the key to the exchange of ideas, and this two-way process is particularly important for me as I would be serving as a teacher, come graduation. Sending and receiving messages are an integral part of teaching. The manner in which these messages are delivered to students can either entice them to partake in discussion, explore, create and stimulate synergy with others or discourage and leave them in confusion and frustration. This is why there is an impetus for me to be clear and effective in my verbal and non-verbal communication, such that I am organized, enthusiastic and sensitive. This is particularly crucial as I am imparting knowledge to students who may not have great understanding of the subject and are likely to have certain cultural differences. My audience would be coming from diverse backgrounds, thus it is important for me to understand the different communication barriers that we may have, and overcome them so that my students would be able to receive my messages and decode them in a desirable manner.
Part of being an effective teacher entails active listening as well. Paraphrasing, perception-checking and clarifying questions would allow me to detect the gaps in my sent messages and to work on them with my students. Developing effective communication skills would also help me avoid the pitfalls of many a teacher. Some teachers simply make communication one-way by dumping heaps of knowledge onto the students and leaving the onus of concept-grasping to them. With the MOE Teach Less, Learn More initiative, it is vital for me to project my ideas coherently so as to make the most out of my classroom time with my students.
Is it the end?
15 years ago
5 comments:
Hi Xueli,
With the proliferation of new communication techniques and the awareness of effective commication methods, teaching methods have evolved from the yesteryears.
Gone are the days where teachers would treat the students like sponges and seek to cram more and more information into them. Through the research performed over the years on pedagogy, we have learnt that performing teaching duties in such a manner is inefficient and often confusing.
There is now therefore a paradigm shift in our methods of instruction. Like you mentioned, teachers are now expected to consider the various factors that may affect the messages sent to the students.
The Ministry's initiatives not only encourage the effective transmission of information but also to induce students to receive and interpret information well. Such would complete the effective communication loop between the student and teacher.
Cheers!
Hi Xueli,
I couldn't agree with you more! I could remember the instances when some of my high school teachers engaged in one-way teaching. To them, they have already done their job by feeding us the relevant information. Whether we have understood these information was irrelevant to them.
With the emergence of new technology and novel methods of education, you will be well equipped to ensure that effective communication, and thus learning, occurs in your classroom!
Hi Xueli,
It sure is comforting to know that you're a future teacher who is so dedicated to your work. I agree that teachers need to communicate effectively in order to engage the students in discussions. Only through brainstorming processes would one learn most.
We all have our fair share of bad experiences with teachers who disallow us to talk in class, or teachers who cannot convey their ideas clearly to us. This communication breakdown often makes learning a chore and an unpleasant one. How I wished my teachers could have improved on their communication skills!
Cheers,
Jaymie
Hi Xueli,
Being a teacher requires skill and I agree with you that effective communication plays a key role.It will definitely improve the student-teacher relationship, making it a two way process.
All of us would have had problems with teachers who weren't able to get their ideas across, which discourages us to ask any questions.Armed with an effective communication system within the classroom, I think the learning system will be more fun and fruitful.
Hi Xueli, thanks for the well-written blog. All aspiring teachers should read this! Great job!
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