Effective Teacher Communication

Effective communication is the foundation on which teaching is built. It's the quality of communication in the classroom that helps the students understand new concepts and information and learn. Without effective communication in teaching, students and the educational system itself will suffer. Students will be confused and frustrated, parents will be dissatisfied, and teachers will be unfulfilled in their job. Ensuring the communication used by teachers is clear, concise and effective is essential to successful learning.

 
Significance

• The significance of effective teacher communication is that it is the medium that carries important messages intended to educate, inspire and teach each student. The educational system could not exist and be effective without teachers communicating successfully. Effective teach communication is the cornerstone of education.
  

Types

• Effective teacher communication comes in various types. Communication only is effective when the teacher is able to verbally or non-verbally translate information in such a way that the students fully understand. Different types of communication are more effective with different learning types. Visual aids, hands-on demonstrations, group discussion and lecturing are all various ways to communicate in the classroom. Using different types of teaching communication will ensure each student has the opportunity to grasp the information.

Misconceptions

• A common misconception is that effective teacher communication is simply lecturing in more detail. A teacher actually can talk the entire class period in great detail and still not have been effective in communicating the lesson. Effective teacher communication only is successful when each student has grasped the concepts and is able to internalize and apply the information independent of the teacher or a book. Another misconception is that test scores are a good way to measure a teacher's success in communicating effectively. Too many factors, including the student's choice to apply the information, are involved for test scores to evaluate a teacher's communication ability.

Benefits

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  Benefits of effective teacher communication include effective learning, students who are engaged and eager to learn, and pleased parents. A teacher who uses effective communication in teaching will have students who are excited to attend the class and learn. Learning is an adventure. If the majority of a class is unmotivated, it's typically because of the lack of effective communication in the classroom.

Considerations

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  Individual behavior influences applications of theories of communication. Communication involves complexities such as a person's life experiences, pre-determined assumptions and communication barriers. If a particular student is resistant or not performing well, other factors may be affecting her life, and her problems may not be reflective of classroom communication.