Communication Skills for Teachers

Dilip BaradDept. of English

M.K. Bhavnagar University27 June 2014

Faculty Development Programme

Morgan, Algiro L. in his paper ‘Communication Skills for Teachers’

• “One of the most neglected aspects of teacher training is thorough preparation in the diverse communication skills that are needed by good teachers in today's schools.”

Six Important Points: CS 4 T• Positive Motivation: create interest, enthusiasm, remove fear

and inhibition.• Effective Body Language: Gestures, body movement with

verbal skills – never sit and teach - Moving in aisles.• Sense of Humor: do not confuse dirty jokes with humour.• Understanding the Students: prefer dialogue over monologue –

listen students’ opinion- saint on the stage vs guide by the side• Team Formation: helps in mutual

understanding students as well as teachers.• Technical skills: Up-to-date with latest

techno-tools for teaching.

Be precise: Brevity is the Soul

• A Brief History of Communication . . (Video)• The journey from pre-historic to techno-era in

a few seconds.• Save time! Time is the most precious.

• (To view this video visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9KGt3OS4uM&index=2&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W)

Newer Generations – Fresh Ideas and Ideals

• Digital Generation. (Video)

• Do not replace but replenish.

• Click here to view video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg37kafMsWk&index=4&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

Look for the possibilities beyond the horizons

• Education for all! (Video)

• Click here to view video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bh3HP51rJs&index=5&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

Learn to unlearn, teach ‘unlearning’: Adopt – adapt - adept

• Two women at the bus stop. (Video)

• Age is not the barrier for learning new things. (Video)

• Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMXzuxDXVKA&index=7&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

• Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de087u7ylms&index=10&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

Make students sensible towards issues

• Save trees (Video)

• Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-gWkHZ0e1E&index=6&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

Demonstrate! Do not teach, let them learn!

• Watch this video from movie 3 Idiots.

• (The scene is that of Virus demonstrating nest of crow with eggs of Koyel)

Myth Vs RealityCommunication Myths Communication Reality

Communication is a conscious / deliberate process. (e.g. Osho’s visit to disciple, father-2 sons,)

Communication is an unconscious process and it goes on at every moment of time!

We communicate primarily through ‘words’ only. (zoo-zoos)

We communicate through ‘verbal’ as well as ‘non-verbal signs.

Words mean the same to everyone. (Pardon, women)

Meaning of the words lies more in perception of reality.

Communication is a one-sided process and it is controlled by communicator.

Communication is a two-way process and it always happens, controlled by none.

Message sent and message received are the same. (Video: Hu is . . . (video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgFHYteJSPk&index=3&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

Transmission and reception of message can never be identical.

Penny Ur - 1997

• She identifies some essential qualities, which relate to teaching rather than other professions:– I sense where the learner is at, what their problem is: I feel

what they know and what they don’t know.– I know how to transform what I know about the language

into a form that is accessible to my learners– I know how to design and administer activities and exercises

that will foster learning– I know when learning is and is not happening by the way the

learners behave: I don’t need tests– I get my ‘buzz’ from when the students succeed, learn,

progressTo master this, one requires to practice reflection of teaching

Use of technology as follow-up actions & CS4T

• Pedagogy is evolving with newer technological aids for better communication in classroom.

• Various ICT components helps teacher in enhancing their skills in teaching.

• It also has its deep rooted impact on the learning of the students.

• Here, we discuss how can we sharpen our communication skills by using it for follow-up actions?

• SMS, email, scrap, tweet, chat, web spaces, SIG, etc can be used effectively for:– Replying questions of the students– Solving their doubts/queries etc– Giving some task for next class in advance– Having group discussion out of the class– Uploading lesson/presentation to web

spaces– Running web sites with LMS to check

students progress– Managing e-groups (SIGs) – file

upload, poll, discussion, photos etc.

Social Constructivism• Social constructivism extends constructivism

into social settings, wherein groups construct knowledge for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings.

• When one is immersed within a culture like this, one is learning all the time about how to be a part of that culture, on many levels.

• Eg. Cup.

Pedagogical Pyramidical Structure based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

LOTs

HOTs

Observation is the master key!

• To be the master of effective Communication Skills, OBSERVE, OBSERVE, OBSERVE; minutely, meticulously, marvelously.

04/11/2023 An Advanced National Workshop in General Semantics: 28-30 Jan. 2013

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Let’s view this advertisement. We are supposed to identify the product - Fire crackers - Courier service – anti-roach spray - Gas

Cylinder – Save Fuel - Save Environment – match box –– old age woes Click or copy / paste to view video: https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=97650bEF434&index=9&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

04/11/2023 An Advanced National Workshop in General Semantics: 28-30 Jan. 2013

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How observant are we?Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubNF9QNEQLA&index=8&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

Structured education system . . .

Unstructured Life!

Always in flux - Change with timeIf Monks can, why can’t Teachers?

Let us review highly effective skills of teachers

• Be precise: Brevity is the Soul• Be contemporary: Newer Generations – Fresh Ideas and

Ideals• Look for the possibilities beyond the horizons• Learn to unlearn, teach ‘unlearning’: Adopt – adapt –

adept• Make students sensible towards issues• Demonstrate! Do not teach, let them learn!• Be observant! Avoid jundgmentalism• Always be in flux - Change with time• Practice Reflective Teaching

Lets conclude - teachers in action

• Video 1: An imaginary picture of a teacher• Video 2: The reality!

• Video1 link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlEP5uAhr3Y&index=11&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W• Video2 link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amBhZP1b4x4&index=12&list=PLSmZQVxjN9_j0Ln3e5i6L-NDzEpHGNP7W

What is the message?

• To get to the core of message, do not ask ‘WHAT’.• Do not ask ‘What is said or shown?’• Ask, ‘HOW’ – The ‘How’ of the presentation has

the message for teachers to be effective and efficient in classroom performance as well as in professional development.

• In this 90 minutes presentation:– 12 videos – 17 images– #900 words – are used in 24 slides.

Thank You…

•Questions???? •Before you ask, ponder this:

PM of I, school visit, questions by students, Nawaz Sharif, Dawood, Iraq !@?

• www.di l ipbarad.com• di l ipbarad@gmai l .com