Improving Student’s Communication Skills through Gallery Walk

R. Muhammad Ali

English Education Department

Faculty of Teacher Training and Education

Universitas Ahmad Dahlan

Yogyakarta Indonesia

E-mail: alitranstv@yahoo.com

Abstract

One of the important things in teaching English in Indonesia is how to give a big chance to the students to improve their communication skills.

Communication skills which include oral and written expression are very important because they are parts of the soft skills which give a big contribution in determining someone’s success in career and daily life.

 

Abstract …(2)Gallery Walk as one of collaborative learning models

promotes chances for students to practice their communication skills. Gallery Walk gets students out of their chairs and actively involves them in synthesizing important concepts, in consensus building, in writing, and in public speaking.

In Gallery Walk, teams rotate around the classroom, composing answers to questions as well as reflecting upon the answers given by other groups. Questions are posted on charts or just pieces of paper located in different parts of the classroom. Each chart or "station" has its own question that relates to an important class concept. The technique closes with an oral presentation or "report out" in which each group synthesizes comments to a particular question.

Abstract …(3). Gallery Walk dedicates time for students to practice

discussing, debating, organizing, and writing the language of the topic. Besides, it connects learners to both new and old information

Through Gallery Walk students may improve their oral communication skills such as personal communication, presentation, and group discussion. They may also develop their written communication when they write the report of the activity.

Key Words: communications skills, gallery walk, oral communication, written communication.

Introduction

The Job Outlook 2008 Survey of 276 employers examined the qualities that employers look for in prospective employees.

Data was collected using a five-point scale ranging from 1 to 5 with “1” indicating that the characteristic was “not important” and “5” indicating that the characteristic was “extremely important”.

The levels of importance for the characteristics studied as follows:

Skills and Characteristics Sought by Employers

Skills ValueCommunication skills (verbal and written) 4.6Strong work ethic 4.6Teamwork skills (works well with others) 4.5Initiative 4.4Interpersonal skills (relates well with others) 4.4Problem-solving skills 4.4Analytical skills 4.3Flexibility/ adaptability 4.2Computer skills 4.1Technical skills 4.1Detail orientation 4.0Organizational skills 4.0

The data list communication skills as the top quality.

It means that it is very important to improve student’s communication skills in order they may become ‘the highly targeted’ prospective employees.

Communication Communication is central to all activities we perform. In

fact, it is central to our very existence. Since the time we are born we start to communicate. A baby communicates its needs and wants initially crying. Later on it starts to babble, then gradually learns, to speak in words. It also quickly learns to combine these words to make sentences.

The term communication is derived from the Latin word 'communis' which means common. Thus communication is making common--ideas, opinions or information (Sethi & Adhikari, 2010)

Daniel Goleman in Social Intellegence (2007) said that communication is the primary way that we connect with others i.e., sharing of ideas, opinions or information

Communication (definition)

Sethi & Adhikari (2010) summarize definitions of communication by some experts:

1. “ the interchange of thoughts, opinions or information by speech, writing or signs” (Robert Anderson )

2. “the sum of all things one person does when he wants to create understanding in the mind of another; it involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening and understanding “(Louis)

3. “transfer of information and understanding from one person to another. It is a way of reaching others with facts, ideas, thoughts and values” (Keith Davis ).

4. "Communication is the process by which information is transmitted between individuals and/or organizationa so that an understandin and response develops.“ (Peter Little)

5. "an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more persons". (W.H. Newman and C.F. Summer Jr. )

Based on the above definitions there are certain characteristics of communication which can be identified. These are:

1. Communication involves at least two persons--the sender and the receiver

2. It involves transfer of ideas, facts, emotions, gestures, symbols and action from sender to receiver.

3. Understanding is an essential component of communication i.e., the ideas, opinions, emotions etc. conveyed should be accurately replicated in the receivers mind.

4. Communication may be intentional or unintentional.

5. The purpose of communication is to elicit action, inform or to express a certain point of view.

6. Communication is a two way process i.e., feedback from the reciever to the sender is an essential component of communication.

7. Communication is a dynamic process i.e., it grows and develops.

8. Communication is systemic i.e., every component of the process is affected by every other component. For example, if there is a fault in the telephone (channel of communication) it will affect the message received by the receiver.

Models of Communication(Putra & Pratiwi: 2005)

Oral Communicati

on

•Interpersonal •Presentation•Discussion

Written Communicati

on•Report Writing

Roles of Communication  Marriage counselors emphasized the importance of

communication. They point out that the failure of some marriages is not caused primarily by troubles and problems or even by conflict because all marriages encounter challenges and conflict. A major distinction between relationship that endure and those that collapse is effective communication.

  When companies are surveyed to find out what applicant

qualities they consider most important, communication tops the list (Schneider, 1999).

Health-care professionals must communicate effectively to explain medical problems to patients, describe courses of treatment, and gain information from patients and their families.

Roles of….(2) To be effective citizens in a democracy must be

able to express ideas and evaluate the ideas of others

In the work place, poor communication means that errors and misunderstanding occurs, messages must be repeated, productivity suffer, and sometimes people lose jobs.

No matter what our career goals are, including being a teacher, developing strong communication skills will enhance our professional success.

Elements of Communication

Message Sender

Receiver

Medium Noise

Gallery Walk

The term Gallery Walk is derived from the practice of patrons of the arts walking through a gallery.

Each piece of art represents expert performance focused on a different topic and employing different technical strategies.

The same process has been used with teachers (Marzano, Robert J., Frontier, Tiny and Livingston, David, 2011: 77).

What’s GW… (2) For students, Gallery Walk is a chance to read different

solutions and provide oral and written feedback to improve the clarity and precision of a solution.

On the other hand, for teachers, it is a chance to determine the range of subject evident (i.e., English, Mathematics) in the different solutions and to hear students’ responses to their classmate’s mathematical thinking.

Such assessment for learning data help the teacher to determine points of emphasis, elaboration and clarification for the ensuing whole class discussion (Fosnot & Dolk, 2002).

The Purposes of GW The purpose of the Gallery Walk is to have

students and the teacher engage with a range of solutions through analysis and response (Fosnot & Dolk, 2002).

The gallery walk provides such an opportunity, allowing students to address interesting, open-ended science questions using the terminology and language of the discipline (Francek, 2012).

Steps In Gallery Walk First, the instructor prepares several

discussion questions. Second, questions are posted on different

"stations" on classroom walls, placed on pieces of paper on desks in different locations around class, or typed on different computers.

Third, at each posted question a student team reviews what previous groups have written and adds new content.

Step In… Fourth, as students discuss questions, the

instructor can circulate around the classroom, clarifying questions, gauging student understanding, and addressing misconceptions.

Fifth, when the group returns to the station where it started, the group synthesizes comments and makes an oral report, the "reports out" phase of Gallery Walk," to the class.

Steps In Gallery Walk

Diagram for Gallery Walk rotation Scheme

Writer’s Empirical Experience

On the writer’s experience, the lecturer needs to modify the steps of conducting gallery walk considering the students’ condition though still mostly adapt the common steps given by experts.

The following are the writer’s steps in teaching short story through gallery walk:

Empirical Experience:

First, on the previous meeting, lecturer divides the students into groups of five. Each group should prepare a display based on the topics given related to a certain short story, such as the intrinsic elements of the short story ( plot, character and characterization, setting, point of view, and theme).

Empirical Experience…

Second, on the D-day, groups put their own displays on the wall as their galleries. Before the play begins, each group divides the member to be hosts and visitors. If the members of the group number 5 students, it can be two students act as hosts, and three students act as visitors.

The hosts keep the gallery to welcome and serve the visitors.

Empirical Experience…

The visitors visiting other galleries are learning, discussing, analyzing, and giving comment of others’ galleries. They take notes and give comments on the color cards; appreciation and advice. After visiting all galleries, the visitors are back to their own galleries and now the turn of the hosts do what the visitors did.

Empirical Experience…

Third, during the students visiting other galleries, the lecturer circulates all the galleries to appreciate and evaluate the displays, gauge students’ knowledge and understanding, investigate if there are misconceptions, and other interesting things from these whole students activities.

Empirical Experience…

Fourth, the groups write a report and present it in front of the class. The report will be about what they have on their own displays and the comments from the visitors. Here the students learn to do a public speaking for the whole class.

Empirical Experience…

Fifth, lecturer gives reinforcement, correcting students misconception, and appreciating students’ work. It is also possible if the lecturer gives a formal evaluation or a quiz about the topic and the gallery walk process.

How GW Improve Student’s Communication Skills

How GW Improve Student’s Communication Skills

Conclusion

Communication skills is very important for student’s future career development.

Gallery walk can be applied in the class rooms

Gallery walk may improve student’s communication skills.

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