As part of my continuing education, I am taking a class on Communication. In doing so, I have a requirement to make a training on Communication and it's needs in the classroom. This training includes learning about strategies that are beneficial in a classroom setting.
I teach in Anchorage Alaska, in one of the most diverse school districts in the nation. We have over 110 different languages spoken in our school district. Only about 80% of ASD families speak English at home. This is a very different climate that the one I grew up in. I grew up in Rural Idaho. Where there were basically only 2 ethnicities: White and Hispanic. There was no diversity, there was no cultural dilemmas. Everyone even Hispanics spoke English. I came from an area that had a lot of ethnocentrism and have had to change my beliefs substantially because of it.
One of my biggest challenges has been with the Alaska Native population. I had 1 student from the “bush”, a village in a remote part of Alaska who his entire goal in life was to return to the village and live on the government subsidies and welfare. I had another student who had a sister that was sold into prostitution by a parent. Neither of these students were concerned about doing work or staying on task, because their family lives were so challenging and so different from my background, I had to use multiple strategies to communicate with them without showing my ethnocentrism. With these 2 students, I had to change my vocabulary, I had to encourage them to be engaged using multiple strategies, and I had to provide them with alternate learning and testing options.
Some things that you can include are: eliminating figurative language/slang/jargon from your vocabulary, slow down when speaking, use non-verbal skills effectively, maintain respect for cultural diversity, keep presentations brief and straightforward, and ask positive questions and rephrase as needed, and ask for feedback on ways they prefer to communicate.
Verbal vs. Nonverbal Communication
Non-Verbal communication is the ability to present an idea or thought without the use of sound waves. These are a few of the non-verbal communications you will see in my classroom: a gentle nod, proximity to students, a thumbs up or down, a look acknowledged by the student, a tap with the index finger on the edge of the student’s desk, raised eyebrows, giving a “one-minute” finger signal, a yellow card placed on the student’s desk, and sometimes a shake of the head indicating “no” by the teacher. Each of these allow the student to have a message conveyed without any sound or disruption of the class happening.
Verbal Communication is a sound that conveys a thought or idea. If the non-verbal cues are not working, I may give a gentle reminder verbally to the student. This may be in the form of a question posed to the student, an “I” statement on what I am observing, or a direct call out of the misbehavior.
I have found in my classroom that 90% of behavior can be mitigated through the use of non-verbal communication. Only 10% of the time do we need to use a verbal communication method
Teacher vs Student Expectations of Communication
Communication is a transmitter of some message, be that as a verbal transmitter or nonverbal transmitter. We not only need to look at how that item is communicated but also how it is received. There is a great childhood game called, “Telephone”. This is a great example of how the interpretation of the message may distort because of many factors: not hearing correctly, biased opinions of the sender or receiver, misinterpretation of the word, etc.
As eloquently put by a BYU instructor, “Different people can hear the same message and understand it in totally different ways. As teachers, we have a responsibility to do all we can to help every student succeed. This will require us to use judgment and be flexible…” (BYU-Idaho Learning and Teaching, n.d.). So, we need to be able to understand what student’s expectations are as well as be able to be flexible in giving our expectations.
Technology has changed our medium in delivering that communication, but the idea remains that we need to know what each other expects. “At a time when technology and innovations have really taken charge, there exists a gap in communication between students and teachers. All teachers have once been students, and many times they want to help and be more effective.” (Imafidon, 2015) To be more effective and help the students we must know what they expect and be able to mesh our beliefs, biases, and expectations to theirs.
“Managing expectations is key to completing any endeavor. CEOs understand the strengths of their team when delegating responsibilities. Parents try to be realistic when raising children. And, as per best practices, educators try to meet students where they are. Managing our own teacher expectations can be difficult, though, because we work with an unpredictable bunch: kids.” (5 Teacher Expectations—and the Realities That Shatter Them, 2019)
The diagram attached shows the commonalities between what our actual expectations are and the overlapping areas we agree are important. If we can mesh these together, we will be better educators and have higher academic results.
Letter to Parents
Technology is amazing! With all the new apps and websites, it allows us to stay in contact even when life is hectic. As a parent, you need to be able to not only communicate with me directly but may also need to have methods to monitor/track your students learning. This communication method needs to be in the form of easy to use, quick, and informative. However not every parent communicates in the same method, so I am providing several tools in different mediums to address each group desired methods.
I have several tools I use to help the communication flow with ease between the classroom and you. Those tools are:
Remind is a free, safe mobile and desktop messaging app that allows families to be up to date with the goings-on of the classroom. It allows parents and teachers to send text, PDF’s, voice clips, & photos directly to an individual, a group, or the entire class. To join my Remind class, you will need to log into Remind, create an account, and then use my unique class code to join the class. My code is: @johneast (This is the first 4 of my last name and the slang name for the high school your child attends).
My district website is located at: www.teaching-for-our-times.weebly.com. On this website, you will find so many amazing things. Each class has a tab across the top, i.e. Algebra I, Pre-Algebra, etc. The home page has links to technology tools, Zangle, and many other things. Each class site has downloads of textbook, workbooks, videos, and other resources you or your student may need.
Each month, I create a newsletter that will be sent out with your student. It is a quick reference on what we are learning each month in class. It will include any major projects, assignments, activities that we will be doing in the classroom. It will also have information about how to contact me.
I also have a YouTube channel. On this channel, you will find videos on the topics we are learning in class, including example problems, lectures, and videos relating content to real life. The website is: https://www.youtube.com/user/jgjohnsonuaamat
Having multiple methods for communicating with students, parents, and families allows us to help your student meet their educational goals. Please reach out to me if you have any questions.
Thanks, Jennifer Johnson , East High Math Teacher
Works Cited:
5 Teacher Expectations—and the Realities That Shatter Them. (2019, September 3). Hey Teach! https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/5-teacher-expectations-realities-that-shatter-them1909.html
BYU-Idaho Learning and Teaching. (n.d.). BYU-Idaho Learning and Teaching. https://learningandteaching.byui.edu/perspective-magazine/communicating--high--expectations--increase--student-
Imafidon, C. (2015, March 30). 15 Things Students Really Want From Teachers. Lifehack; Lifehack. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/15-things-students-really-want-from-teachers.html
I teach in Anchorage Alaska, in one of the most diverse school districts in the nation. We have over 110 different languages spoken in our school district. Only about 80% of ASD families speak English at home. This is a very different climate that the one I grew up in. I grew up in Rural Idaho. Where there were basically only 2 ethnicities: White and Hispanic. There was no diversity, there was no cultural dilemmas. Everyone even Hispanics spoke English. I came from an area that had a lot of ethnocentrism and have had to change my beliefs substantially because of it.
One of my biggest challenges has been with the Alaska Native population. I had 1 student from the “bush”, a village in a remote part of Alaska who his entire goal in life was to return to the village and live on the government subsidies and welfare. I had another student who had a sister that was sold into prostitution by a parent. Neither of these students were concerned about doing work or staying on task, because their family lives were so challenging and so different from my background, I had to use multiple strategies to communicate with them without showing my ethnocentrism. With these 2 students, I had to change my vocabulary, I had to encourage them to be engaged using multiple strategies, and I had to provide them with alternate learning and testing options.
Some things that you can include are: eliminating figurative language/slang/jargon from your vocabulary, slow down when speaking, use non-verbal skills effectively, maintain respect for cultural diversity, keep presentations brief and straightforward, and ask positive questions and rephrase as needed, and ask for feedback on ways they prefer to communicate.
Verbal vs. Nonverbal Communication
Non-Verbal communication is the ability to present an idea or thought without the use of sound waves. These are a few of the non-verbal communications you will see in my classroom: a gentle nod, proximity to students, a thumbs up or down, a look acknowledged by the student, a tap with the index finger on the edge of the student’s desk, raised eyebrows, giving a “one-minute” finger signal, a yellow card placed on the student’s desk, and sometimes a shake of the head indicating “no” by the teacher. Each of these allow the student to have a message conveyed without any sound or disruption of the class happening.
Verbal Communication is a sound that conveys a thought or idea. If the non-verbal cues are not working, I may give a gentle reminder verbally to the student. This may be in the form of a question posed to the student, an “I” statement on what I am observing, or a direct call out of the misbehavior.
I have found in my classroom that 90% of behavior can be mitigated through the use of non-verbal communication. Only 10% of the time do we need to use a verbal communication method
Teacher vs Student Expectations of Communication
Communication is a transmitter of some message, be that as a verbal transmitter or nonverbal transmitter. We not only need to look at how that item is communicated but also how it is received. There is a great childhood game called, “Telephone”. This is a great example of how the interpretation of the message may distort because of many factors: not hearing correctly, biased opinions of the sender or receiver, misinterpretation of the word, etc.
As eloquently put by a BYU instructor, “Different people can hear the same message and understand it in totally different ways. As teachers, we have a responsibility to do all we can to help every student succeed. This will require us to use judgment and be flexible…” (BYU-Idaho Learning and Teaching, n.d.). So, we need to be able to understand what student’s expectations are as well as be able to be flexible in giving our expectations.
Technology has changed our medium in delivering that communication, but the idea remains that we need to know what each other expects. “At a time when technology and innovations have really taken charge, there exists a gap in communication between students and teachers. All teachers have once been students, and many times they want to help and be more effective.” (Imafidon, 2015) To be more effective and help the students we must know what they expect and be able to mesh our beliefs, biases, and expectations to theirs.
“Managing expectations is key to completing any endeavor. CEOs understand the strengths of their team when delegating responsibilities. Parents try to be realistic when raising children. And, as per best practices, educators try to meet students where they are. Managing our own teacher expectations can be difficult, though, because we work with an unpredictable bunch: kids.” (5 Teacher Expectations—and the Realities That Shatter Them, 2019)
The diagram attached shows the commonalities between what our actual expectations are and the overlapping areas we agree are important. If we can mesh these together, we will be better educators and have higher academic results.
Letter to Parents
Technology is amazing! With all the new apps and websites, it allows us to stay in contact even when life is hectic. As a parent, you need to be able to not only communicate with me directly but may also need to have methods to monitor/track your students learning. This communication method needs to be in the form of easy to use, quick, and informative. However not every parent communicates in the same method, so I am providing several tools in different mediums to address each group desired methods.
I have several tools I use to help the communication flow with ease between the classroom and you. Those tools are:
- Remind – a two-way texting tool
- My district website – a location to see what your student is doing on a regular basis
- Monthly Newsletter – a quick snapshot of what the class has done and what we are learning
- YouTube videos – a location for teaching lesson videos
Remind is a free, safe mobile and desktop messaging app that allows families to be up to date with the goings-on of the classroom. It allows parents and teachers to send text, PDF’s, voice clips, & photos directly to an individual, a group, or the entire class. To join my Remind class, you will need to log into Remind, create an account, and then use my unique class code to join the class. My code is: @johneast (This is the first 4 of my last name and the slang name for the high school your child attends).
My district website is located at: www.teaching-for-our-times.weebly.com. On this website, you will find so many amazing things. Each class has a tab across the top, i.e. Algebra I, Pre-Algebra, etc. The home page has links to technology tools, Zangle, and many other things. Each class site has downloads of textbook, workbooks, videos, and other resources you or your student may need.
Each month, I create a newsletter that will be sent out with your student. It is a quick reference on what we are learning each month in class. It will include any major projects, assignments, activities that we will be doing in the classroom. It will also have information about how to contact me.
I also have a YouTube channel. On this channel, you will find videos on the topics we are learning in class, including example problems, lectures, and videos relating content to real life. The website is: https://www.youtube.com/user/jgjohnsonuaamat
Having multiple methods for communicating with students, parents, and families allows us to help your student meet their educational goals. Please reach out to me if you have any questions.
Thanks, Jennifer Johnson , East High Math Teacher
Works Cited:
5 Teacher Expectations—and the Realities That Shatter Them. (2019, September 3). Hey Teach! https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/5-teacher-expectations-realities-that-shatter-them1909.html
BYU-Idaho Learning and Teaching. (n.d.). BYU-Idaho Learning and Teaching. https://learningandteaching.byui.edu/perspective-magazine/communicating--high--expectations--increase--student-
Imafidon, C. (2015, March 30). 15 Things Students Really Want From Teachers. Lifehack; Lifehack. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/15-things-students-really-want-from-teachers.html