1. The most important communication skills - I would have to say are verbal and written. Why, because as a professor you have to talk in the classroom - it is a given. And two, you must have a syllabus, the written part. While eye contact and such are fine and help to enhance things, these are two are essential.
2. The two that I would like to improve on - once again, verbal and written. Why, because they are the key essential components/elements.
Greetings Jay!
Conveying a positive attitude and passion for the subject is extremely important because it creates an opportunity to inspire and motivate students. It also sets the tone for an excellent "classroom" environment.
Positive attitude and passion provides a great foundation for learning and helps to engage students, but I am most interested in implementing more class activities to support my lectures. I experience difficulty finding enough time to conduct effective exercises and group activities. Typically there is an abundance of critical content which must be covered. However, I am determined to incorporate the two to four points within 30-minute "mini-lecture" suggestion, followed by a demonstration and/or class activity.
I believe tthat a positive attitude, enthusiasm for subject and being well prepared are most important skills because you need to be able to communicate with students espeically the ones who challenge your authority. You also need to be able to keep the class moving and not have distracting tangents.
Skill i am continually working on are pacing myself during lecture, reinforcing points and keeping the class moving through the daily lesson plan in a timely fashion
I teach Sanitation for a culinary school. To bring home the idea of the pathogen Vibrio, I tell of the time I was vacationing in Mexico and my parents were with us. We wandered way down the coast looking for a spot to snorkel. Along the way we passed a little sea side restaurant and decided to get a bite to eat. I suggested we have only cooked food with no fresh item, such as lettuce or tomatoes that might be washed in the local water. My father insisted on sampling the fresh, raw oysters he saw sitting in a bucket near the door(in the sun). Did I mention that this was in July? Well he ate his raw oyster and spent the rest of the vacation suffering from Food Born Illness - Vibrio, linked to raw oyster from warm waters in the Caribbean during summer month! Text book case if ever there was one.
I find going over key points of the content helps the students to retain the knowledge a lot better. In doing so, I like to use a variety of different mediums ranging from visual slides to terms written on the board, handouts, pop-quizzes etc, that help to reiterate the key points of the lecture.
Eye contact and engagement
Hi Tremayne! Thanks so much for your observation. I too have found that a humorous story or anecdote really breaks the ice and can even support an upcoming point in the content. I love your reference to "pop cultural" examples. If possible, could you mention a couple of examples for the forum?
Jay
ED106
As an instructor, I feel that students are more prone to retain information and participate, when they are relaxed and comfortable. In order to create a relaxed learning environment, I find that using humor and giving periodical, "pop cultural" examples are highly effective.
Although I feel that my skill to communicate is one of my best known skills, I still try to find ways to make improvement. For instance, I have chosen to focus on my tone more, in order to make sure that I am not "too loud" at times, during lecture. I have never received a complaint about being too loud, however it is just my personal self-perception.
Hi Kathleen! I too tend to sometimes speak to quickly. To your point, it is foundationally crucial for an instructor to speak clearly and at an approporiate tone and pace.
I have often slowed my speech down a bit by adding in personal and relevant stories and examples, using a quick mini-activity that supplements the presentation, asking student volunteers to paraphrase a point or concept, having students write a quick summary in their learning journals, or even having a student, who I trust, send me a discrete sign if I am moving too fast.
Thanks for you comments.
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Mehmooda! It sounds as if you utilize several resources in your class and lab environments. Curious, what types of math-based activities do you use in class to supplement your delivery of content?
Thanks very much for your observations.
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Jen! Good point, varying student learning styles are best addressed through the instructor utilizing varying teaching styles, thus incorporating the different communication skills.
As an instructor, do you have a preferred teaching style? How do you maximize that and/or incorporate other styles or techniques that may not be as much of a preference?
Thanks for your comments!
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
I think all communication skills are most important to a diverse learning environment. To cater to varying learning styles, the instructor must display excellent verbal, non-verbal and listening skills.
Reply to question: ability to speak in clear, uncomplicated terms when describing or explaining an issue; to interject experience and/or examples to reinforce the concept.
Personal issues to improve: at times I seem to think more quickly than my speech, even though I tend to speak very quickly. What happens is that my thoughts are on down the road and my speech sometimes gets caught up on the right words. I try to overcome this by glancing at my class outline and sticking to it, rather than going off on the tangent my thoughts are pulling me towards. I have found that a brief outline of the day's topics and relevant examples or stories, keep me on track, speech patterns clear.
Students need a sense of connection with their instructor. Listening is an art we all have to refine and adjust on a daily basis. Good thoughts.
The most important to me is talking with a student. I can get to know their personality and understand their approach to the learning process.
Patience is always something I try to improve. Through patience I can listen, learn, instruct and guide even the most unmotivated student.
I use verbal and written communication the most and look for understanding. Expressions tell a lot. I lkie to use handouts and go over them verbally to expand on what is written. I watch to see if students are taking notes and stop often to ask questions.
I tend to combine words when my mind is moving fast. If I can slow my thoughts down, I speak much more clearly
Hi Young, thanks for your observation! Outlines and summaries may help; I have also had students develop their own key points from a topic and then matched them to the estblished learning objectives.
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Explaining clarity seems to be the most challenging. Sometimes, key points get lost while explaining the concept.
I have always felt that listening is the best communication skill. I find it to be so interesting. Not to say that I don't talk, but so many students are developing their own voice that it is nice to hear what they are saying. Many times you can redirect it to the class and the content within the class.
I am not sure what skill I would like to improve....
Hi James! As you reference, reframing an answer so that others can build on the response not only positively affects a student's self-esteem, but it creates momentum in the learning environment. Unless a student is completely off base, no answer is worthless. I shutter when instructors simply say "No" or "Incorrect" and move to the next student response.
Thanks for your observations,
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
