How I speak
I have had a lot of experience as a public speaker.I find I must communicate differently as a teacher. One form is straight direction. and the other as "teacher" involves knowing the whole student including learning styles personal styles and languages. I teach in a multilingual school and a word in English may not carry the same meaning in their language. what are you thoughts on this problem?
Ruth,
yes, and making them comfortable takes on many forms that we need to remember & consider.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree, learning should be fun and enjoyable. When the student is comfortable, they seems to learn more.
Amber,
absolutely & really engage those students in the classroom conversation.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Entertaining, conversation, great eye contact and speaking to the group but looking into the eyes of each individual student while moving about the room is a positive that has worked. Dialogue techniques should include letting the student make his or her statement and finding a way to compliment their response or finding how to show another way of looking at the question. I do not care to tell the student is wrong so I try to find a way to make part of the statement correct and give another view point on what the answer is. In my smaller classes, I like to sit in a chair, with wheels, and move about the small group and "talk" about the subject and ask a question or two in a face-to-face manner. Students enjoy the relaxed non-lecture style of instruction and the participation is high in theses classes. I agree that dialogue is important and making the class a fun place to learn is beneficial. Note: I teach/talk to an older adult group of students.
Dialogue is very important, especially using a positive tone and not speaking in a monotone fashion. Make learning fun by using your voice!
I think i good dialogue is very important when communicating with students
Another word that comes to mind is I like to "dialogue" when working with students. It should be about the conversation and not lecture, talking to or directing.
I like the information about managaing a classroom that seems to run away from you with chatter among themselves on a topic I may be discussing that is of interest to them. While I invite the engagement and am thrilled that they are actively listening to knowledge being imparted, they can often times tend to all want to comment and the classroom discussion ends up among themselves. I appreciate the instruction on how to manage this situation in a polite and driect manner that will not insult anyone in particular or discourage further classroom discussions. Excellent information and techniques that I will definitely use. I also like the suedo-microphone techniques as well, which i think could be humorous if done in a timely manner, again, gaining control of the discussion while keeping the student's positive and in a happy state of mind going forward in learning.
I try to remember what it was like when I was learning and tell how I was able to overcome my own difficulties. I am trying to bring our levels to a place where we can meet.
Jack,
yes, clarity in our speaking & our message is vital especially with our students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Nancy,
there are definitely differences between public speaking & teaching; one of the main ones I have found is in discussion. I like to use a lot of discussion in my teaching, whereas in public speaking it tends to be more presentational. With the differences in words, I think awareness is the next step & then making sure to highlight the English meaning for those students who are still learning the language.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The communication methods for me are a little diffrent depending on the student im dealing with!
i do think that you must speak clearly and direct to the people that you are trying to talk to and so they will follow along and keep them engaged.
