The Importance Of Classroom Communication Structures

Education may be the mold of our future, but the mold behind education is teachers. Behind all intelligent students lays a common factor, teachers. This paper will be focused on the discourse community which lays within the walls of James Bowie Elementary in Richardson, Texas. From interviews and observations to external research, I have been able to find and understand the most important aspect of this chosen community, communication. Communication is a vital role in this community because not only is it the way that they communicate with their peers, but when teachers communicate with each other they are showing their students how to do it. To begin, I brainstormed about my knowledge of this community. From the time I was a child to now,

Ebony, a university student, finds herself in two classes, each with their own unique atmosphere. Interpersonal Communication comes first and is taught by Professor Gardner, who has been teaching for 20 years. Organizational Communication is her second class, taught by Professor Morgan, who is younger than Professor Gardner. Each professor has a different style of teaching and opinion on how students learn most efficiently. Professor Gardner sets out his expectations, rules of conduct, and strict no-technology policy on the first day of class; he values structure and consistency for his students. Professor Morgan does not present rules for her class; she does not mind if students come in late or leave early, and appreciates the use of technology for the purpose of adapting the learning environment for each student. Professor Morgan values freedom and self-responsibility for her students. Ebony loves Interpersonal Communication, and notices that the students, when provided with structure, tend to thrive, communicate freely, and connect with other students right away. There is a lot of laughter involved, and most everyone knows each other’s names. In Organizational Communication, however, Ebony feels lost and out of touch with the path of the class. She finds that the spontaneity of Professor Morgan is more confusing than helpful; Ebony senses the disconnect between students, as most of them do not know each other’s names. Professor

Each individual conveys their ideas in unique ways. Men and women in particular express themselves in drastically different ways. In “How Male and Female Students Use Language Differently,” Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, experiments with the causes of classroom dynamics. Tannen opens her discussion by exploring the beginning stages of learning communication skills and then fast forwards to adulthood. Tannen uses research from sociologists and anthropologists such as Lever, Goodwin, and Eder as well as insight from Walter Ong to add credibility and to create a foundation for her explanation of the causes of classroom dynamics. Tannen expands on this research from cultural and behavioral professionals by creating an experiment in her own classroom to demonstrate that communication skills learned and cemented in younger years, combined with a “ritual opposition” setting, produce classroom dynamics.

As a student experiencing formal education for over 15 years, writing essays, research papers and narrative stories presents itself as nothing new. Every student has a specific writing method ingrained in his or her brain and after years of practice, very little thought goes into creating a formal literary piece. The Lunsford humanizes the methodology of producing quality writing and it characterizes a piece of writing into something more than just a class assignment. Rhetorical situations delve into the complexity of communication through writing. Surrounding the context of a piece of writing there is a topic that needs to be clearly stated, an opinion to be portrayed, and an audience to be thought about. An appropriate topic for a writer to elaborate on is one that either puzzles or interests them. This allows the writer to be engaged in his or her writing and provide a method of effective communication. The opinion on the topic allows the writer to be individual and portray the

Deborah Tannen, in her essay “Sex, Lies and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and women to Talk to Each Other?” attempts to explain the conversational barriers between men and women. Tannen talks about how conversation with the opposite sex is “cross- cultural” (404) which helps to make sense of the miscommunications shared between men and women. Tannen writes that, “Boys and girls tend to play with children of their own gender, and their sex-separate groups have different organizational structures and interactive norms” (406). For boys, they grow bonds with each other by doing things together. As opposed to the way girls grow bonds with each other, since their bonds are founded on solid conversation and secret-sharing. This is where all of the conversational

Good communication is a criterion that sets many students apart in terms of traits. This is useful when building any form of rapport between them and the lecture or tutor. A student that respectfully communicates has also come out as self-motivated and is more likely to get more help from the teacher since their problems are aired out effectively. Students that do not communicate can be misjudged and mistaken for lack of motivation and self-confidence. In addition, students who are good communicators are made, not born (Floyd, 2013).

In the education world of today, it is understood that one can only be effective in teaching by taking into consideration the different learning styles of students. In a classroom, it is expected that teachers would want their students to acquire a meaningful knowledge base, become proficient problem solvers and learn how to work productively with others (Biehler and Snowman, 2006, p. 370). If this is the case, teachers need to know how to be able to develop this situation in the classroom and make it more conducive to learning. Therefore, it would seem that they need to encourage students to converse with each other with group discussions and assignments, to make sure they are active in

Essentially building upon their learning needs brick by brick. Chapter two has a few sections under the theme Characteristics of Thoughtful talk. Ballenger describes the difference between the way some students speak during classroom discussions versus free play when the conversation is not based on academic topics. She states “I may think they are making jokes or wasting time, or that they are confused and need help, like Rubens, when he suggested the sun was alive-but it usually turns out they are thinking in constructive ways. When I have this principle in mind, I participate less and allow the children more room to explain themselves.”(57) This example is how an educator can step outside of expected norms and meet children where their culture and imagination can work

Classroom discourse is the language of the classroom. It helps to develop our minds and is a way to express our thoughts. When language is done correctly it grabs and makes others pay attention. As a teacher, we expect our students to use academic language to voice their opinions. It is our hope that it is not just a language to be used in the classroom but one the students carry with them outside the schoolhouse. A part of creating a thriving classroom environment that sets standards develops language and promotes classroom structure is to understand how the environment and the relationship between teacher and student impact the learning

‘Good communication skills are essential for children to reach their potential in life: in friendships and relationships, at school and emotionally.’

In terms of education, talk can be defined as everyday uses of spoken language and it refers to the act of both speaking and listening (Bearne, 1998). (Mercer, 1995)categorised talk in three ways; cumulative, disputational and exploratory. Cumulative talk is when pupils work together in pairs to gain a shared knowledge about a subject, disputational talk is mostly short controversial utterances in the form of a debate and exploratory helps people work together by using each other’s ideas critically. Mercer’s three categories of talk are examples of the types of talk that can be found in the classroom environment. This essay will consider will examine the importance of the talk in the classroom and the challenges of it, with specific reference to storytelling.

Dialogic strategies are gaining growing support as an alternative to the typical monologic approach to classroom discussions (Corcoran & Silander, 2009). A monologic approach is when the teacher asks a question, a student responds, and the teacher evaluates the student’s response. In a dialogic approach, there is a discussion facilitated by the teacher, that leads students to developing an understanding of the text they are engaging with, or an understanding of the content they are discussing (Corcoran & Silander, 2009). When students engage in dialogue they are collaborating with their peers to construct an understanding of the text, and they are utilizing their own prior knowledge, to make meaning of a text (Lightner

Interactions between teachers and students in regards to teacher talk is one of the most important learning tools used in the classroom. Talk moves are tools for building an environment that serves a range of productive interactional, social and intellectual learning functions in the classroom (Edwards-Groves, 2014). They are enabled and constrained by the “sayings, doings and relatings present in classrooms” and prompt responses from students (Edwards-Groves, 2014, p1). Teacher talk is a large part of how students learn, through models such as ‘Initiate, Respond, Evaluate’ (IRE). The IRE model involved the teacher asking questions and giving appropriate feedback to the student’s response to help them understand the reasons behind their response. The Scaffolding Interaction Cycle (SIC) is another important tool, which involved teachers scaffolding a students’ response to engage higher learning functions. It is important to consider Bull and Anstey’s three-style model, consisting of pedagogy of school, pedagogy of literacy lessons and pedagogy of literacy learning (Anstey and Bull, 1996). Pedagogy of school involves the teacher and the student conversing in a Q&A like manner, or a ‘guess-what’s-in-my-head’ approach taken by the teacher. The pedagogy of literacy lessons involves the students carrying out the teacher’s instructions but not making the connection to what they are learning. There is a time where these styles may be useful, but

As mentioned prior, students in middle school are going through significant changes. This means that there must be a clear path of communication between the parents/guardians and the educator. Parent-teacher conferences are a great way for parents to be involved in the learning environment. Through these conferences, parents can learn how their adolescent is performing in class. These conferences not only address academic progress, but also behavioral needs. It is common for students to act up for attention or to look cool in the middle grades. With parent-teacher conferences, the parent(s) can be made aware of any negative behaviors that need to be addressed. Another approach is a school newsletter, which I personally really like. Within the newsletter can be important upcoming dates, shout-outs, and relevant information. I really enjoy the idea of newsletters being sent home versus emailed. This is because I have students who do not have internet access at home. It is not fair for those students and parents to miss out if they do not have internet access. The communication line between parents/guardians and the educator is critical in the middle level. It is crucial for me to fulfill my role as an educator and communicating with the families. If I push this topic to the side, it is my student who suffers. It is not fair to my student to suffer if I do not perform my job the proper way.

As a future educator there are many ideas or philosophies on how teachers should teach students. Students learn best when they are able to relate to the material that is being taught. Cohen (1999) writes, “This educational philosophy stresses that students should test ideas by active experimentation. Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world” The curriculum is based on the needs, ability, and experiences that the student has. From the curriculum, teachers create lessons that influence their students to actively participate and encourage development. The teacher is merely an organizer who offers encouragement as well as prompting the students to use critical thinking skills by challenging them with questions. Students then use this skill to cooperate in groups as well as discuss view point that they may not agree with. This form of duel communication is a skill that allows the student to become more comfortable with their social skills as well as team working.