What is Communication and Why Is It Important?

Communication is the ability to share information with people and to understand what information and feelings are being conveyed by others. Communication can take on many forms including gestures, facial expressions, signs, vocalizations (including pitch and tone), in addition to speech and written communication. Teachers, students and paraeducators frequently use nonverbal methods to communicate. Students often show disinterest in school by avoiding eye contact or sitting back in their chairs with their arms folded across their chests during instruction. Staff members may indicate that they have time to talk but they may show disinterest by grading papers or busying themselves while you are trying to talk. Conversely, a smiling, nodding face indicates that the listener is interested in what we are saying and encourages us to continue. Communication includes a broad range of actions which help the paraeducator work more effectively with students and teachers. Paraeducators interact with many different people during the day, including administrators, teachers, parents, students and other paraeducators. The ability of paraeducators to contribute to the special education program will depend on his or her communication skills. For example, communication is essential for:

understanding roles and assignments, planning and carrying out learning activities, coordinating approaches with students, providing information to teachers on student progress and behaviors, and building a positive relationship with students, teachers and other staff.

Paraeducators should work to establish good rapport and regular communication with the supervising teacher and students. This rapport and communication is especially important when difficulties arise. Without effective communication, conflicts between teachers and paraeducators can be destructive to the operation of a classroom. Responsiveness and sensitivity can open the channels of communication between the paraeducator and the teacher. Teachers and paraeducators need to deal openly with their feelings and attitudes towards their job responsibilities and duties. In order for paraeducators and teachers to be able to get along with one another and to meet the needs of the students, they must become a team that works together to create a learning environment. The paraeducator and teacher should meet daily to discuss the lesson plans and activities, and to air any concerns they might have. By setting aside a time to meet, the paraeducator and teacher can establish and maintain open channels of communication. Open channels of communication are important for several reasons. By talking to the supervising teacher, the paraeducator can convey any special interests, talents, training, or hobbies they might have which could be an asset to instruction or to the classroom. The paraeducator and teacher can also reach an understanding of different backgrounds, experiences, values, cultures, religions and other factors which might affect their working

relationship. The paraeducator must be willing to ask for clarification on tasks, if the assignment is misunderstood, and they must be able to confront the supervising teacher with concerns they might have. As a team, the paraeducator and teacher need to work together to build trust in the working relationship. Just as communication skills are important, listening skills are also needed for effective communication.

Promoting Communication
Effective and open communication promotes an awareness of others interests and needs. Being aware of the necessary skills that will encourage open communication is important when working with others. This lesson addresses several issues related to effective communication. The topics that will be discussed are: roadblocks to communication, using accepting language and listening strategies. Each of these topics will relay information that will lead towards more positive interactions with others.

Roadblocks to Communication
According to Thomas Gordon, author of Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T.), there are thousands of messages that we can send to students by how we communicate with them. They can be grouped into twelve categories, each of which tends to slow or completely stop existing communication that students need to solve problems and continue in their learning. Some typical responses that communicate unacceptance are: 1. Ordering, commanding, directing. Example: "Stop whining and get back to work." 2. Warning, threatening. Example: "You had better get your act together if you expect to pass my class." 3. Moralizing, preaching, giving "shoulds" and "oughts". Example: "You should leave your personal problems out of the classroom." 4. Advising, offering solutions or suggestions. Example: "I think you need to get a daily planner so you can organize your time better to get your homework finished." 5. Teaching, lecturing, giving logical arguments. Example: "You better remember you only have four days to complete that project." These next responses tend to communicate inadequacies and faults: 6. Judging, criticizing, disagreeing, blaming. Example: "You are such a lazy kid. You never do what you say you will." 7. Name-calling, stereotyping, labeling. Example: "Act your age. You are not a kindergartner." 8. Interpreting, analyzing, diagnosing.

Example: "You are avoiding facing this assignment because you missed the directions due to talking." Other messages try to make the student feel better or deny there is a problem: 9. Praising, agreeing, giving positive evaluations. Example: "You are a smart kid. You can figure out a way to finish this assignment." 10. Reassuring, sympathizing, consoling, supporting. Example: "I know exactly how you are feeling. If you just begin, it won't seem so bad." This response tends to try to solve the problem for the student: 11. Questioning, probing, interrogating, cross-examining. "Why did you wait so long to ask for assistance? What was so hard about this worksheet?" These messages tend to divert the student or avoid the student altogether: 12. Withdrawing, distracting, being sarcastic, humoring, diverting. "Seems like you got up on the wrong side of the bed today." Many people are unaware that they respond to students in one of these twelve ways. It is important that we know alternative ways of responding. Many of the above responses have hidden messages when the student hears them. They may hear you saying that they are to blame or that they can't do anything right, when your intention for the message was quite different.

Active Listening:
As an alternative to the roadblocks discussed above, Thomas Gordon uses the technique of active listening to promote communication. Communication has several avenues that can get crossed if the speaker is not clear with the message or the listener decodes it incorrectly. When we use our own words to repeat back what we think the student has just communicated, we are clarifying their message. This "feedback" is called active listening. For example: Student: I don't like this school as much as my old one. People are not very nice." Para: You are unhappy at this school? Student: Yeah. I haven't made any good friends. No one includes me. Para: You feel left out here? Student: Yeah. I wish I knew more people. The paraeducator is verbalizing what he/she thinks the student is saying. This lets the student affirm what the para said or explain their meaning in a different way. Active listening is a powerful tool which helps the paraeducator communicate more productively with the student. Active listening helps the paraeducator more fully understand what the student is saying and also helps the student articulate their concerns. The time it takes to learn and use active listening provides a number of benefits. Active Listening: -Helps students deal with and "defuse" strong feelings. -Helps students understand their own emotions. -Facilitates problem solving.

-Keeps the responsibility with the student. -Makes students more willing to listen to others. -Promotes a closer, more meaningful relationship between para and student.

Factors Affecting Listening

Being aware of the different factors involved in listening will aid in the process of communication. Listening is an important part of effective communication. We need to concentrate on encouraging not only students, but ourselves, to exhibit good listening behaviors and strategies. Listening is a process that involves actively hearing what another person is communicating and attending to that communication. Listening is how we receive the verbal portion of a person's message. By listening, we can show concern and interest in understanding both the person and the situation. Listening can be affected by personal bias, environmental factors, a short attention span, rehearsing a response, daydreaming, hot words, or through the use of filtering. Bias can take on many forms. Personal prejudice can affect how well we listen and how we perceive what the speaker is saying. Anger can also cause distortion of the message. As good communicators, personal bias and anger must be put aside in order to interpret the message. Be willing to listen to new ideas. Make eye contact with the speaker, use nonverbal communication, such as nodding your head or smiling, to show that you are interested. Even if you do not agree with the speakers message, showing acceptance will let the speaker know that you have received their message. Environmental factors, such as noise, temperature and uncomfortable seating can cause us to focus our attention on other factors besides what the speaker is saying. Try to control environmental factors whenever possible. Try adjusting the thermostat, finding another seat, or moving to a quiet place to continue the conversation. It is hard to focus attention when we are constantly distracted by outside forces. Short attention span. As we receive a message, we must attend to it or we will lose it. Some people have trouble remembering points to discuss when the speaker is talking. Try taking notes as the speaker talks, or use a cue to help you remember what you were going to say. If you find your attention wandering, concentrate on what the speaker is saying, and rehearse how you will answer, or what you are going to say to keep your mind on the task at hand. Ask questions to clarify and to become involved in the conversation. Concentration helps you receive accurate information and indicates that you are interested in what the speaker is saying. Rehearsing a response: Many times we catch the drift of what the speaker is saying and we begin to rehearse a response, thereby missing parts of the message. Other times we may be anticipating our turn to speak and will spend time mentally or physically reviewing notes and will miss what the speaker has said.

Daydreaming: We are capable of receiving and processing information more rapidly than a speaker can deliver it. This causes us to have spare time to think or daydream, and if we don't concentrate on the message being delivered, we will find ourselves drifting or daydreaming. Hot Words: We all have certain words that we react to such as, raise in pay, punishment, or compensatory days. Sometimes when a speaker uses a hot word in his/her message we will concentrate more on the meaning of the word, or its implications for us. Consequently, we tend to lose sight of what is being said by the speaker. Filtering: Many times we will be asked to attend a seminar where we exhibit little or no interest in the topic. As listeners, we tend to listen to get an overview of what is going to be presented and then simply tune out the rest of the message.

Communicating with Students Talking with Students

It is important that when we talk with students we are engaging in certain behaviors that facilitate openness and acceptance. When we actively use the recommendations listed below, students tend to be more receptive to listening and communicating with us. Here are some suggestions to use while communicating with students: 1. Posture: Try to make your posture mirror that of the students. It is helpful to have your shoulders squared with the student's and on about the same level so you are faceto-face. It is also helpful to have a slightly forward lean toward the student. 2. Eye Contact: Eye contact with students shows that you are interested in what they have to say. 3. Facial Expression: What is shown on your face should match what is on the child's. Smiling when the child is obviously sad would be an example of an incongruent facial expression. 4. Distance: Distance from the child shouldn't be too close or too distant; about 3 to 4 feet is the average. Standing too close can make the student uncomfortable, while standing too far away can indicate that you are disinterested in what the students is saying. 5. Distracting Behaviors: Distracting behaviors, such as playing with your hands, staring out the window, or doing something else while listening should be eliminated when talking to students or staff members. 6. Voice Quality: Your tone should match the child's. It would be inappropriate to be loud if the child is in a quiet mood.

A few more helpful hints: 1. Establish a positive relationship with the students (respect, courtesy, friendship) 2. Our job is to encourage students rather than to control. 3. Be positive in speaking to the students, avoid "putting them down." 4. When possible, organize ahead of time and think before speaking. 5. Use the student's name. 6. When giving directions, get the student's attention first. 7. Speak in a calm manner. 8. Try to maintain eye contact with the student. 9. Minimize distractions. 10. Let them know why the topic is important. 11. Let them know that you are talking to them for their benefit. 12. Use questions to involve the student and monitor understanding. 13. Include examples from the student's experience. 14. Avoid discussing a student's personal problems when you feel uncomfortable about it. 15. If frustration, anger, or boredom occurs, stop,. 16. Reinforce and support students for listening.

Accepting Language
Acceptance of another is an important factor in fostering a relationship where a person can grow and actualize their full potential. At times, young people become what adults around them continuously tell them they are. Adults seem to think that if we accept a child where they are at, they may not make the changes to become better in the future. Therefore, if one conveys unacceptance, the child is more likely to change. Just the opposite is true. A language of acceptance can open kids up and make them feel more comfortable and at ease. When they know we will accept them no matter what they tell us, we are more likely to see growth. When we communicate in an accepting way, we are using a tool that can facilitate positive effects in students. "Talk can cure, and talk can foster constructive change. But is must be the right kind of talk." -Thomas Gordon, T.E.T.

Initiating and Directing Student Responses

As educators, we ask questions of students on a daily basis. As with any form of communication, the way the question is phrased will affect the quality and type of answer we will receive. The purpose of asking questions to gain information from others. These are called information seeking questions. Other questions may provide information and direct the student to answer in a certain way, or they may clarify or confirm information.

Most of the questions asked of students are direct questions and a specific answer is required. For example,"Can you tell me the answer to #1". This form of question is interrogative and is usually a closed answer question where the student is looking for a specific answer. Questions used to encourage thought and opinion are open ended questions and usually indicate to the student to express a whole range of thoughts. In order to effectively ask questions of students, the following suggestions are listed. 1. Pause effectively before and after asking a question Pausing before you ask a question gives you time to phrase your question. Pausing after you ask your question allows the student to think about their response. 2. Monitor questioning interactions What types of questions do you ask? Do you ask closed questions when what you really wanted was for the student to elaborate on his or her answer? 3. Meaningful questions Monitor how many questions you ask, and the types of questions. Could you make questioning more effective if you asked less questions, more questions, or different types of questions? 4. Check for Understanding It is important that we monitor students' understanding. To check if a student understands what was communicated, ask the student to repeat directions, questions or summarize what was said. By becoming a more effective questioner, you are providing opportunities for students to more openly respond and relay their thoughts. This promotes students to be more reflective and provides situations for them to actively become involved in their learning. By learning more about your style of questioning you will become more effective when asking questions .