Individual

Essay

Effective communication, both within the classroom and the community around it, is the most
critical aspect of maximising learning for students in the primary school setting. Discuss

To maximise students learning, effective communication between teachers and students is
critically important. Smith and Laws (1992) had supported this view by suggesting that learning
takes place through interpersonal communications between students and teachers. To
elaborate, teachers who value the importance of communication are more likely to have a
positive effect on students development than those who do not value communication (Mercer,
2008). Drawing on my classroom experiences, I had noticed that questioning is a common
feature to effective communication (Levin & Nolan, 2004; Smith & Laws, 1992; Sutherland,
2014). Smith and Laws (1992) had claimed that questioning is more effective when it is pitched at
a level that is conceptually appropriate for the students. Additionally, Ive learnt that questions
need to be asked clearly, followed by a silence to allow students time to think before expressing
their ideas (Smith & Laws, 1994). While this is the case, Smith and Laws (1994) had failed to
recognise that paraphrasing is another way to check for students understanding. Groundwater-
Smith, Ewing and Le Cornu (2014) had emphasised that paraphrasing helps educators to check
for students interpretation. Drawing on my classroom experience, I became to better
comprehend that educators can also use paraphrasing to help let the students know that they
understood their ideas and thoughts (Groundwater-Smith et al., 2014). Furthermore, through my
classroom experiences, I am able to have a clearer understanding that effective communication
involves a two-way action. Teachers need to acknowledge students responses by providing
verbal and non-verbal constructive feedback (Smith & Laws, 1994). In addition, Gordon (1974)
had recognised that feedback also allows students to know that their ideas are respected,
understood and accepted (p.88). Drawing on my classroom experience, teachers were
constantly providing students with verbal and written feedback about what they have done well
and what they could do better. Hattie (2009) had highlighted that feedback is the most effective
interaction that helps support students achievement.