Communication is Key
⏱ 10 to 15 minute activity
Let’s have a quick survey as we start this course. Grab a pen and a piece of paper, and go through the following experiences and activities. Check all those that you have experienced in the recent years of teaching during the pandemic:
Have you…
- Downloaded instant messaging platforms such as Facebook messenger, Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc?
- Created a group chat/GC with your learners?
- Created a group chat/GC with your co-teachers?
- Created a social media account to stay connected with your learners/co-teachers?
- Set up synchronous video calls to check in with your learners/co teachers?
- Sent letters (printed or electronic) to communicate school policies for the school year?
- Designed flowcharts to describe communication flow with your learners/co teachers?
- Had miscommunications with your learners/co-teachers over online conversations and interactions?
How many have you experienced? Chances are you’ve experienced a lot of these and more. This goes to show how important communication is in the entire teaching and learning process.
As we explore ways on how we can stay connected with our education stakeholders, let’s have a quick review of the elements of communication.
| Source/Sender: | Source of the message, information, idea or emotion |
| Receiver | The recipient of the message or the intended audience of the sender |
| Message | Contains the information, ideas, opinions, thoughts or emotions |
| Channel | The medium of the means of communication that is used to deliver the message |
| Feedback | Refers to the reactions, responses, or information provided by the receiver |
Let’s try to make an inventory of our existing communication practices with the following stakeholders: learners, co-teachers, and parents/guardians of learners.
Our goal is to gain awareness of the existing communication practices in your school before and during the pandemic.
Here is an example of a worksheet:
* Make sure to hold on to your accomplished worksheet since we will need you to upload it through the exit survey for your certificate of completion
Now that we have an inventory of our existing communication practices we’ll continue our reflection on what’s working and what’s challenging in our communication practices.