Interesting article

Communication: Facilitating and Assessing the 21st Century Skills in Education

“Every art communicates because it expresses. It enables us to share vividly and deeply in meanings… For communication is not announcing things… Communication is the process of creating participation, of making common what had been isolated and singular… the conveyance of meaning gives body and definiteness to the experience of the one who utters as well as to that of those who listen.” – John Dewey

The idea of Communication really is more then a skill… it is a foundation for learning. A baby learns the art of Communication through the very need to Communicate. When students first begin their schooling they are are filled with the desire to communicate. They understand that communication is a two way street. Somewhere along the way learning in school begins to become a one way street. Students become communicated at , expected to absorb knowledge through listening. While listening is a communication skill, it is only part of the communication necessary for authentic learning to take place.

A classroom that allows students to not just listen, but to reflect and communicate with teachers, other students, and mentors provides a whole new scope to the standards and related learning possibilities. Various avenues of communication provide students different opportunities to learn while facilitating those important communication skills. Students can see how texting, emailing, video conferencing, Socratic Seminars, online discussions, and face to face conversation all provides different  takes when communicating. They begin to see how Communication connects with effective Collaboration. It is true that Communication pushes critical thinking by allowing the visualization of a student’s  thinking and the thinking of others. Students are allowed to see how creativity can be used to make their own Communication more powerful. Compare a Ted Style talk to a typical power point. Students must realize that a presentation is more about Communication then the technology prop being used.

The John Dewey quote …“the conveyance of meaning gives body and definiteness to the experience of the one who utters as well as to that of those who listen” presents an amazing picture of what learning in a classroom should look like. How do we create a classroom that exemplifies this style of powerful Communication? The teacher must be intentional and guide students. There still must be moments following student exploration and collaboration where the teacher provides or facilitates Communication. Concurrently, teachers must make sure that their lessons allow for students to practice all avenues of Communications!  Often, this practice can be seen in STEM and PBL classrooms. It is exciting to see students discuss, listen, debate, question, persuade, reflect, and explain their thoughts as they conquer the standards. What tools do we have that help provide and facilitate a Communication experience that provides the opportunity for authentic and deeper learning?

Welcome to the resources! I think it is important to define and promote Communication though its various attributes. The facilitation must be intentional with appropriate scaffolds in place. I hope you find the resources below helpful. Taking the journey toward students centered classroom rich in Communication is a wonderful and rewarding journey for you and your students. Start out taking a few steps with a rubric, a student reflection, or a small lesson. Before you know it your students will take you the rest of the way.  Please enjoy the resources below and be sure to share with others!

Ten Reasons to Promote Communications in the Classroom

1. Provides students the opportunity to own and internalize their learning by providing an explanation to others.
2. Facilitates critical thinking by pushing students to visualize their thinking and the thinking of others.
3. Allows students to practice actively listening providing other viewpoints while building empathy and understanding for diversity
4. Supports the ability to Communicate in various ways depending on situation and resources available.
5. Encourages students to reflect and  visualize their thinking and important concepts in content and connections between multiple content and real-world concepts.
6. Allows for the progression from surface learning, to deeper learning, to a final transfer of learning through reflection on multiple viewpoints, disciplines, and possibilities
7. Provides an avenue to explore the strengths and weaknesses of different forms of communication involving face to face, virtual, oral, and written.
8. Supports the power of individual and group voice.
9. Provides important avenues of communication that allows for active listening, persuasion, healthy discourse, multiple viewpoints, and needed empathy.
10. Builds the ability to convey a message though knowledge of content along with the ability to deliver a message in powerful and effective ways