Classroom Delivery Skills

Be a Better Public Speaker

Develop skills for lecturing or teaching in a classroom 

There are many factors that influence the effectiveness of education: the curriculum; the information that is included or excluded; the skills and knowledge that the student begins with; choice of physical resources; delivery techniques; the student’s commitment and aptitude; and the teacher’s teaching abilities.

Of overriding significance, however, is the teaching-learning relationship that develops between student and teacher, and that depends to a great extent on how they communicate with each other. Regardless of ability, if the teacher cannot communicate effectively to facilitate and encourage learning, the content of a course or training session will simply not be absorbed as intended. On the other hand, learning is improved when the student is able to communicate his/her needs and understanding.

For successful learning to occur, we require two key human factors:

• An interested, receptive student who can communicate in ways that meet their learning needs
• A teacher who can communicate the required information in a way that is responsive to the needs of the student, and that promotes student learning.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Interpersonal Communication in Education
   • Basic principles of communication
   • Verbal and non-verbal communication
   • Factors affecting communication
   • Self-awareness and communication
   • Reactive patterns
   • Intentions
   • Teacher student ratios
   • Factors affecting communication in a classroom
   • Student diversity
   • Student expectations
   • Teacher's needs and expectations
   • Society and culture
   • Communication and education approaches
   • Teacher-centred and student-centred learning
   • Verbal skills for classroom teaching
   • Questioning skills
   • Lecturing or giving a talk
   • Elements of lecturing.
2. Listening Skills
   • Stages of listening
   • Key elements of listening in a classroom
   • Obstacles to listening
   • Anxiety
   • Hearing
   • Lack of interest
   • Bias
   • Selective attention
   • Negativity
   • Listening skills
   • Active listening
   • Empathic listening
   • Responding to received communications.
3. Understanding Motivation
   • What is motivation
   • Variables of motivation
   • Theories of motivation
   • Maslow's theory of motivation
   • Motivations
   • Primary motivator, Unlearned motivators
   • Secondary or learned motivators
   • Motivation and anxiety
   • Motivation and distress.
4. Motivational factors
   • Incentives
   • Internal and external incentives
   • Relational nature of incentives
   • Enhancing intrinsic motivators
   • Social reinforcers as incentives
   • Influence of groups on individual motivation
   • Social loafing.
5. Applying Motivation to Education
   • Motivation and goals
   • Expectations
   • Vicious and virtuous cycles
   • Practical applications
   • Assessing a person's current situation
   • Dealing with emotions
   • Identifying existing barriers to learning
   • Establishing goals and priorities
   • Locating and applying useful resources.
6. Stress Management
   • Flight or fight response
   • Long term problems
   • What happens when a person is stressed
   • Stress management program.
7. Conflict Management
   • What is conflict
   • Conflict handling techniques
   • Anger
   • Dealing with anger in others
   • Modifying anger
   • Role play and conflict management.
8. Mediation and Negotiation
   • What is negotiation?
   • Establishment groups
   • Community groups
   • Joint problem solving approach
   • Effective negotiating behaviour
   • Mediation
   • Mediator's responsibilities
   • Facilitation
   • Attributes of a good facilitator
   • Balance of power
   • Power imbalance
   • Group work and discussion
   • Conflict training exercises.

Aims

• Explain the role of communication between individuals in optimising the benefit of education.
• Describe and use strategies to improve listening in order to correctly understand what another person is communicating to you.
• Explain motivation as a factor in the teaching-learning situation and in the cultivation of an inquisitive approach to learning.
• Select and cultivate motivational factors appropriate to particular classroom situations.
• Describe practical techniques which can be used by an educator to motivate their students.
• Describe practical techniques that can be used by an educator for managing their own stress, and also assisting students in stress management.
• Identify, analyse and devise methods for dealing with conflict in an education setting.
• Explain how to apply practical techniques to facilitate mediation in conflict situations in an educational setting.

Learn to be a more Effective Teacher

An effective teacher must understand how communication works, and use that understanding to create appropriate conditions for successful learning.

While communication is a two-way process, and the success of a communication event is influenced by the behaviour and attitudes of both parties, the teacher can really only control his or her own communications. However, a teacher is also in the position to model effective communication to the student, and to aid the student in developing better communication strategies. This is an essential part of education, though it is not always recognised as such by educators or students. A student who understands a complex concept, or knows a process, but is not able to communicate that understanding or knowledge clearly and unambiguously, or to communicate effectively with others, may not succeed at school or at work, not because of lack of ability, but because of poor communication skills.

Therefore, as you study this course, consider how the strategies, practices and processes discussed can be applied to your teaching or training situations. Also consider how can also use the course to enable students to improve more effectively, both in the classroom and in the workplace.

TEACHING STRATEGIES

The Traditional Approach

This approach is teacher-centred and is based on the instructor making most (if not all) decisions regarding what, when and how the learner learns. The teacher normally gives a short talk/presentation which the students then practice.

Advantages: instructor can control time and space used

• larger amount of material can be covered in a limited time
• easier to deal with large numbers of students

Disadvantages: learners make no decisions

• geared to the average learner, not the fast or slow learners
• no guarantee that the material is learned.

The Task Approach

Many decisions in the approach are made by the learners. Teacher gives the group the tasks to be carried out and the group or individual carries out the task through their own decision-making processes.

Tasks are designed to stimulate the fast learners but not to be too difficult for the slow learners.

Advantages: learners apply their knowledge

• individual learning and decision making is encouraged
• motivation is usually high
• teacher acts as a guide
• sense of accomplishment for the learners

Disadvantages: teacher cannot watch everyone at the same time

• more time is needed
• time set aside to compile task results
• unclear tasks can lead to confusion.

STRATEGIES

The strategy or mode you decide to teach your students will affect their learning ability. Each strategy has its own features. The strategy chosen will depend upon:

• access to resource equipment
• size of the class
• degree of difficulty of subject matter
• involvement level by participants
• degree of learning responsibility on the student
• feedback

COMMON MODES/STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING

Assignment and Exercises : students carry out a range of tasks, experiments, reports, etc. comment: work is carried out individually or in groups, assignments should be realistic and relevant to the objective, teacher's duty is to advise.

Brainstorming : group to suggest many solutions to a problem or task in a given time comment: stimulates imagination, originality and creativity. Suggestions are later listed, evaluated and rated according to priority.

Buzz Group : groups of 2-6 members discuss issues for a short period comment: provides variety to the lesson, helps discussion on difficult topics, can be grouped according to experience or slow learners.

Case Study : groups discuss topics and propose solution comment: encourages thinking, discussion and problem solving. Encourages attitude development.

Demonstration : teacher performs operation while students watch comment: no room for errors by the teacher, class needs to be small to watch demonstration unless visuals are used.

Discussion : open discussion by all comment: important when dealing with adults, rely upon student experience, material is covered in a non-threatening manner.

Guest Speakers : speaker will present information and respond to questions comment: respect given to speaker for being "guest" or expert in the field, high attention rates for listeners, speaker needs to prepare topic if providing a formal talk.

 Laboratory Practical Work : students perform and evaluate tasks and experiments comment: encourages thinking, discussion, reasoning and observation skills. Provides a systematic approach to problems.

 Lecture : a period of uninterrupted talk by the teacher, with or without demonstrations comment: good for fast learning, does not promote thought, rarely changes attitude, teacher needs to be prepared, students should be supplied with appropriate handouts.

 Mutual Lectures : the lecturing is shared between a number of students presenting a topic comment: preparation time required, involves team work, teacher's duty is to supervise.

 Practical Workshop : set tasks are performed comment: feedback is continuous, students become motivated, teacher becomes a guide.

 Projects : students work on longer-term activities (individually or in groups) comment: access to resources needed, can be time-consuming, can motivate students to high levels, encourages imagination and initiative. Teacher's duty is to motivate and provide minimal guidance.

 Role Playing : students required to act out roles for which they are training comment: preparation not needed, some skills and factual material may be learnt from the exercise.

 Seminars : small group meeting to discuss a topic comment: preparation may be needed, good for clarifying information.

 Simulations : knowledge and skills are practiced without "real" equipment comment: reduces anxiety by students if equipment was real.

 Tutorials : teacher acts as a counsellor to help the student in a 1-to-1 situation comment: teacher to be supportive, sympathetic and encouraging. Student to work through a set task or a problem.

CLASS SIZE

The size of the class of learners has a major influence as to the mode best suited to teaching. The larger the group, the harder it may be to control everyone. The smaller the group, the more personal attention the trainer can give each learner.

Group size is more effective with the following types of objectives:

•  for large groups - role play, simulation, demonstration, presentation, lecture, practical tasks, discussions, case study and group work are all suitable.
•  for individuals (self study) - simulation, demonstration, presentation, lecture, practical tasks and case study are suitable.

TEACHING MODELS

Teaching practice is generally defined into 5 main models:

• Exposition Model - is teacher-centered whereby the teacher narrates and explains, and practice and revision is used to consolidate the learning. It is based on the traditional approach. It is not inflexible, but the narration, explanation, revision and practice are considered basic to effective teaching. Content focuses on traditional subjects, with a strong emphasis on the basic skills.
• Behavioural Model - based on well structured steps of learning and the use of reinforcement. Can be used in formal full-class teaching or face-to-face instruction. It is still teacher-directed.
• Cognitive Development Model - teacher creates a supportive atmosphere, selects tasks according to pupil's developmental level, and elicits pupil's reasoning in relation to the tasks. Requires planning of steps, but emphasis is on student's reasoning. A number of cognitive approaches are examined within the context of this model. The pupil learns in a resource-rich situation by using reasoning to solve problems.
• Interaction Model - emphasises learning based on the student's interaction with other people and with society, ie. personal interaction. This model works mostly on group situations. Focus is social interaction. Content focuses on social-moral-cultural problems which produces self-aware people.
• Transaction Model - is a pupil-centred model involving a range of teacher structuring with which the self-directed pupil interacts and changes as a result of that interaction. Teacher functions more as a guide rather than as a teacher. Focus is the action (transaction) of the learner. This model is derived from progressive education and open learning.