IPTS Standard 7 | Communication
The competent teacher uses knowledge of effective written, verbal, nonverbal, and visual communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
Artifacts:
Letter of Introduction
Bell Ringers / Exit Tickets
Logic Problems Group Activity
The first artifact is a letter of introduction I used in one of my earlier field placements. It contained information about myself professionally and interest wise, as well as a questionnaire for the students to fill out to get to know them a little better. The second artifact is a document containing bell ringers (warm up problems) and exit tickets (end of class problems) I used in my student teaching placements. The last artifact was a worksheet with logic problems that called for group involvement to solve them.
This standard is exceptionally important because students must have a clear understanding of what is expected procedurally and behaviorally in the classroom. The teacher needs to give specific and clear verbal directions for all activities and assignments, and use different forms of communication to direct students. The letter of introduction is a form of written communication, letting students read about myself and encouraging them to write certain things about themselves. Afterwards, we had a discussion about my expectations for the class and what they wrote down, as well as any questions they had for me. The second artifact holds a number of problems used at the beginning and end of class to get students warmed up and to assess students. These are important for this standard because my classroom got used to the routine of having warm ups on the board, and knew what was expected when they walked into my room. This artifact was a form of nonverbal communication for what was expected in the classroom. The third artifact was an activity that let students work in small groups to tackle different problems together. After they had found the solution, the students would then explain their answer to the class and their reasoning behind the solution.
Communication is one of the most important aspects of developing an effective and open learning environment. I constantly find new ways to communicate concepts and procedures to my students, and encourage students to collaborate and support each other through written and verbal communication. I am also trying to implement journals in the classroom to promote reflection and individual metacognition for students to look back on their thought processes on certain procedures to gain a better understanding of certain concepts.