Teachers need to establish positive relationships based on courtesy, mutual trust and open communication, respect family privacy and treat information with an appropriate level of confidentiality, respect parents’ and guardians’ rights of enquiry, consultation and information with regard to their children, understand and acknowledge social and cultural differences that may affect parents’ expectations. (p. 325)
To assist in accomplishing this task and ultimately achieving effective communication, a teacher needs to gain a better understanding of the receiver or audience
A guiding principle used to achieve this understanding is audience analysis – “researching the needs and desires of those with whom we wish to communicate in an effort to help effectively tailor communication to them.” (Tyler et al., 2002, p. 33) One of the first steps that a teacher will need to take in order to get to know the parent and therefore begin to develop a strategy for effective communication, will be to explore their demographic factors (accessible information) such as cultural background, religion, socio-economic and education status, and language and literacy competency as well as psychographic factors (less accessible variables) such as values, beliefs, expectations of teachers, and preconceived ideas of and attitudes toward education. (Tyler et al., 2002) “The better our understanding of the assumptions, attitudes and knowledge level of our audience, the better placed we are to communicate effectively and efficiently.” (Tyler et al., 2002, p28) For example, a one-on-one encounter between a teacher and a parent may occur as the result of an attitude toward homework. The parent may disagree with the fact that homework is to be completed, the type and amount of homework. Each person’s beliefs and attitudes are expressed clearly however after consideration of the parent’s values and beliefs, the teacher may discover that there is a cultural conflict regarding homework. “We don’t need to agree with someone’s position or beliefs in order to understand them.” (Cole, 2004, p. 79)
In this context, empathy will play a part as the teacher comes to understand the parent’s viewpoint and the parent will hopefully acknowledge the teacher’s position on the homework policy. Empathy allows a communicator to put themselves in someone else shoes in order to understand a viewpoint. A mutual understanding between a teacher and a parent is necessary for successful communication. It is important to remember that values, attitudes and beliefs can act as communication filters creating barriers to effective communication as information that is incompatible with our own beliefs and perceptions will be ignored or distorted. (Cole, 2004) In addition, when analysing the audience, a teacher should not allow the influence of their own personal orientation to be overlooked as this will impact on the outcome of the communication process.
As a second guiding principle for effective communication it is important for the teacher to be aware of the cultural literacy (Schirato & Yell, 2000) which exists within an educational environment (the cultural context). As a beginning teacher enters the school setting, a process called “role socialization” (Cooper & Simonds, 2003, p.11) occurs during which the teacher acquires values, ideas, skills and knowledge according to the culture of the school. (Cooper & Simonds, 2003) This acquisition is called cultural literacy - “the ability to negotiate between the rules of a culture and what happens in practice.” (Schirato & Yell, 2000, p. 3) In the context of a parent-teacher meeting, the teacher will have the cultural capital (Holmes, Hughes, & Julian, 2007) to communicate within the context of the school setting. If the teacher sees that the message is not being received as intended due to a misinterpretation of the parent’s values and beliefs, then a wider cultural literacy may need to be introduced. In this example, both the teacher and parent are aware of their roles due to the nature of the cultural context.
The terms cultural literacy and cultural context are entwined. Cultural context encompasses subject (the purpose of the communication), roles and relationships (teacher, parent), and mode/medium (the language used and the way it is delivered). (Klopper, 2010, Lecture 6) It is the responsibility of the teacher within the context of the school environment to ensure that a parent is not alienated by the cultural literacy used when trying to achieve effective communication.
The third guiding principle to be considered is non-verbal communication. A teacher needs to be aware that meanings will be produced and interpretations made from their use of body language and other non-verbal cues. Different people will construe these markers of communication differently, according to their knowledge of other cultural contexts. (Schirato & Yell, 2000) Therefore they may need to take a different approach so that the message can be received as intended, always being conscious of the values, attitudes and biases of the parent. In a parent-teacher context, both communicators will need to be aware of all non verbal cues as some may be performed unconsciously and therefore misinterpreted or misunderstood. (Groundwater–Smith et al., 2003) This misinterpretation may offend the communicator due to their values, perceptions and beliefs.
The elements of non verbal and verbal communication should work together to achieve effective communication. (Groundwater–Smith et al., 2003) Non verbal cues are kinesics (body language), proxemics (personal space) and paralanguage (voice, volume, tone and pitch). (Groundwater–Smith et al., 2003) Each culture has their own non verbal cues and it is important that teachers understand the different cultural implications so that the behaviour is not interpreted according to the teachers beliefs and assumptions. (Groundwater–Smith et al., 2003) For example, some cultures maintain high levels of eye contact (Latin America and Southern Europe) as this is seen as polite. Others use less eye contact (Asia, Northern Europe and Australian Indigenous people) as too much is interpreted as threatening. (Groundwater–Smith et al., 2003) As a teacher it is important to be aware of the beliefs, values and perceptions of different cultures as well as the traditions within them, particularly when working with a diverse group of children and their families. This knowledge will be invaluable in communicating effectively with a parent.
With an understanding that values, attitudes, perceptions, biases and beliefs affect the way people communicate, classroom teachers will develop a more thorough effective communication strategy. The ability to analyse a parents’ values, perceptions and biases, incorporating the use of various principles such as audience analysis, cultural literacy and non-verbal cues to ensure effective communication, is an important skill for a teacher to possess. Armed with this knowledge, a teacher will encourage respectful and productive relationships with parents and as a result of displaying proficiency in this area, teachers will convey a message to the parent that they are valued. Building a positive relationship with the parent will lead to effective communication and ultimately favourable outcomes for all concerned in the educational environment.
References
Barker, L. L., & Gaut, D. A. (2002). Communication (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Cole, K. (2000/2004). Crystal clear communication – skills for understanding and being
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Cooper, P., & Simonds, C. (2003). Communication for the classroom teacher. Boston, MA:
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Holmes, D., Hughes, K., & Julian, R. (2007). Australian Sociology – A changing society (2nd ed.).
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Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (1998/2003). Teaching: challenges and
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Klopper, C. (2010, April 12). Lecture 6 – Promoting engagement in learning through the talking
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Schirato, A., & Yell, S. (2000). Communication and cultural literacy: an introduction (2nd ed.).
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