Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Pedagogy is commonly defined as the principles and methods of instruction. Instructional pedagogy, at all levels, is mediated through the communication process. Successful pedagogy is thus dependent on successful communication among teachers and students. However, all teachers do not effectively use communication to support instruction. A teacher's thorough knowledge of content does not mean that she or he can communicate it to students. Much of student learning success and teacher satisfaction with the process is derived from the quality of the student-teacher relationship. All teachers are faced with the challenges of classroom communication, of communicating content to students, and of engaging students in the learning process. When the communication process works well, learning takes place and relationships are developed. But the process does not always work. Some students feel course content is worthless, some are unresponsive, others fear talking in class, and still others struggle with the English language. These issues, in part, are affected by how a teacher communicates with students. An effective teacher is a content expert, and many teachers believe that is all they need to be. However, teachers who also focus on how to support students and learning through effective communication increase learning, student liking for learning, and teacher satisfaction. The strategies ... log in or subscribe to read full text