Communication

One of the most important skills a child will learn during the elementary school years is how to be an effective communicator. So much of what we do in society is reliant on how well we can communicate. I would like to help my students master three of the most important forms of communication: oral, written and non-verbal.

Oral: I believe that being a good communicator is not only being able to express yourself effective and eloquently but also being a good listener. I would like to give my students many opportunities to speak in front of the class so they will have enough experience with it to become comfortable talking in front of a group. I would do this through projects such as skits, role-playing and oral book reports. I would also like to teach my students to be a good audience and improve their listening skills.

Written: I would like to help my students improve their writing and reading skills. I will do this by giving them many opportunities to write such as in journals, in-class papers, poetry writing and reading and book reports which will also have an oral component. We will also do many projects that cross the curriculum (integration) that will involve a writing component.

Non-Verbal: I believe that honing your non-verbal skills is very important. The things you say are important but what you don't say through body language and gestures sometimes speaks louder than the words. I would like to make the children aware of the messages they are sending through their non-verbal communication.
Another form of non-verbal communication that I would like to explore in the class would be having the children express their thoughts and feelings through drawings and art work. Many children are afraid to draw or paint or do artwork because they are afraid of what people will think. I would like them to be able to express themselves, perhaps in a journal through pictures.
This would be a good form of communication also for a kindergartener who has not yet mastered the written word.