STANDARD 3: PLAN FOR AND IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING
3.5 Use effective classroom communication
3.5 Use effective classroom communication
Demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement
Evidence
Annotation
My evidence for this focus area includes examples of written feedback I used during placement. This includes:
- feedback comments I provided on submitted student work
- a screenshot from the slideshow presentation used in my literacy lesson
Reflective statement
During my placement I used a combination of verbal and non-verbal communications strategies to engage students in learning. While teaching online, the 1/2 teachers and myself used slideshow presentations to accompany verbal instruction during lessons. Sperotto (2016) discusses the value of using visual learning aids such as pictures, graphs, charts, videos and slides in supporting student learning, such as verbal instruction. She explains that these are beneficial in assisting students to understand concepts and instructions more easily. They act to direct learning and also allow students to recall what they are being directed to do, unlike oral instruction which is over quickly (Sperotto, 2016). In particular, I included photographs of dioramas as inspiration for students about what they might create in the slides used during my literacy lesson on text to self connections. These slides were also posted to the Google Classroom stream which enabled students to view the instructions even after they had left the meet.
I made sure to provide verbal feedback for all students who contributed to discussions during lessons. This included appraisal when they provided a correct / appropriate answer, as well as constructive feedback if students made a mistake, such as “good try! That was really close, but remember …”. This was done to ensure that students felt their contributions were valued and were not discouraged when they made a mistake, as well as to encourage participation. I also provided written feedback on all work students submitted to the Google Classroom at the end of my planned lessons. In this feedback I made sure to highlight what students did well, as well as identify specific areas for improvement (Department of Education and Training, 2020).
References
Department of Education and Training [DET]. (2020). Feedback. High Impact Teaching Strategies (pp. 24-26). DET. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/support/high-impact-teaching-strategies.pdf
Sperotto, L. (2016). The visual support for adults with moderate learning and communication disabilities: How visual aids support learning. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 63(2), 260-263. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/10.1080/1034912X.2016.1153256
