3.2 Effective Communication

Effective communication is the art of conveying your message clearly and concisely, ensuring that your audience understands your intent and meaning. It is also an ongoing process of sending and receiving messages that enables humans to share knowledge, attitudes, and skills. However, in this writing it will focus on the three indicators of effective communication along with the experience that I have achieved in these indicators. 

Firstly, working cooperatively with colleagues is an essential skill in today’s workplace, as it involves building strong relationships, leveraging diverse perspectives, and achieving collective goals. According to Suter et al. (2009), effective communication within teams requires members to share responsibilities, delegate tasks efficiently, and support each other's work. Johnson & Johnson (1999) further emphasize that successful cooperation starts with understanding your colleagues' working styles, which can significantly enhance teamwork. The idea of "sharing is caring" is particularly relevant here, as fostering a collaborative environment involves engaging with others in a way that encourages mutual learning and growth.

A notable example from my experience at TUC 1 JSS illustrates this point. During a meeting, my colleagues and I discussed the challenges some of our students faced, such as not having pens during classwork and the overall decline in their progress in English. This meeting was part of a regular effort to address urgent issues related to students’ performance and behavior. By coming together as a team, we were able to share insights on how to tackle these issues and find effective solutions. This collaboration allowed us to address teaching and learning concerns more effectively and support each other in improving our students’ progress.

Secondly, using two languages in accordance with language policy is essential in supporting students' learning. This approach involves incorporating both the first and second languages during lessons, which is especially important for students learning a second language. If a lesson is taught solely in the second language, students may struggle to understand and perform effectively, as they might not have developed proficiency in the language of instruction. As Chomsky (1972) notes, it's crucial to consider the stages of language development. In the early stages, frequent reference to the mother tongue helps students make important connections that support comprehension (Cummins, 2001). Timor (2021) also highlights the value of using the mother tongue to support the learning of the new language, as it not only aids language development but also enhances cognitive skills necessary for academic and professional success.

However, it is important to follow guidelines such as those outlined in the National Curriculum and Assessment Framework, which specifies that only 30% of the lesson should involve both English and Kiribati for Year 7, 8, and 9 students. I applied this principle in my own teaching experience when I taught a Math lesson to Year 7K at TUC 1 JSS. I encouraged students to use both languages to explain their problem-solving process and how they arrived at their answers. This bilingual approach proved to be effective, as it helped students understand the material better and express their thoughts more clearly. Using both languages not only supports their learning but also ensures they can fully engage with the content in the most effective way.

Lastly, is to schedule parent meeting and attend staff meeting. This is where to invite parents to discuss important things that concerns their student's. Parent-teacher meeting can help build a positive relationship between families and teachers (Sabol & Pianta, 2012). When they work together, parents/guardians and teachers can create a supportive learning environment that benefits the child's academic and social development. However, Islam (2019) believes that parent-teacher meetings have a significant positive impact on children's school results. It also increases student motivation and creates a safe space for students. For instance, I attended a staff meeting where the principal talked about the outreached where it meant that we are going to visit parents and talk with them about their child's performances and points where it simply means that their children broke some of the rules in the schools (Refer to the pictures). In doing this outreached, I learned so many things about the importance of scheduling our meeting with parents during staff meeting in order parents aware of their children's performances in the school.  

The above indicators have a great impact on our teachings because as it mentioned in the first indicator that it is a must to work cooperatively with colleagues in order to learn more from on how to find interventions on the problems that we have with our studets. The second indicator where the usage of two languages in line with the language policy is also crucial for teacher to have in mind so that students learn best when the teacher translates the second language to student's mother tongue. The las indicator where meetings with staff and parents help children perform well when teacher-parents involved to find solution to the problems of students' in their performances. 

Bibliography:

Suter, E., Arndt, J., Arthur, N., Parboosingh, J., Taylor, E., & Deutschlander, S. (2009). Role understanding and effective communication as core competencies for collaborative practice. Journal of interprofessional care, 23(1), 41-51. Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13561820802338579

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1999). Making cooperative learning work. Theory into practice, 38(2), 67-73. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1477225

Chomsky, C. (1972). Stages in language development and reading exposure. Harvard educational review, 42(1), 1-33. Retrieved from: https://meridian.allenpress.com/her/article-abstract/42/1/1/30856/Stages-in-Language-Development-and-Reading

Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power, and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire (Vol. 23). Multilingual matters. Retrieved from: https://books.google.ki/books?hl=en&lr=&id=fM4KdFOicGcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Cummins,+J.+(2000).+Language,+power+and+pedagogy:+Bilingual++children+in+the+crossfire.+Clevedon:+Multilingual+Matters.&ots=C9elgLqAFx&sig=3ovLOyHMDhMrHGbMTJSJcUQwvHQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Cummins%2C%20J.%20(2000).%20Language%2C%20power%20and%20pedagogy%3A%20Bilingual%20%20children%20in%20the%20crossfire.%20Clevedon%3A%20Multilingual%20Matters.&f=false

Timor, T. (2012). Use of the mother tongue in teaching a foreign language. Language Education in Asia, 3(1), 7-17. Retrieved from: https://leia.org/LEiA/LEiA%20VOLUMES/Download/LEiA_V3_I1_2012/LEiA_V3I1A02_Timor.pdf

Sabol, T. J., & Pianta, R. C. (2012). Relationships between teachers and children. Handbook of Psychology, Second Edition, 7. Retrieved from: https://books.google.ki/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1ybTwgrsECoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA199&dq=positive+relationship+between+families+and+teachers&ots=cc3fl8Nlk0&sig=AHKlT3GFYf0MOHLjhRfRA6ZSRA8&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=positive%20relationship%20between%20families%20and%20teachers&f=false

Islam, A. (2019). Parent–teacher meetings and student outcomes: Evidence from a developing country. European Economic Review, 111, 273-304. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014292118301764