journal entries

Week One: Making connections

This assessment task requires you to write one 400-word journal entry each week on the concepts explored in the first four weeks of the unit. In total you will submit, in a Word document, 4x400- word journal entries. The purpose of this assessment task is to reflect on the knowledge and understandings you acquire from the weekly online activities (specified below). You are expected to draw on the prescribed weekly readings and resources to help support your reflections, as well as independently sourced scholarly literature.

For each journal entry, you must include evidence of the completed weekly activity (clearly indicated in your submission). Please note that your response to the weekly activity itself will not be assessed, however, it must be submitted in order for you to at least pass the assessment task.

Responses to the weekly activities will not be included in the word count. Each journal entry will follow the Connect-Extend-Challenge thinking strategy:

Connect – how are the ideas and information you’ve explored this week connected to what you already know? Firstly, you need to consider how all of the information and new concepts you have read and thought about connects to your pre-existing knowledge and experience. Provide an example (1-2) here demonstrating this connection with theory to support.

Extend – in what ways has your thinking been extended by these ideas and this information? Then you need to consider how the new material and discussions on Bb with your fellow students has extended your thinking. What is something new you have learnt? How have your ideas been developed? Have we discussed something that you had not previously considered? Use examples and theory to support.

Challenge – what challenges do you think you will face in applying this knowledge/understanding to your classroom practice? Finally, you need to highlight the challenges you may face in applying the concepts and new knowledge from Week 1 into practice during your practicum and as a teacher into the future. Again include examples and theory support.

1. Understanding of concepts

The key concepts that underpin each of the activities have been accurately identified and critically reflected upon. A comprehensive and succinct knowledge of the concepts being explored has been demonstrated and well-supported with relevant and meaningful academic literature.

2. Link between theory and activity

The entries demonstrates a deep, insightful and sophisticated understanding of connections between prior and new knowledge. The ways knowledge has been extended are thoughtfully articulated.

3. Transfer of knowledge into practice

Insightful and succinct entries demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the challenges in applying new knowledge to practice. The entries are fully supported with meaningful and relevant examples and sophisticated integration of ideas from relevant, current and diverse bodies of scholarly literature.

4. Academic writing.

The journal entries are professionally presented, well-structured and logically ordered. The writing has no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. APA referencing is correct.

Reading materials

This week we begin our practicum journey by exploring the importance of effective communication within a school context and building positive and professional relationships with your mentor, students and families. Let us begin by exploring a range of strategies that can be used to develop and enhance the communication skills you will be required to display while on practicum.

Opening the doors of communication

One of the challenges that pre-service teachers are faced with at the start of each new practicum is having to start afresh and establish a new set of relationships with a new mentor teacher, a new staff cohort, a new grade of students and new families. As you make contact with your school and mentor over the next couple of weeks, consider what you are hoping to achieve in this practicum and what questions/information you would like to find out about the setting prior to starting.

It is also important that you familiarise yourself with the placement expectations for this this particular practicum unit and where possible, review these with your mentor prior to commencing your practicum. This will provide you both with the opportunity to discuss and share your expectations, set realistic and achievable goals and help plan out your four week practicum. Central to these discussions is open and effective communication. The following excerpt by Gibson (2010) delves into the importance of effective communication within a school context and is specifically contextualised to the pre-service teacher experience.

Must read

Read the following excerpt, beginning at 'Communication in school contexts' from Chapter 9 Helping pre-service teachers learn to communicate effectively (Gibson, 2010), pp. 94-103. As you progress through this reading, consider your own skill level with each of these forms of communication and consider if there are any specific areas that you would benefit from focusing on throughout your upcoming practicum. How might you actively work towards improving these areas?

Being able to communicate effectively is vital in learning to teach. Open communication not only conveys information but promotes an awareness of others . Communication within any context is rich and varied but the complexities of these exchanges are often exacerbated in educational settings (Groundwater-Smith, Ewing & Le Cornu 2007). As a result, pre-service teachers need to develop a range of interpersonal communication skills in order to face the array of challenges that will arise while they undertake professional experience.

Communication in school contexts

Today's pre-service teacher may be assigned to a mentor teacher during their professional experience. Yet they will interact and form relationships with a range of people both inside and outside the classroom, including other teachers, aides and parent helpers, as well as the students in a particular class. As a professional, highly developed interpersonal skills are crucial.

Effective interpersonal communication

According to Gardner's (1983) multiple intelligences, interpersonal communication is sharing meaning between yourself and at least one other person. The goal of interpersonal communication is to send direct, complete, relevant and congruent messages. However, educators need to be aware of several issues that may affect their ability to send and receive such messages. There is little doubt that the learning and teaching process is essentially a communication exercise. The key to success is having an accepting attitude that you are able to communicate to others including students, colleagues or parents. We need empathy in order to understand others-to recreate another person's perspective, to experience the world from their point of view (Stiff, Dillard, Somera, Kim & Sleight 1988). Empathy may be valuable but it is not always easy to achieve. In order to become an empathetic teacher (Arnold 2005) you will need to be open-minded, imaginative and committed to the process (Adler, Rosenfeld & Proctor 2004). For many, this will be a real challenge. ..,_ Another key attribute often associated with effective communicators is what Downing (1995) terms 'assertive communication'. Assertive communication means standing up for one's own rights without infringing upon the rights of In fact, this process can be self-enhancing since it generates positive feelings towards yourself and others (Trenholm & Jensen 2008, p. 253). However, it does take some thought to discover the ideal balance between self-respect and respect for others, especially when you may be unsure of your role or responsibilities.

Barriers to communication Thomas Gordon, author of Teacher Effectiveness Training (1974), maintains that teachers send thousands of messages to students simply by the manner in which they communicate with them. These can be grouped into twelve categories. According to Gordon, each can retard or completely stop the communication that students need in order to solve problems and thereby continue their learning journey. Consider what Gordon calls 'roadblocks' to communication: A Responses that communicate unacceptance 1 directing, ordering or commanding 2 warning or even threatening 3 giving 'shoulds' or 'oughts', moralising or preaching 4 advising, offering suggestions or solutions 5 lecturing or giving logical arguments B Responses that tend to communicate inadequacies or faults 6 judging, criticising, disagreeing or blaming 7 stereotyping, labelling or name-calling 8 interpreting, analysing or diagnosing C Messages that try to make the student feel better or deny there is a problem 9 agreeing, praising or giving positive evaluations 10 reassuring, sympathising, consoling or supporting D A response that tends to try to solve the problem for the student 11 questioning, probing, interrogating or cross-examining E Messages that tend to divert the student or avoid the student 12 withdrawing, distracting, being sarcastic, humouring or diverting

Without the necessary skills, pre-service teachers are unaware that they may be responding to students in the ways listed above. Since many of these responses contain hidden messages that only the student hears, it is necessary to learn alternative ways of responding. The next section outlines specific interpersonal skills that are essential for effective communication, especially in school contexts. Be aware that becoming a good communicator takes a great deal of effort and practice.

Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication consists of messages expressed by non-linguistic means (Adler, Rosenfeld & Proctor 2004). However, messages that are communicated nonverbally are often more ambiguous than those communicated verbally. Interestingly, studies show that during interpersonal communication only 7 per cent of the message is verbally communicated by words alone. Of the 93 per cent of non-verbal communication, 38 per cent is through vocal tones and 55 per cent is through facial expressions or other body language signals. This means that more than half of what someone is trying to communicate is expressed through non-verbal messages (Richey & Richey 1978). As indicated, non-verbal messages can be communicated in various ways, through the face and eyes, body movement, distance, physical appearance and voice. In this section, we look at some main types of non-verbal communication, but an important point to note is that culture plays a significant role in determining the meanings attached to each of these features. Non-verbal messages from the face and eyes are often the hardest to read (Carroll & Russell 1996). For a teacher, one of the most expressive means of non-verbal communication is eye contact. Maintaining eye contact with someone shows that you are interested in what they have to say, although some Indigenous students may be uncomfortable with this approach. Within a classroom context, teacher-student eye contact is a necessary skill to ensure effective classroom management, ranging from the motivation levels of individual students to behaviour management issues involving the entire class. Establishing and maintaining eye contact is a significant skill that requires practice. What do you focus your vision on when you talk to other people? Rutter ( 1984) makes a distinction between looking and seeing. Looking refers to gazing in the direction of another's eyes, while seeing is defined as visual contact with the whole person. For educators, in particular, it appears that seeing the whole person is vital for picking up other clues such as nods and gestures. Another reason for seeing the whole person rather than gazing in the direction of their eyes is to pick up entire facial expressions. We read a lot into facial expressions. We are able to judge reactions to our messages since we use them to determine the emotional state of the listener. However, it is sometimes possible to misread these expressions. This is particularly true when different cultural norms exist, as is common in many school contexts. It will take a concerted effort by pre-service teachers to attend to both verbal and non-verbal messages in the classroom and beyond. Another way that we communicate is through the physical movement of our bodies: our posture, gestures and physical orientation to others or kinesics. By paying attention to the posture of those around them, pre-service teachers can find another channel of non-verbal communication that reveals how people feel about themselves and others (Adler, Rosenfeld & Proctor 2004). Unfortunately, we often miss most posture messages because they aren't obvious. The key is to look for small changes that might indicate how people are feeling. Gestures are fundamental but often unintentional. Occasionally they are unconscious or even ambiguous. Consider a shrug of the shoulders: this could mean 'I don't know', but it could just as easily be interpreted as 'I don't care' or 'I give up'. It is important to keep in mind that there are often several possible interpretations of gestures, and that gestures themselves can produce a wide range of reactions in receivers (Druckmann, Rozelle & Baxter 1982). In an educational context, for example, the right kind of gesture can increase persuasiveness. What is of particular interest is the fact that research indicates that persuasiveness increases when one person mirrors another's movements.

Proxemics is the study of how people use the space around them. Each individual has a consistent requirement for physical distance (personal space) between themselves and others. This space is affected by one's personality, the people involved, the situation and/or the culture in which we were raised. Hall (1969) distinguished four interaction zones. By 'reading' these we can get some insight into others' feelings: • the intimate zone reserved for very private conversations • the personal zone for friends and acquaintances • a social zone used for business • a public zone for speeches, public gatherings etc. Within an educational context, the implications are fairly clear and pre-service teachers need to be aware that physical closeness can be interpreted by colleagues and students as psychological acceptance. Stop and consider the communicative functions that proxemics serve within the classroom and the wider school community. Whether we admit it or not, we make assumptions about people based on their clothing. Dress conveys messages about the self-either actual or idealised. Like other

forms of non-verbal communication, clothing is not without its complexities. People may dress to reveal their true personality or dress to conceal it. When entering a school, it is important to 'dress the part'. Our advice is to dress conservatively on the first day of professional experience until you are able to ascertain the 'dress code' of the school. Are jeans acceptable? Or do the male members of staff wear a tie? You also need to be aware that the manner in which you dress creates a social distance between yourself, students and parents. It is important to keep in mind that the choices you make can and do affect the impression you give to others. Yet another important area of non-verbal communication is that of paralanguage. We all know that what is said is frequently less important than how it is said. What we convey in our voices through vocal rate, pitch, tone and volume can emphasise, alter and in some cases contradict verbal meaning (Trenholm & Jensen 2008). This aspect of non-verbal communication is discussed in more depth in Chapter 10. Suffice to say at this point that the impact of paralinguistic cues is strong and preservice teachers should be aware that in addition to reinforcing or contradicting messages, some vocal factors such as sarcasm influence the way a speaker is perceived by others. Younger students, for example, will often have difficulty understanding sarcastic comments. All of these non-verbal strategies are used on a daily basis to communicate messages. Remember that when presented with conflicting verbal and non-verbal messages, people are more likely to rely on the non-verbal ones. Therefore educators need to be very conscious of the non-verbal messages they are communicating since they may be misinterpreted or misunderstood by others.

Effective speaking

The previous section dealt with aspects of non-verbal communication. In the second part of this chapter, we will take a closer look at specific verbal behaviours that may enhance the interpersonal interactions pre-service teachers are likely to experience in any school context. One activity that strikes fear into the hearts of many pre-service teachers is communicating through presentations or public speaking. To reduce anxiety and to ensure a successful presentation, lesson or demonstration, Daniel Kehoe, author of Effictive Communication (2007), suggests focusing on one thought alone-preparation, preparation and more preparation. Although speaking to managers, his advice is also relevant to teachers. Kehoe advises having a powerful introduction since this will help reduce anxiety but also boost self-confidence. His main idea is to use the acronym INTRO to help put an effective introduction together:

I Interest How do you intend to capture the audience's attention with something that is related to the subject?

N Need Your introduction should explain why the audience needs to listen. In what way will they gain or benefit from the information you're about to deliver?

T Title What are you going to call your presentation? Consider a title that will gain your audience's attention.

R Range This has two components-the range of topics you intend to cover in the time allocated, and how long you intend to talk on each of these. Remember that as you announce a time frame, the audience sets its mental alarm.

0 Objective What is it that you want the audience to do as a result oflistening to you? What results do you wish to accomplish? (Kehoe 2007, pp. 30-1).

Of course, now all that is needed is an equally stimulating body of content and a powerful ending to your presentation. Given that this chapter focuses on effective communication, whether with students in a class, an information evening with parents or a professional learning session with colleagues, teachers often rely on talk and more talk to get their point across. According to a Yiddish proverb, 'talk too much and you talk about yourself'. In many instances, we place too much emphasis on words when visuals would support our ideas more effectively. To be successful at communicating, there will be times when we need to influence people's thinking in order to alter or inform their perceptions. In many cases, this may be better achieved through the use of visuals than words alone.

Questioning

As educators, we ask questions of students on a regular basis. However, with any form of communication, the types of questions and the manner in which they are asked will have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the questioning (Bloom 1956). Effective questioning can: • arouse curiosity • clarify concepts • stimulate interest in a topic • emphasise key points ROBYN GIBSON • enhance problem-solving abilities • encourage students to think at higher cognitive levels • motivate students to search for new information • ascertain students' knowledge level to aid in modifying learning and teaching (Teaching Tips: Effective Questioning, p. Questioning may be regarded as 'the most popular piece oflanguage' (Goodman & Esterley 1990, p. 69), but only when the questions are sincere and non-directive. Most pre-service teachers would be aware of the difference between open and closed questions. Closed questions tend to require the respondent to choose a specific response that is usually a one- or two-word answer. As such, these questions tend to inhibit dialogue. Open-ended questions on the other hand require fuller, richer responses and thus encourage thought, elaboration and opinion, that is, more substantive communication. In order for pre-service teachers to establish the kinds of relationships they want with school personnel, including the students in their classes, Kehoe (2007) refers to Rudyard Kipling's 'Six Wise Men'-who, what, where, how, why and when, or the 'art of questioning' (pp. 40-1). 2 • Create a climate that is conducive to questioning. A happy facial expression, a nod or verbal acknowledgment of effort encourages other students as well as the respondent. • Use a variety or mix of questions. A question that elicits a 'don't know' could provide insightful information when asked in a different way. • Use open questions beginning with the words who, what, where, how, why and when. • Avoid leading questions that suggest an obvious answer. • Be aware that some students in some circumstances will tell you what they think you want to hear. • Use questions that are direct and honest. Trick questions should be avoided as they frustrate students and tend to encourage frivolous responses. • Phrase the questions carefully, concisely and clearly. Improper phrasing or use of multiple questions related to the same topic may result in confusion. • Address questions to the group versus the individual. • Select both volunteers and non-volunteers to answer questions. • Adapt questions to the needs of the students. Assess the students' needs and tailor questions to maximise the number of correct answers while progressing to more difficult questions. 2 This list has been adapted by the author in order to better match the needs of educators. Use sufficient wait time. The student teacher can enhance both the analytic and problem-solving skills of students by allowing sufficient wait time before responding. • Respond to the answers given by the students. Listen carefully but do not interrupt unless they are moving off-track or are completely unfocused. Acknowledge correct answers and respond with positive reinforcement. Handle incomplete answers by reinforcing what is correct and then asking probing questions. As mentioned, not all questions are sincere requests for information. Whereas genuine questions are aimed at understanding others, counterfeit questions (Adler, Rosenfeld & Proctor 2004) are really disguised attempts to send a message rather than receive one. Take, for example, questions that lead, make statements, have hidden agendas, seek correct answers or are based on unchecked assumptions. What is important to keep in mind is that the meaning and intent of any statement is shaped by its context. Within the educational environment, a slight change in body language tone of voice can turn a genuine question into a counterfeit one, or vice versa.

Listening

Listening is the process of receiving and interpreting a message. Good listening requires active participation and energy in order to show concern and interest in understanding both the person and the situation. Pre-service teachers need to concentrate on encouraging not only their students but themselves to exhibit sound listening behaviours and strategies. There is more to listening than sitting quietly while someone else speaks. Assertive listening consists of five separate elements: hearing, attending, understanding, remembering and responding (Adler, Rosenfeld & Proctor 2004). Hearing is the most fundamental component of listening. Hearing is a physiological process, attending is a psychological one. Research shows that we attend most carefully to messages when there's some sort of benefit in doing so. When two or more people listen to a speaker, we often assume that they are each hearing and understanding the same message. Paying attention doesn't guarantee that you'll understand what's being said. Understanding a message will depend on your knowledge of the source and the context of the message. The ability to recall information or remembering is affected by the number of times the information is heard, how much information is to be stored and whether or not the information may be 'rehearsed'. Given the amount of information we process every day, it should not be surprising to learn that people start forgetting immediately after hearing. However, most people do retain a general impression about the speaker, especially in significant relationships (Fisher & Adams 1994).

This is an important observation for pre-service teachers seeking to establish positive relationships within any school context. The final part of listening is responding, where you give observable feedback to the speaker. It lets them know that you have been tuned into what they have been saying. This feedback might include eye contact, appropriate facial expressions and/or staying attentive.

Conflict management

Inevitably when people work together in schools, they will have varying ideas about how things should be done. It is important that pre-service teachers develop ways of dealing with different opinions, perspectives and personalities, especially when these can lead to conflict situations. Generally when we are confronted by a conflict, we opt for an approach to resolution that has worked for us in the past. If this approach does not work then we might try it again, find a different approach, ask or tell someone else to handle it, ignore it altogether or perhaps even give up. Finding effective strategies for resolving a conflict is useful, but can be time-consuming and requires practice. Giving in or ignoring the situation simply removes it from our immediate concern. Giving up does little more than push the situation aside without finding a resolution.

Although each of the techniques outlined by Gilbert may be used by educators, those looking for more lasting resolutions could look to resolving conflict through integration. This process encourages both parties to contribute and neither party to give something up in order to arrive at a result. It is based on the strategies of the work of Mary Parker Follett (1868-19 33). Often forgotten, Follett's early theoretical writing (1918) about working as a community has been very important in developing an understanding of group work. She believed that true resolution of conflict could only be achieved through cooperation, collaboration and collegiality. According to Gilbert (2004) 'Empowerment is the key to using integration effectively' (p. 1 09). In other words, it is the use of power with teachers, colleagues and students rather than power over them.

Conflict situations do not just occur between adults; students also experience conflicts both within and outside their classroom. It is crucial that students and preservice teachers are taught and encouraged to practise conflict-resolution strategies. Johnson (1986) has proposed some specific guidelines for effective feedback during conflict. He suggests:

1 Own your own message. Bring up your feelings. 2 Don't apologise for your feelings. If you keep apologising, you put all the blame on yourself. 3 Make your messages specific. Let the other person know exactly what is upsetting you. 4 Ensure that your verbal and non-verbal messages match. If you do not, you are sending out mixed messages. 5 Avoid evaluating and interpreting the other person.

Accepting constructive criticism

As pre-service teachers are involved in the process of learning to teach, they will undoubtedly need to accept constructive criticism from their cooperating teacher, tertiary mentor and even the students in their class. Although such feedback should be delivered in a relaxed manner, it is sometimes difficult not to resort to a defensive reaction. !-Messages are very effective in confronting other people's behaviour (Groundwater-Smith, Ewing & Le Cornu 2007), since they allow you to separate the person from the problem and thereby deal with the situation at hand without becoming aggressive. An I-Message contains a description of the feeling (I feel ... ) , an objective account of the event or behaviour (when ... ) and how the behaviour affects you (because ... ). !-Messages allow you to explain to another person how their behaviour or actions affect you, without them perceiving you as hostile. (University ofNebraska-Lincoln, p. 2).

Establishing a professional relationship with your mentor

Let us begin our exploration of building professional relationships within an educational setting by exploring the relationship between the pre-service teacher and their mentor. Schwebel et al., (2001) highlight the importance of the pre-service teacher’s relationship with their mentor throughout the following reading and offer many valuable suggestions, strategies and techniques as to how best establish this relationship and furthermore, how to continually build upon it throughout your practicum.

As you make your way through this reading, take some time to critically reflect on the following questions:

1. What are the possible consequences of approaching the practicum with prejudgements and/or premature judgements? How can you best overcome these?

2. Schwebel et al., (2001) divides the pre-service teacher and mentor relationship into four key stages. What are some of the key features of these stages and what are some of the challenges that may arise within them?

· stage 1: the early days

· stage 2: becoming a member of the teaching team

· stage 3: soloing as a teacher

· stage 4: feeling like a teacher.

3. What strategies can assist student teachers in overcoming the challenges referred to in question two?

Read Chapter 3 Building a good relationship with your cooperating teacher (Schwebel et al., 2001), pp. 33-54. As you progress through this reading, also consider any additional strategies that you feel might be useful in addressing the situations described.

Establishing a professional and caring relationship with your students

The relationship that a teacher has with their students is an extremely powerful one; it essentially lays the foundations of the classroom climate and influences the interactions that take place within it. In order to explore the importance of the teacher-student relationship and the various strategies that we can use to establish it, we will be dividing our exploration into the following areas:

1. The impact that a welcoming and caring environment has on establishing student rapport.

2. The need for connections.

3. Connecting with diverse groups.

4. Connecting with students who experience difficulty with learning.

5. Underpinning strategies for connecting with students.

McDonald (2010) explores these concepts thoroughly in the following reading and provides valuable insight, useful strategies and critical reflection points to consider in relation to each area.

 Reading

Read Chapter 2 Connecting with students (McDonald, 2010), pp. 30-44. As you review each section, consider how you might be able incorporate some of these strategies into your upcoming practicum and furthermore, how they might apply and/or be adjusted to suit lower and upper primary contexts.

Establishing a professional and caring relationship with families

A successful partnership between an educator and a parent/carer is an invaluable one. When a positive partnership has been established, it has the potential to not only enhance the student’s approach to school and learning, but also improve their behaviour and progress (QLD Department of Education, Training and Employment, 2013). Therefore, it is vital for us as educators, to have an understanding of the ideas, attitudes and external factors that influence this partnership and furthermore, a genuine and sincere commitment towards investing time into building and maintaining them.

Groundwater-Smith et al., (2011) reinforces the importance of the family-school partnership and explores the many benefits associated with it in the following reading ‘Building family-school-community relationships’. Throughout this reading, they discuss some of the possible sources of tensions between teachers and parents, provide a range of examples and strategies to assist you in establishing this partnership and offer some practical advice as to what you might do when challenging situations arise.

 Reading

Read Chapter 12 Building family-school-community partnerships (Groundwater-Smith et al., 2011), pp. 298-312. As you make your way through this reading, consider which attitudes you feel are most important in order to build a strong family-school partnership. Throughout your practicum, observe the various strategies that your mentor draws upon to build these relationships and furthermore, the influence that these have on the relationships that are formed.

Week 1

Gibson, R. (2010). 'Helping pre-service teachers learn to communicate effectively'. In R. Ewings, T. Lowrie, & J. Higgs (Eds). Teaching & communicating: rethinking professional experiences (pp 94-103). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Global Education Australia. (n.d.). Venn diagram. Retrieved from http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/verve/_resources/venn_diagram.pdf

Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2011). Teaching Challenges and Dilemmas (3rd Edn.). South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.

McDonald, T. (2010). Classroom management: engaging students in learning. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

QLD Department of Education, Training and Employment. (2013). Parent-Teacher Partnerships. Retrieved from http://deta.qld.gov.au/about/induction/eq/teachers/classroom-organisation/parent-teacher.html

Schwebel, S. L., Schwebel, D. C., Schwebel, B. L., & Schwebel, C. R. (2001). The student teacher's handbook. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.