Factors Of Unequal Educational Opportunities - communication problems

1. Question 8(c):
Factors Of Unequal Educational Opportunities
Communication Problems

2. Reflect
“How many times have students in your school misunderstood directions, or left class
without a clear idea of the next day’s task or even their homework for the day? How
many kids about exactly what learning behaviour is expected, preferred, accepted,
allowed and valued?”
(Ramsey, 2008, p. 2, in ‘Twenty Biggest Communication
Mistakes School Leaders Make and How to Avoid Them’)

3. Communication Problems in Classroom
 Communication barriers in the classroom make it difficult for students to get the most
out of their education.
 Factors :
1.
Language
problem
2.
Lesson
3.
Personality

4. 1. Language Problem
 Students with unaddressed language or speech difficulties often have trouble
communicating with teachers and classmates
 Unable to organize their thoughts using the classroom language – rely on gestures
rather than words to communicate.

5. Effects
1.
Struggles to
communicate
2.
Shyness / low self
- esteem
3.
Refuse
interactions
4.
Dominated by
other students
5.
Fear of
embarrassment
6.
Slow language
skill development
7.
Left out of the
learning process

6. How to overcome?
 Develop individual education plans for struggling students.
 Consult special education teachers / counsellors

7. 2. Lesson
Boring lessons Communication breakdown
Not motivated / uninterested
Not engaged in the lesson activities
Outdated, routine activities

8. Effects
 Boredom creates communication barrier, where students do not feel the need to
interact with their teachers.
 Teachers – when students don’t communicate, or refuse to communicate, it will be
hard to monitor students’ learning progress.

9. How to overcome?
 Students don’t need to be entertained all day, but teachers should try to…
1. Develop engaging lessons – involve all students
2. Vary teaching strategies / approach
3. Thought – provoking questions (use HOTS)
4. Integrate ICT in teaching & learning
5. Projects, presentation (any other activities that require students to communicate/
interact)

10. 3. Personality
 Personality differences and peer pressure add to the mix, making some classroom
interactions feel awkward or forced.
 Peer pressure – verbal bullying (also related to language problem)
 Teachers’ personalities may also caused communication problems
 Students who don’t want to connect on a personal level with their teachers often
avoid communicating with them, and vice versa.

11. Effects
• Students who crave closeness and acceptance often strive
to gain teachers’ attention, resulting in unconsciously
ignoring other students who rarely communicate with the
teacher.
Teachers’
personality
• Frustrates teachers who attempt to create successful
communication for educational purposes.
• Peer pressure – fear to communicate
Students’
personality

12. How to overcome?
 Establish a conducive environment – teachers must recognize signs of personality
differences among students and understand the factors behind it, then strive to find a
healthy balance without showing partiality or favouritism.
 Peer pressure case – use reward system for good behaviour.