Classroom Communication

If there is one thing I am constantly reminded of about being in the classroom it is how much students need to be heard and how much time it takes to give an ear! I adore tips for efficient and effective communication that help students to feel the love. Here are some of my favorites.

Greet students at the door as they enter the classroom and have them communicate their feelings by signaling with a finger scale of one to five. One finger denotes a horrible day and five fingers indicates the best day ever. Be sure to take an extra moment as soon as possible with those experiencing horrible days!

Extend the hand signaling to silent classroom communication to prevent standard interruptions. This helps students quickly communicate and take care of needs like bathroom breaks, grabbing a tissue, or excusing oneself for an appointment or meeting without disturbing the flow and progress of the class.

Students can help with designing the hand signals and the rules, plus they learn an appreciation for the importance of avoiding class disturbances. The teacher simply responds to students with a simple head shake for yes or no to indicate permissions for students to take actions. A teacher can deny students from leaving the class at any time by simply shaking her head no when timing is inappropriate.

We would love to hear your tips for effective silent classroom communication.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash