Communication skills E-learning Assignment 2

I think the course has help to create in me an awareness of the intentionality required on my part if I desire to communicate effectively and efficiently in my professional capacity as a teacher. The management of the self is an extremely important in developing the necessary qualities and skills that will help me to succeed in the office as well as in the classroom.

The face-to-face session that I have had thus far is in Spoken Communication. For this module, I have learnt the practicality and relevance of phonetics and acquired a basic understanding of how they operate and how I can use them to learn and correct my own pronunciation, should I ever be in doubt. Thinking back on my secondary school days when I used to giggle and laugh at teachers who mispronounce their words makes me feel rather apprehensive about making the same mistakes myself. But at least the module has armed me when the relevant information I need to prevent myself from making such mistakes in the future and thus in that aspect, the module has been very useful.

This session has also given me the opportunity to practice public speaking. By practicing for the oral presentation, it became apparent to me how much skill is needed if one wants to become a good speaker. While it seems to come easy and even natural for some, for most people, practice really does help one to perfect speech in terms of succinctness and accuracy. The oral presentation has helped me become more confident in speaking publicly before an audience. It has also humbled me as the process of recording my own oral presentation revealed both my strengths and flaws. More importantly, the assessment component has forced me to become aware of my own speaking habits which are essential to my improvement in this area.

The online modules, Written Communication and Vocal Health, have been very useful as well. The content for these two modules are extremely relevant in the working context. As I will have to communicate with various individuals in my course of work, it is essential that I acquire skills to help me communicate well with others. Unlike spoken communication where the tone and body language will help minimize misunderstandings, written communication delivers messages in a less dynamic and immediate way. As such, the various practices, such as writing emails and formal letters, have help me become more aware of the different conventions required in writing the different forms and the importance of abiding by them to prevent misunderstandings.

The Vocal health module is also relevant as it has direct effect on my personal health. In my course of study, I have seen teachers who overstretched themselves physically, especially vocally, and how that impacts their teaching careers. The module has provided very practical tips on how to avoid overstretching one’s voice, the maintenance and preservation of one’s voice and how to control the environment of the classroom to facilitate voice projection, which are extremely important if I want to pursue a long, fruitful and healthy professional career as a teacher.

I look forward to completing the other components in this Communications module and apply the theories and practices in my capacity as a teacher in the near future.

Totto-Chan: A reflection

My family went to Genting over a weekend some time ago. I was extremely excited to leave the country, even if it was just to Malaysia. Sitting on the luxury coach, reading Life of Pi, blasting Korean pop songs in my ears was extremely relaxing. On the way there, I was observing how 3 mothers (who seemed to be sisters) were handling their young children in the bus. The fathers were relatively quiet through the trip as they were resting. But the mothers kept on repeating the same phrase over and over again in response to their children’s behavior. “SIT DOWN!,” they kept screaming.

When we arrived at the base of the hill on which the resort was on, one of the little boys, probably 4 years old, looked out the bus windows and made an extremely astute observance. He said, “Mummy, look! There’s smoke in the air. There’s smoke on the mountain.” The mother looked at him nonchalantly and said, “SIT DOWN!” For a moment there, I was quite amused and stunned. If my son (if I should ever have one in the future), makes such an astute scientific observation, I will probably respond to him by affirming him for making a good observation, then find some way to guide him to understanding that the white clouds are not smoke, but fog.

It seems to me that education has been mostly confined in the classroom. Whatever happened to the knowledge and skills impartation that should be done in the home? Perhaps the mother’s response is a manifestation of what sterile education can do to a person’s ability to respond with interest and excitement to what he or she observes in the daily routines of life.

Just as I started NIE, I started to re-read Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window and have discovered new joy and passion from devouring its pages. It is beautiful how the parents of Totto-chan were so supportive of her growth, never condemning her for what she could not do, but rather found her a place where she could blossom and grow into her own. The school is an amazing place. If I should ever get the chance to see it, I probably would not be able to forget it. Tomoe Gakuen develops each child into his or her unique potential. The headmaster, Sosaku Kobayashi, ensures that there is a luxury of time and space to allowing every child, regardless of their perceived disabilities, to develop at his or her own pace. He understands the different needs of the children, their unique personalities, dreams and ambitions, family background, strengths and weaknesses, and finds a way to cater to their needs and at the same time, challenge them. The children revel in the joy of learning through exploration, whether it is through fieldtrips, sowing rice, climbing trees or playing in the brook.

What is most appealing to me is that even though the school represents an ideal model that perhaps can no longer be completely replicated in our modern world today, there is so much to be learnt from the style in which Tomoe Gakuen was run. The headmaster’s style of teaching is extremely simple yet methodical and thoughtful. Sosaku Kobayashi adopts an unconventional approach to education and is consistently innovative in the way he responds to the children.

Some thoughts that I had after reading the book:

Can we accept that our students are different, unique? Can we plan our lesson to meet the students at the physically, emotional, mentally, social and moral level at which they are at without labeling or shortchanging them just because we think that their abilities are limited? Can we remain calm in the face of the various unexpected and unpredictable challenges our students will give us? Some students like Totto-chan will dig out (pardon the language) s*** when they attempt to test boundaries, try new things and new ways of doing things. As teachers, will we remain calm and creative, allowing and guiding the student to, eventually, put all the s*** back into the manhole from which it came? (That episode is too funny to be erased from my memory) Can we help students to understand their social and civic responsibilities through creative ways and not forcefeeding them values which we ourselves, as teachers, cannot model (Students of Tomoe Gakuen do not vandalize because they are given the curriculum time to draw on the wooden floors of their hall. Afterwhich the difficult cleaning process makes them aware of how vandalism can create great problems for others).  Even though Tomoe Gakuen is an ideal, and not everyone can be a Sosaku Kobayashi, can we be brilliant in our own ways through innovation and practice?