PAPER VIII (A) : EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

UNIT- II : COMMUNICATION IN TEACHING LEARNING

MEANING:

The word ‘communication’ comes from the Latin word ‘communis’ meaning ‘to share’
or ‘give and take.’ It is the art of transmitting information, ideas and attitudes from one person to
another person. All living beings are said to have communication system – whether it maybe
verbal and non-verbal. As human beings are social animals. It is quite necessary to communicate
with other fellows to live a happy life.

It is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages,

or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behaviour. It is the meaningful
exchange of information between two or a group of person.

One definition of communication is “any act by which one person gives to or receives
from another person information about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or
affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional
or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or non-linguistic forms, and may occur through
spoken or other modes.”

Communication requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver

doesn't have to be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of
communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space.
Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative
commonality.

Communication is a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which

participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information, news, ideas and feelings but also
create and share meaning. In general, communication is a means of connecting people or places.
In business, it is a key function of management - an organization cannot operate without
communication between levels, departments and employees.

Edgar Dale defines communication as the “sharing of ideas and feelings in a mood of
mutuality”. Any media through which these communication is achieve can be termed as the
communication process.

According to Wilbur Schram of Stanford university “The communication media can be

the spoken word –signal, gesture, picture, visual, display, print, broadcast, film all the sign and
symbols by which human try to convey meaning and value to one another.”

Communication means getting across ideas and information to another person. For
communication to take place, it should originated from an individual and be transmitted to
another who receives it and acknowledge it. Sending the message alone does not complete the
process. The sender might use language, sign or action to transmit a message. The receiver might
receive it by listening, reacting or simply observing. In any case the process of communication
involves three things – a communicator ( Sender ) a communicate ( receiver) and the contents of
communication ( Message).

CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATION :

(1)Two or More Persons:

The first important characteristic of communication is that there must be a minimum

number of two persons because no single individual can have an exchange of ideas with himself.
A listener is necessary to receive one’s ideas. Therefore, there must be at least two persons-the
sender of information and the receiver.

(2)Exchange of Ideas:

Communication cannot be thought of in the absence of exchange of ideas. In order to

complete the process of communication there must be an exchange of ideas, orders, feelings,
etc., among two or more than two persons.

(3)Mutual Understanding:

Mutual understanding means that the receiver should receive the information in the same
spirit with which it is being given. In the process of communication, it is more important to
understand the information rather than carry it out.

(4)Direct and Indirect Communication:

It is not necessary in communication that the receiver and giver of information should be
face-to-face with each other. Communication can be both direct and indirect. Direct
communication means face-to-face conversation, while indirect communication is through other
means.

(5)Continuous Process:

Communication is an endless process, as is the case with business where the manager
continuously assigns work to his subordinates, tries to know the progress of the work and gives
directions.

(6)Use of Words as well as Symbols:

There can be many means of communication, like the written, the oral and symbolic. The
examples of symbolic communication are the ringing of bell for closing a school or a
college,saying something by the movement of the neck, showing anger or disapproval through
eyes, giving some decision by the raising of a finger in cricket, etc.
 (7) It is a dynamic process :

Communication involves sharing of thoughts and experiences in a meaningful manner while

assimilating, processing, and responding to the person one is talking with. The mode and
manner of communication may vary according to the situation.

(8) It is a process :

Each message is part of a process and does not occur in isolation. This means that the
meaning attached to a message depends on what has happened before and on the present context.
For example, your boss’ response to your request for a promotion will depend on your past
relationship with him, as well as his mood at that particular moment.

Formulates
Sender
Encodes
(Teacher)
Medium
Transmit
Signs
Message contents Via
symbols

Medium Message
Transmit
Receiver
Decodes
(Learner)
Interpret
 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
People communicate with each other in a number of ways that depend upon the message
and its context in which it is being sent. Choice of communication channel and your style of
communicating also affects communication. So, there are variety of types of communication.

Types of communication based on the communication channels used are:

1. Verbal Communication

2. Nonverbal Communication

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal communication refers to the form of communication in which message is

transmitted verbally; communication is done by word of mouth and a piece of writing. Objective
of every communication is to have people understand what we are trying to convey. Verbal
communication is communication that uses words, either written or spoken. This is in contrast to
non-verbal communication, such as body language.

When we talk to others, we assume that others understand what we are saying because we
know what we are saying. But this is not the case. Usually people bring their own attitude,
perception, emotions and thoughts about the topic and hence creates barrier in delivering the
right meaning.

So in order to deliver the right message, you must put yourself on the other side of the
table and think from your receiver’s point of view. Would he understand the message? How it
would sound on the other side of the table? It is the sharing of information between individuals
by using speech. Individuals working within a business need to effectively use verbal
communication that employs readily understood spoken words, as well as ensuring that the
enunciation, stress and tone of voice with which the words are expressed is appropriate

Verbal Communication is further divided into:

 Oral Communication

 Written Communication

Oral Communication

In oral communication, Spoken words are used. It includes face-to-face conversations,

speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio, television, voice over internet. In oral
communication, communication is influence by pitch, volume, speed and clarity of speaking.

Advantages of Oral communication

 It brings quick feedback. In a face-to-face conversation, by reading facial expression and
body language one can guess whether he/she should trust what’s being said or not.

Disadvantage of oral communication

In face-to-face discussion, user is unable to deeply think about what he is delivering, so

this can be counted as a

Written Communication

In written communication, written signs or symbols are used to communicate. A written

message may be printed or hand written. In written communication message can be transmitted
via email, letter, report, memo etc. Message, in written communication, is influenced by the
vocabulary & grammar used, writing style, precision and clarity of the language used.

Written Communication is most common form of communication being used in business.

So, it is considered core among business skills. Memos, reports, bulletins, job descriptions,
employee manuals, and electronic mail are the types of written communication used for internal
communication. For communicating with external environment in writing, electronic mail,
Internet Web sites, letters, proposals, telegrams, faxes, postcards, contracts, advertisements,
brochures, and news releases are used.

Advantages of written communication

Messages can be edited and revised many time before it is actually sent. Written
communication provides record for every message sent and can be saved for later study.
A written message enables receiver to fully understand it and send appropriate feedback.

Disadvantages of written communication

Unlike oral communication, Written communication doesn’t bring instant feedback.

It takes more time in composing a written message as compared to word-of-mouth. And number
of people struggles for writing ability.

NON- VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication is the sending or receiving of wordless messages. We can say

that communication other than oral and written, such as gesture, body language, posture, tone of
voice or facial expressions, is called nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is all
about the body language of speaker.

Non- verbal communication involves those non- verbal stimuli in a communication

setting that are generated by both the source (speaker) and his or her use of the environment and
that have potential message value for the source or receiver (listener) . Basically it is sending
and receiving messages in a variety of ways without the use of verbal codes (words). It is both
intentional and unintentional. Most speakers / listeners are not conscious of this. It includes —
but is not limited to: touch, glance, eye contact (gaze) volume, gestures, proximity, intonation,
facial expression , pause (silence), dress, posture, smell etc.

Nonverbal communication helps receiver in interpreting the message received. Often,

nonverbal signals reflects the situation more accurately than verbal messages. Sometimes
nonverbal response contradicts verbal communication and hence affect the effectiveness of
message.

When we interact with others, we continuously give and receive wordless signals. All of
our nonverbal behaviours—the gestures we make, the way we sit, how fast or how loud we talk,
how close we stand, how much eye contact we make—send strong messages. These messages
don't stop when you stop speaking either. Even when you're silent, you're still communicating
nonverbally.

Oftentimes, what comes out of our mouths and what we communicate through our body
language are two totally different things. When faced with these mixed signals, the listener has to
choose whether to believe your verbal or nonverbal message, and, in most cases, they're going to
choose the nonverbal because it's a natural, unconscious language that broadcasts our true
feelings and intentions in any given moment.

Nonverbal communication have the following three elements:

Appearance
Speaker : clothing, hairstyle, neatness, use of cosmetics

Surrounding : room size, lighting, decorations, furnishings

Body Language

facial expressions, gestures, postures

Sounds
Voice Tone, Volume, Speech rate
 FACTORS AFFECTING CLASSROOM COMMUNICATION

Classroom is a place intentionally created with the purpose of producing learning through
meaningful contact or interaction among students, teachers, and the content to be taught. Here,
teachers, students and contents are the three major components of any classroom. In order to
make learning occur in a true sense, a student needs positive classroom environment consisting
of cooperation, collaboration, joyfulness and fruitful communication. Classroom environment, in
21st century learning, incorporates 4 Cs including collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and
communication. It is quite clear that communication has a vital role in learning and teaching. As
communication is of great importance in classroom, it is necessarily required to understand what
what factors are responsible for affecting it.

Communication is done with the purpose of exposition, persuasion and facilitation.

Teachers communicate with students; students communicate with their peers and with the
teacher. How teachers and students communicate with each other affects instruction and the
whole teaching learning process. Classroom communication and classroom instructions are
closely linked to one another. The effectiveness of classroom communication depends upon the
successful transmission of message from source to the receivers.

The factors affecting classroom communication are given below :

1. Language Barriers - this is one of the most common barriers that can be found. Many
communication issues can be occurred because of the language and vocabulary
differences. If the sender and receiver cannot understand the languages of each other, the
communication will not give the intended effect. Use of unclear and inappropriate words
also can make confusions and misunderstandings during a particular communication
process.
2. Cultural Barriers - there are many communication issues comes through cultural
differences. Age differences, gender differences, economic positions, political beliefs and
cultural backgrounds are some of them. Effective communication between people or
students of different cultures is really difficult. Same word can make different meaning to
pupils who have cultural differences.
3. Organization Barriers - most of the communication barriers exist in classroom can be
included into this category. Poor organization structures, some rules and regulations, poor
relationships between teacher and students, outdated equipments and noisy environment
can badly affect to communication processes within the classroom.
4. Personal Barriers – individual discomfort and perceptions can also make negative impact
on effective communication. If students are not in the same level in terms of their
perceptions, knowledge and attitudes; the communications between them are not very
much successful. Psychological problems like maladjustment, feeling of insecurity may
also become barrier on the way of effective communication.
5. Interpersonal Barriers – misunderstanding, lack of trust on each other, poor relationship
are some of interpersonal communication barriers. These can make lack of attentions,
listening and poor responses during a communication.
6. Gender Barrier – it has been demonstrated in studies that women communicate more on
a regular basis than men do. Though both sexes have both kinds of communicators,
women are more likely to be right-brain communicators - abstract and intuitive. Men are
more likely to be left-brain communicators - linear and logical. Depending on your own
makeup, this could be a barrier. Both men and women have to learn how to communicate
in a way that allows both sexes to receive and understand the message.
7. Channel Barriers – if the communication media is inappropriate or the communication is
too long; it might break up the process. Poor communication channels can badly affect to
the clarity, clearness and accuracy of the communication process.
8. Noise – is an interruption that can creep in at any point of the communication process and
make it ineffective. Environment is one major cause that interferes with message
reception : like noises from the roadside, constant chattering of individuals outside the
communication act, blaring loudspeaker, faulty transmission, etc. noise can occur in other
forms also; poor handwriting, heavy accent or soft speech, communication in a poorly lit
room, etc. In fact, these are barriers to effective communication. For smooth and effective
communication, it is necessary to eliminate or reduce noise as far as possible.
Too loud voice or too low voice, too simple or complex message may also be
regarded as noise or barriers. Others are poor print, faint image, temperature, mechanical
defects, body discomfort, verbalism, pictorials, dissimilar background of experience;
generation gap, etc also played a factor for effective communication.
 ELEMENTS OR PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION :

Communication is a dynamic process involving a series of actions and reactions with a

view to achieving a goal. How does it work? Think that you are in conversation with your friend.
You are a sender or communicator, formulate, (encode) an idea or message as best as you can,
and pass on the message to your friend, who to the best of his ability receives or acts on the
message (decode). He responds by formulating his own message and communicates to you
(feedback) . If you think your message is understood or well received by your friend, then you go
ahead with the next idea that you have in mind and the conversation goes on and on.
Communication is, therefore, a two way process, that is, the ability to receive is as important as
the ability to send. For successful communication, feedback is crucial because it tells how your
message is being interpreted. It can make or break the communication process.

In the above diagram, the communicator is the encoder, the message is symbol (verbal or
non verbal), the channel is one of the transmission medium, the receiver is the decoder, feedback
is the response to the message, and noise is any interruption that breaks down the
communication.

These, in fact, are the essential elements or ingredients, which facilitate the
communication process. Each element plays an important role in making the communication
effective.

1. Communicator (sender or encoder) is the one who initiates the communication process.
He may be a teacher, a writer, a speaker, who takes the initiative to start a dialogue.
Before one speaks or writes, the message is conceptualized first and then encoded. An
effective communication depends on the communication skill, knowledge level and
attitude of the communicator and how he desires to affect his receiver. An ability to
 think, to organize thoughts quickly and express himself effectively are some of the
attributes of a good communicator. Somebody who uses appropriate words, sentences,
tone, etc may be called a good communicator. He does not fumble, does not look for
words and all that he says is accompanied by appropriate gestures and delivered at an
acceptable pace.

2. Encoding is the formulation of messages in the communicator's mind, that is, the
communicator not only translates his purpose (ideas, thoughts or information) into a
message but also decides on the medium to communicate his planned message. He must
choose the media (speaking, writing, signaling or gesturing) that the receiver can
comprehend well. For instance, an illiterate receiver will fail to understand a written
message, but can understand it well if told orally. A message is what a communicator
actually produces for transmission using spoken or written words, photographs, paintings,
films, posters, etc. a great deal of skill and effort is required to formulate a message, the
meaning of which should be understandable to the receiver. Actually the purpose of
communication is to influence the receiver and get favorable responses so that
appropriate decisions can be taken. The success of communication, therefore, depends on
what we say and how we say it. A message can enhance or distort effective
communication. For instance, in an interview your intention is to impress interviewer, but
if you give answers whose meaning is not clear, the interviewer may perceive that you
are incompetent for the job.

3. Channel is the vehicle through which a message is carried from the communicator to the
receiver. The channels of communication are many- written, spoken, verbal, non-verbal,
mass media like TV, radio, newspapers, books, etc. Choosing the appropriate channel,
one most suitable for the message as well as the receiver, is a complicated task. Success
and failure of communication depends on the selection of the right channel. For example,
if you have prepared a campaign on 'National Integration' what media would you choose
to reach the intended audience? And even after selecting the media you have to decide if
it is feasible cost wise, taking into account the number of people and the kind of people
who will be exposed to your message and certaion other factors. Actually, your intention
or desire would be to reach out to the maximum number of people but for efficient
communication your attempt should be to minimize time and cost in the total information
exchange effort.

4. Receiver, at the other end of the communication, is the recipient of the message and must
possess the same orientation as the communicator. If the receiver does not have the
ability to listen, to read, to think, he will not be able to receive and decode the messages
in the manner the communicator want him to. For effective communication, the receiver
is the most important link in the communication process.
5. Decoding is the interpretation of the message by the receiver. Actually, the receiver looks
for the meaning in the message, which is common to both the receiver and the
communicator.

6. Feedback is the response or acknowledgement of receiver to the communicator’s

message. The exchange is possible only if the receiver responds. Even through fluttering
eyelids, raising an eyebrow, making a face, organizing a point and asking for explanation,
the message is shaped and reshaped by the communicator and the receiver until the
meaning becomes clear. In this way both participants in communication interact and
constantly exchange roles. In face-to-face communication the receiver responds naturally,
directly and immediately. This provides the communicator an opportunity to improve and
and make his communication effective. Feedback, thus, provides an opportunity to
evaluate what is right or wrong about a particular communication. It helps to regulate the
conversation among two or more individuals and also stimulates and reinforces an idea
that is desired to be communicated.
 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Communication is the process of establishing meaningful relationships among human

beings. Communication is used to share information. thoughts and feelings between each other.
Effective communication ensures whether the transmitted contents are received and understood
by someone in the way they were intended. Also, the common goal of effective communication
includes creating a general perception, changing behaviors and acquiring correct information.
Many people think that communication is easy. But effective communication cannot be
expressed in simplest form. It is not just about talking. There are many other things involved
with effective communication such as gesture, proper body language, expressions and listening.
The proper balance of these attributes to be maintained during your communication process if
you need to receive the intended goal.

Any parameter that limits the purpose or channel of communication between transmitter
and the receiver is a barrier to communication.

The process of communication has multiple barriers. The intended message will often be
disturbed and distorted leading to a condition of misunderstanding and failure of communication.
Following are the barriers of communication:

1. Linguistic barriers: The language barrier is one of the main barriers that limit effective
communication. Language is the most commonly employed tool of communication. The fact that
each major region has its own language is one of the barriers to effective communication.
Sometimes even a thick dialect may render the communication ineffective.

2. Psychological barriers : There are various mental and psychological issues that may be
barriers to effective communication. Some people have stage fear, speech disorders, phobia,
depression, poor eye sight, hearing difficulties, etc. All of these conditions are very difficult to
manage sometimes and will most certainly limit the ease of communication.

3. Emotional barriers : The emotional IQ of a person determines the ease and comfort with
which they can communicate. The emotional state of a person at a particular point affects his/her
communication with others as it has an impact on the body language (nonverbal
communication). Emotional state causes some psychological changes in our body that may affect
the pronunciation, pressure of the speech and tone of the sender as well as the perception,
thinking process and information interpretation of the receiver during verbal communication. A
perfect mixture of emotions and facts is necessary for effective communication.

4. Attitudes barrier : Certain people like to be left alone. They are the introvert or just people
who are not very social. Others like to be social or sometimes extra clingy. Both of these cases
could become a barrier of communication. Some people have attitude issues, like huge ego and
inconsiderate behaviours.

5. Perception barriers : Different people perceive the same things differently. This is a fact
which we must consider during the communication. Knowledge of the perception levels of the
audience is crucial to effective communication. The entire message on communiqué must be
easy and clear.

6. Technological barriers: The technology is developing fast and as a result, it becomes

difficult to keep up with the newest development. Hence, sometimes the technological advance
may become barrier. In addition to this, the cost of technology is sometimes very difficult.

7. Location or distance barrier : This barrier is particularly important when speaking to a

group or audience. If the audience perceives distance from the, looking down on them, or simply
not reachable, then they will not be as receptive to the message which are trying to share them.

8. Gender barriers : It has been demonstrated in studies that women communicate more on a
regular basis than men do. Though both sexes have both kinds of communicators, women are
more likely to be right-brain communicators – abstract and intuitive. Men are more likely to be
leftbrain communicators – linear and logical. Depending on one own makeup, this could be a
barrier. Both men and women have to learn how to communicate in a way that allows both sexes
to receive and understand message.

9. Communication skills and styles : People have different communication skills and styles.
Often times, these differences in communication skills can create communication barriers
between the communicator and the receiver of the message.

10. Cultural barriers : Culture shapes the way we think and behave. Cultural barrier to
communication often arises when individuals in one social group have developed different
norms, values or behaviours to individuals associated with another group. Cultural difference
leads to difference in interest, knowledge, values and tradition. Therefore, people of different
cultures will experience these culture factors as a barrier to communicate with each other.

11. Technical Failure : Message was not delivered due to technical failure. For example:
receiver was not in mobile network area and the sender has not activated delivery report in
message setting.

12. Unclear Message : Effective communication starts with a clear message. Unclear message in
terms of meaning, grammar and words may act as a barrier to communication because the
receiver may not be able to intercept the actual meaning of the message.

13. Lack of Feedback : Feedback is the mirror of communication. Feedback mirrors what the
sender has sent. Without feedback, communication cannot be considered complete. Both the
sender and the receiver can play an active role in using feedback to make communication truly
two-way.