EDCT 5846 - Effective Communication

Course Description

Communication is the very life blood of school culture. Needs, values, traditions and a school’s ethos rely on the medium of communication. Educators are called upon to be change agents: to explain concepts, motivate people and advocate for a better way of doing something. A successful, dynamic communicator makes their ideas come to life and brings clarity and shared understanding to the audience using effective and reflective listening, speaking, and writing skills that are grounded in the characteristics and knowledge of the school culture. Intentional communication clarifies understanding and invites the participation of educators, students and
the greater community to share in and strengthen the school culture. This class is designed to support students to build knowledge, skills, strategies, and
understanding about the ideas above in order to make sense of, identify, navigate, and to create change in a wide range of communication contexts and relationships. This course focuses on the influences of interpersonal communication and how these interactions shape an environment. Weekly in-class activities center on identifying personal values that characterize interpersonal communications with the expectation of engaging with a school culture. Observations in a variety of settings along with in-class practice will address the intentional focus of the communicators in their attempts to connect authentically with colleagues, students, families,
administrators, and the greater school community.

Course Outline

Session 1: Who Am I as a Communicator?

Session 2: Culture and Communication Part 1–Environments

Session 3: Empathy

Session 4: Forms of Communication

Session 5: Factors that Impact Communication

Session 6: Motivations for Communication

Session 7: Collegiality, Communication and Group Leadership

Session 8: Effective and Ineffective Communication

Session 9: Culture and Communication Part 2–Looking Inward

Session 10: How Does Communication Impact School Culture?

Learner Outcomes

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Identify skills, characteristics and themes of effective communication.
• Assess and define interpersonal communication.
• Consider the role of communication through the lens of the Three Domains of Learning.
• Identify and analyze cultural forces impacting communication.
• Assess and employ different communication strategies.
• Ultimately answer the question, “How does communication impact a school culture?”