Educational Psychology Lecture 7.

Teacher Communication
Styles
Approaches and Challenges
2013
 Plan.
1. Teacher’s beliefs about
learners and learning.
2. Teacher-student models of
communication.
3. Three approaches to
communication styles.
 Teachers’beliefsaboutlearnersandlearning.

Teachers’ deep-rooted beliefs about how languages

are learned will pervade their classroom actions
more than a particular methodology they are told
to adopt.

Meighan suggests that learners may be

construed metaphorically as:
-resisters
-receptacles
-raw material
-clients
-partners
-individual/democratic explorers
 T. Sees learners as people who
Resisters do not want to learn 
punishment

Learners are seen as mugs to be

Receptacles filled with knowledge.

Shaping learners according to

Raw-material teacher’s wishes

Identification of educational
Clients need

Taking on the role of student

Partner amongst students

learners explore for themselves

ind./dem.
Explorer/
Facilitator
 First step toward good
communication
Most people want to be understood and
accepted more than anything else in
the world.

Two basic components:

1. You listen to and
acknowledge other
people's thoughts and
feelings
2. You express your own
thoughts and feelings
openly and directly
Approaches to Communication Styles
1. Ability to listen and 2. Ability to establish
express your thoughts psychological and
and emotions pedagogical contact

3. Value orientation communication styles

Approach 1
Four styles of communication

Passive

Aggressive

Passive-aggressive
Assertive
 Passive communication
• Inability or unwillingness to express
thoughts and feelings.
• Not standing up for your rights

• “ I am not important”
• “ My opinions don’t matter”
•

Aggressive communication
a destructive desire to dominate others
I care about myself
I don’t care about you
I win – you lose
 Passive-aggressive
Combination
avoiding confrontations
(passive) + manipulative to
get what they want
(aggressive).
I don’t care about myself.
I don’t care about you!
Passive-aggressive teachers
will sometimes use facial
expressions that don't
match how they feel, i.e.
smiling when angry.
 Assertive communication
Standing up for oneself. Assertive people will
say what they think and stand up for their
beliefs without hurting others. Assertiveness
attacks the problem, not the person.

• “we are both important”

• “both of our opinions
• matter”
• I care about myself .
• I care about you !
• I win – You win
Approach 2
Teacher-Student Models of
Communication.
1. Dictator
2. Locator
3. Black-Cock
4. Hamlet
5. Robot
6. Myself
7. Union
 Model ‘Dictator’
 Teacher is in the centre
of kingdom of
knowledge.
 Students are
impersonalized (just a
mass of listeners)
 No psychological
contact
 Students are passive
and non-initiative
 Pedagogical function-
just informative
Model ‘Chinese Wall’
 Lack of psychological
contact because of the 'wall’
between a student and a
teacher.
 Lack of motivation to
collaborate
 Teacher’s behavior is
superior over students
 Lack of interest in teacher’s
personality
 Model ‘Locator’
 Teacher plays favorites
(leaders, capable
students or conversely,
outsiders, with poor
academic ability)
 Teacher –Group
Communication is
invalid
 Inability to show
individual approach to
students
 Some students are
beyond psychological
contact.
Model ‘Black-Cock’
 No teacher student
group communication,
but teacher teacher
monologue.
 Questions are not
welcome
 Teacher is emotionally
deaf and absorbed
with himself
 Psychological isolation
 Educational process is
very formal
 Model ‘Hamlet’
 Interpersonal relationship
is the most significant for
 a teacher;
 Vulnerability to any
change in the
psychological climate;
 Doubts about professional
activity and authority as
 a teacher
 Sometimes students have
leading positions
Model ‘Robot’
 Faultless logics, factual
argumentation, mimics
and gestures are
learned and inflexible;
 Major goal is to cover
the planned topic;
 No personal attitude to
individual differences of
students and their
present emotional state;
 Idealistic performance;
low level of
pedagogical influence.
 Model ‘Myself’
 The focus of pedagogical
process is the teacher
 A lot of pressure on the
initiative of students
 Cognitive and social
development of students are
minimized
 Motivation of students and
creative characteristics of
learning are undervalued.
 Model ‘Union’
 Creative dialogue teacher-
student
 A lot of encouragement and
rewards for initiative
 Psychological climate is
important and any change is
met positively
 Teacher manages to stop
manipulation and conflicts;
 Ability to listen, understand,
influence
 Pedagogical and professional
competence.
 Approach 3
Value Orientation Communication
Styles
1. Action
2. Process
3. People
4. Idea
Action-oriented teacher
Content : they talk about Process: they are
Results Direct
Feedback Down to earth
Objectives To- the- point
Performance Impatient
Efficiency Decisive
Experience Jump from one idea
Challenges to another
Achievements Energetic
Change Challenge others
Decisions
Responsibility
Process-oriented teacher
Content : they talk about Process: they are
Facts Systematic
Procedures Logical
Planning Factual
Organizing Unemotional
Controlling Cautious
Testing patient
Trying
Analysis
Observations
Details
Proof
People-oriented teacher
Content : they talk about Process: they are

People Spontaneous
Needs Empathic
Motivations Warm
Teamwork Subjective
Communication Emotional
Values Perceptive
Relationships Sensitive
Understanding
Self-development
Sensitivity
Cooperation
Feelings
Expectations
 Idea-oriented
Content : they talk about
teacher
Process: they are

Innovations Imaginative
Creativity Charismatic
Opportunities Difficult to
Grand designs understand
Alternatives Ego-centered
Potential Unrealistic
New methods Creative
Improving Full of ideas
Issues Provocative
HOME ASSIGNMENT
 Activity 1 : Choose an animal
ACTIVITY 2: CHOOSE A MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT
 .
ACTIVITY 3 : CHOOSE A FOOD
REFLECTION:
HOW DO PEOPLE PERCEIVE YOU IN THE
COMMUNICATION?

 How do you act ?

 How do you sound?
 How do you taste?
 A very special way Is
‘permission to be
oneself’
freedom to have ideas
and beliefs.
TRY YOUR BEST.
PLAN, REFLECT, IMPROVE.
BE PROFESSIONAL.
BE OPEN, KIND AND SHOW YOU CARE.