C54: Communication Skills (PK-K)

​When I think of communication skills, I can’t help but think of you early years teachers.  Our youngest learners are so curious about the world around them that they want to continuously ask questions, add comments to the learning topic, and make connections to their everyday lives.  At times, it can be overwhelming the sheer amount of questions that early learners ask, but isn’t it beautiful at the same time?  They have such interest in the world around them and they don’t have problems voicing their ideas or opinions.  

In this episode, we are going to examine the communication skills that our young learners need to be able to harness their message and provide ideas in a logical manner. 

But first, let's look at some of the skills we as educators need to model, so our learners are able to apply it to their own practice.

• Plan opportunities for students to practice and apply these skills in meaningful contexts (including play, class meetings and small-group learning engagements).
• Encourage students to consider potential opportunities and challenges arising from shared ideas.
• Encourage physical cues.
• Model appropriate, respectful and rich language use.
• Encourage communication using different languages.
• Ask open-ended questions.
• Put thinking ahead of knowing.
• Have informal conversations.
• Encourage students to explore a variety of perspectives and modalities.

The communication sub-skills help us to see a broader picture about how we can communicate in a variety of ways.  

• Exchanging information (listening, interpreting, and speaking)
• Symbolic exploration and expression (reading, writing, and math)

Just like last time, we will take a deeper look at the sub-skill criteria and see how we might break it down, so it’s easier for students to access. 

​Listening

​As an early years teacher, one of the key skills we establish is listening.  Our learners know how to speak about many things, but it's a bit harder to stop and truly listen to the ideas and passions of someone else.  Here are so ideas on how to deepen this practice. 

​Listen to information

This seems like a natural thing for young humans to do. Yet, it takes a great deal of restraint on the part of our youngest learners to truly listen, not hear, each other.  They are so eager to share and connect that listening is truly a skill they must require.  Listening requires young learners to listen for inflection in tone and vocal pauses.  They often misunderstand these parts of communication, which often results in them interrupting a conversation inadvertently.  
​
How do we get our youngest learners to listen?  They must engage in skills that build their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills to become better.  This is what balanced literacy means.  How do we do it?  I think this is completely up to the teacher, but one thing I’d reinforce is the balanced approach to literacy in learning stations, small group work, and activity centers.  The repeated chance to play with these skills will only allow our young people to become better communicators. 

​Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas

I have made my fair share of mistakes when engaging with young learners.  You have to be careful in how you phrase certain questions, because all of the class will be answering at once.  You know what I mean. 

In my limited experience with these fabulous young people, they just want to be heard and seen.  They need to be taught the various ways to communicate with others in whole and small group settings.  I’ve seen a lot of educators assume they know how to manage themselves until chaos erupts.  

I think role plays make a huge difference in these situations.  It allows learners to understand different social cues without being affronted personally.  They are playing a part in a play about someone who is not listening and ways they can correct their behavior. I know that this strategy is old school, but I have found it works wonders. 

Ask for clarifications

​Getting students to advocate for themselves is one of the hardest things I’ve struggled with as an educator.  They would rather go to the dentist and get teeth pulled than tell you they need clarification or they don’t understand something.  Thankfully, most of our early learners don’t yet have the social pressures attached to their learning.  They just need support in advocating for their needs.  They often don’t know how to advocate, which is the struggle. 

One thing I’ve used with students is colored cards (red, yellow, and green) that represent the traffic light.  I ask them to hold up the color that shows if they understand how to do something.  If this is not available, I have them use their thumbs up, down, and sideways.  

I still struggle with getting young learners to share what they need.  They don’t mind tattling on someone else, but they often won’t tell you about themselves.  

Well that wasn’t so bad.  Join us next time as we explore some social skills.