Foundations of Teaching Reflection

This assignment reflects on the significance of communication skills in teaching, emphasizing the need for effective interaction between teachers and students. It discusses personal observations and strategies for engaging students, particularly those who are shy or hesitant. The importance of self-reflection and continuous improvement in teaching practices is highlighted, supported by relevant literature on communication in education.

Running head: FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING
Foundations of Teaching
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING
Observation reflections
Reflective thinking by self-observation and self-assessment is an important strategy in
teaching practice and for personal development. It helps in making correct and informed
decisions (Zeichner & Liston, 2013). One of the positive skills that will help me in my future
prospect of teaching is communication. Communication is a way of sending or exchanging
information (Erozkan, 2013). It forms the basis of education. The main role of the teacher is to
impart knowledge to the students and understand their problems (Danielson, 2013). This is only
possible through effective communication. I observed that many students hesitate to approach to
the teachers in the class. This may be because the student is scared or not confident about the
subject. However, the main reason I observed is lack of communication between the teacher and
student (Owens, 2016). The teacher should be accessible to the student. This not only helps in
solving problems faced by the students but also creating special bond so as to understand the
student better (Danielson, 2013).
Every student is unique in their own kind and therefore the method for approaching each
student should also be different (Danielson, 2012). As I observed in my class, some students
readily socialize with everyone and are very active in classroom. Thus, it was easier to
communicate with them and help them understand the concepts as well as solve the issues faced
by them. However, there are some students that I observed who were extremely shy and afraid.
In spite of being very bright students, fear, embarrassment or tension overpower them and
ultimately affect the student’s development (Danielson, 2012). Approaching these students was a
challenging task. I apply communication skill to deal with such students. I engage the students in
different activities and motivate them to speak. Sometimes I communicate by writing on the

2FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING
board and motivating them to come up and answer. This helps in boosting the self-confidence of
the student and also helps the students to come out of their shell (Owens, 2016). With better
communication, I was able to impart knowledge and interact with the students to a greater extent.
Through communication and body language, I was able to express care and concern for my
students (Erozkan, 2013). The student finds it convenient to approach their teacher when they
observe care and affection in the tone of voice of the teacher.
With my communication skill, I not only aspire to better interact with the student and
help in their growth and development but also to enhance my teaching skill. As I am better able
to communicate with the students, the students find it easier to recommend changes. These will
be helpful for my personal development and career growth in the future.

3FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING
References
Danielson, C. (2012). Observing classroom practice. Educational Leadership, 70(3), 32-37.
Danielson, C. (2013). The framework for teaching: Evaluation instrument. Princeton, NJ:
Danielson Group.
Erozkan, A. (2013). The Effect of Communication Skills and Interpersonal Problem Solving
Skills on Social Self-Efficacy. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 13(2), 739-
745.
Owens Jr, R. E. (2016). Language Development: An Introduction| Edition: 9. Instructor.
Zeichner, K. M., & Liston, D. P. (2013). Reflective teaching: An introduction. Routledge.

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Annotated bibliography
Duta, N., Panisoara, G., & Panisoara, I.-O. (2015). The effective communication in
teaching. Diagnostic study regarding the academic learning motivation to students.
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 186, 1007-1012.
This journal is an in-depth explanation of the importance of communication skill in
teaching practice. It involves both conceptual and practical approach to understand how the
better communication skill of the teacher impacts on the growth and development of the student.
It involves a study of total 245 students from four different universities who were assigned to
different communication activities and the response of the students as well as the teachers to
such activities is observed and recorded. Based on the result, the journal then explains about the
suitable methods employed to face the challenges faced by both the teachers and students.
This journal was helpful for me as there was an exhaustive description of the benefits of
good communication in a class room as well as there are different methods described to how to
deal with problems and circumstances arriving due to inadequate communication. As a pre-
service teacher, it is very important for me to effectively communicate with my students as well
as encourage them to communicate and participate in different activities. The article helps to
understand that communication and teaching are inter related to each other. Without proper
communication, teaching and learning will not be achieved. Proficient communicators become
excellent teachers as they are better able to receive and impart knowledge to the students.