Post #10

Now weren't those some fun activities in class?  Fun, even though we really messed up the telephone chain, because we knew what we were supposed to be learning.

Now just imagine that you were a student in a normal middle-school classroom.  Perhaps you may be a student that has just entered our country, and you don't speak English very well.  And you were the last student in the chain.  And the message contained very important details about a project due on Monday after Thanksgiving break.  And today is Friday.

Not so much fun anymore is it?

Well, usually we don't come across situations like this in the classroom.  At least we hope we never do.
But sometimes this is what the student may feel.  In fact, I dealt with this myself in middle school.  I had a Dr appt on Fri morning and found out about a project due after Thanksgiving break.  The teacher was gone so I had to get my info from other students.  I got three different versions of what was due, and none were complete enough to actually do it.  So I had to wait until that Monday to find out the requirements and do it that night, to be accepted as late on Tuesday.

As educators, we must ensure that what we say is understood correctly.  Any miscommunication in the classroom can have (seemingly) catastrophic consequences.  We need tyo make sure that we are sending the right message.  This includes body language as well as our actual words.  We should look like we mean what we say; our body language should support the message.  When BSing with the kids, you don't need to be as professional as if you were giving instruction, just as when giving instruction, you should not sit down at your desk, cross your arms, or look generally uninterested in what you are doing.  Mixing up body language and signals can confuse students as to what the actual topic of the class really was.  We should also ensure that what we say is really what we mean to say.  Give instructions in different forms: verbal, textual, visual.  If possible just rephrase what you said. 
We also need to make sure that the message sent is, in fact, received by the student.  The perfect message is nothing if it just goes off into dead space or is incomplete.  Eliminate most, if not all, distratctions in the classroom when giving important intructions, such as the radio, tv, student conversations, and such.
Finally, we need to ensure that the message is understood clearly.  Have the students repeat or rephrase what you said.  Go over what you said if necessary, even if it takes a few more minutes.  The extra time will be time well spent.