Transcript Research shows that an effective peer mediation program can

Effective Peer
Communication
By
Melanique Floyd
Willa Banks Carmona
Pam Yates
Communication
No one would talk much in
society if they knew how
often they misunderstood
others.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Many of the problems that occur in an
organization are the direct result of
people failing to communicate.
Communication is the exchange and flow of
information and ideas from one person to another.
Effective communication occurs only if the receiver
understands the exact information or idea that
the sender intended to transmit.
The Communication Process
1. Thought- First, information exists in
the mind of the sender. This can be a
concept, idea, information or feelings.
2. Encoding – Next a message is sent
to a receiver in words or other symbols.
3. Decoding – Lastly, the receiver
translates the words or symbols into a
concept or information that he or she can
understand.
Barriers to Communication
Cultural background and bias
Noise
Ourselves
Perception
Message
Environmental
Smothering
Stress
Effective E-mail
Your e-mails should be
clear and concise.
Sentences should be
kept short and to the
point.
Writing Skills
Communicating through words can
be more concrete than verbal
communications, with less room
for error and even less room for
mistakes.
Seven Ways to Improve
Nonverbal
Communication
Eye Contact
Facial Expression
Gestures
Posture and Body Orientation
Proximity
Voice Modulation (Paralinguistics)
Humor
Eye Contact
• Eye contact with audiences increases the
speaker’s credibility.
• Teachers who make eye contact open the
flow of communication and convey
interest.
• Interpersonal communication helps
regulate the flow of communication.
Facial Expression
Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits:
• Happiness
• Friendliness
• Warmth
• Liking
• Affiliation
Paralinguistics:
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Tone
Pitch
Rhythm
Timbre
Loudness
Inflection
Students report that they learn less and lose
interest more quickly when listening to
teachers who have not learned to
modulate their voices.
Gestures
If you fail to gesture while speaking, you may be
perceived as boring, stiff, and unanimated.
A lively and animated teaching style captures
students’ attention, makes the material more
interesting, facilitates learning, and provides a
bit of entertainment.
Head nods, a form of gesturing, communicate
positive reinforcement to students and indicate
that you are listening.
Posture and Body
Orientation
You communicate numerous messages by
the way you walk, talk, stand, and sit.
Standing erect, but not rigid, and leaning
slightly forward communicates to
students that you are approachable,
receptive, and friendly. Speaking with
your back turned or looking at the floor or
ceiling should be avoided; it
communicates disinterest to your class.
Proximity
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Rocking
Leg swinging
Tapping
Gaze aversion
You should move around the classroom to
increase interaction with your students.
Increasing proximity enables you to make
better eye contact and increases the
opportunities for students to speak.
Humor
• Humor is often
overlooked as a
teaching tool.
• Laughter releases
stress and tension for
both the student and
teacher.
• It fosters a friendly
classroom environment
that facilitates
learning.
Research shows that an effective peer
mediation program can reduce fights,
discipline referrals, suspensions, and can
increase positive school climate, teachers’
time teaching, and students’ time learning.
Leigh Jones-Bamman
Program Manager for the Governor’s Prevention Partnership
Benefits of Peer Mediation
Programs
• provides a safe structure for people to solve their
problems and negotiate
• improves communication among students,
administrators, teachers, and staff members
• makes people more comfortable talking to someone
their own age who understands their concerns and their
perspective
• peers are less threatening to talk to than authority
figures and this promotes honesty and willingness to
collaborate
• people learn that they have to listen to others’ point of
view
• helps people learn to live in a multicultural world
Creating and Sustaining Collaborative
Relationships Among Teachers
Collaboration provides teachers with a
vehicle for sharing a common knowledge
base and vision. Yet few teachers are
using collaboration on a regular basis as
part of their work.
Collaboration allows teachers to:
• Develop a sense of community
• Improve the quality of their teaching by
working together on unit plans, lessons and
assessments
• Recognize and appreciate diverse talents
Teachers who work autonomously have found it
difficult to modify their lessons and instructions to
reach the varied and changing needs of their
students.
Think of some ways you can collaborate
with the teachers on your team.
Researchers have indicated that two
components are necessary when
building a collaborative relationship:
•It needs to take place with an equal
relationship among all parties.
•All parties must make a commitment to
engage in dialogue and mutual inquiry. Each
participant must have opportunities to
experience each other’s knowledge and
expertise (Ferrara, 2000).
Conclusion
Building new relationships, whatever the
circumstances, takes time; rebuilding
relationships in which trust has been damaged
can take far longer (Young, 1998). If we hope to
make meaningful, lasting change within school
communities, establishing trust as a priority and
taking the time to develop it looks to be well
worth the investment. “Without trust, a school
cannot improve and grow into the rich, nurturing
microsociety needed by adults and children
alike.”(Blase and Blase 2001)