My partner and I both agreed that the teacher had effective positive verbal communication skills such as speaking at an adequate volume at an appropriate pace whilst enunciating his words clearly at all times to ensure pupils could understand their teacher throughout the lesson. We, however, also both noticed that his non-verbal communication was not so satisfying. The teacher remained seated during the majority of this particular lesson meaning he wasn’t particularly showing authority or grabbing his pupils’ attention informing them where they should be focusing. At one point, the teacher even posed with his arms crossed projecting a dismissive, unapproachable vibe and used finger pointing as opposed to open hand gestures creating a similar atmosphere.

My partner’s observation was unsurprising due to it being so similar to mine whereas the video shocked me more. It highlighted the true importance of reflection and the many advantages that come with observation such as looking back on videos and being able to identify any changes that need to be made.

Observing this teacher was relatively easy as I was able to pause, rewind and re-watch the video as many times as necessary. I recognise, however, that observing others in real life will be more challenging as I will have to remain fully focused at all times to ensure no vital information is missed.

One idea I would like to remember whilst myself teaching at placement is how noticeable body language is and how important it is to make sure not to forget what my body language at all times is conveying. If I can notice an individual’s negative body language signs in a short video, my pupils will be able to notice any negative non-verbal communication I am portraying throughout the day.

Overall, I am excited to begin placement and learn and improve everyday. I also feel nervous but look forward to the challenges I will face and hurdles I will overcome.

Chapter 5 of ‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge informs readers that asking questions is a fundamental part of communication as questions are the root of conversation. There are many key themes discussed frequently throughout this text including; the importance of questions, the many different types of questions, the affect questions have on children and the significance of questions in a classroom environment.
Whilst discussing the importance of questions, due to the results of his previous research, Hargie claims that without questions, interaction “eventually dies”. To support this claim, Hargie tells us that in his communication classes, he includes an exercise involving four volunteers attempting to discuss ‘the events of the week’ without asking any questions. From results, Hargie noticed that conversation either remains very difficult or someone quickly asks a question. Contestants on game shoes can win large sums of money simply for knowing the answers to questions; interviewers become well-known for being able to ask fellow celebrities the correct questions people want the answers to; skilled detectives can break down suspects through insightful questions. These examples support Hargie’s claims that questions are important in many aspects in life.
Many different types of questions are described frequently through this text, examples being: closed questions, open questions, leading questions and rhetorical questions. Cook (2009) believes that questions play a crucial role in child development for learning and maturing. Certain types of questions, such as leading questions, have an effect on the responses of children. Hardy and Van Leeuwan (2004) established that young children were less able to fight suggestion than older generations meaning that their responses were not always completely accurate if they faced an influential question.
Dillon (1982) reviewed the great amount of research into questions while teaching that has been completely and reported that teachers ask approximately 2 questions per minute whereas pupils only ask around 2 questions per hour. However, when teachers were surveyed, they believed they asked 3 times less questions that they truly did and thought pupils asked 6 times more questions than they actually do.
One point made by Hargie that I would disagree with is when he stated that open questions produce accurate responses. I would disagree with this because open questions can lead to a person going on a tangent and becoming distracted from what the question is truly asking therefore you do not get an appropriate answer you anticipated.

Reference List:
‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge.