The following is from the book Myths: Fact and Fiction about Teaching and Learning by Israel Galindo. How well do you know fact from fiction?
MYTH: The reason why coffee is such a popular morning beverage is because of the caffeine, which serves as a stimulant.
TRUTH: Caffeine is not a stimulant. What actually happens is that the caffeine blocks body regulators, and your own body revs you up. In fact, caffeine decreases blood flow to the brain and has been used in treating migraine headaches. So, go ahead, have that second cup of coffee!
MYTH: The secret to effective communication for teaching is the teacher’s ability to use language and symbols.
TRUTH: The secret to effective communication in the learning environment is not so much the teacher’s ability to use language, as it is the student’s ability to listen effectively. No matter how good a communicator a teacher is, if his or her learner does not know how to listen, there is little effective communication—and therefore, less learning. As in most areas in our lives, we are trained how to listen at an early age (some studies have shown that in certain family patterns people are trained to believe they will not be heard, leading to non-communicative behaviors). Aside from physical hearing limitations, how your learners have been taught to listen will determine their capacity to learn from you.
Effective listening is a complex skill to learn. Persons who are good listeners have the following skills:
1. Can take responsibility for his or her half of the conversation.
2. Can interpret words, tone of voice, body language, and cultural cues.
3. Can interpret what is being said both in content and emotion.
4. Can respond appropriately to what is being said.
5. Can determine the purpose of conversations: small talk, cathartic, informative, persuasive.
6. Has the discipline to not talk about self before listening to others.
A wise investment of time for classroom management, committee training, or board development is to spend a significant amount of time in training your group members or learners to listen. Train them to pick up learning cues and prompts. The more effective their listening, the more effective will be your teaching!
You can order a copy of the book Myth: Fact and Fiction about Teaching and Learning by Israel Galindo (ISBN 0-9715765-4-8) directly from Educational Consultants.
