Teachers' communication behaviors and supervisors' evaluation of instruction in elementary and secondary classrooms

Abstract

Abstract In the face of declining SAT scores, and charges that students' learning of basic skills is glaringly deficient, there have been calls for increased assessment of teaching. Yet, little is known about those competencies which make teachers effective. This study built on previous studies that have indicated relationships between students' learning and perceptions of teachers' selected communication behaviors. Elementary and secondary teachers' willingness to communicate, nonverbal immediacy, and communication competence were found to be predictive of supervisors' evaluations of students' learning and overall teaching effectiveness. It is suggested that while situational constraints in the classroom may mitigate some predispositions to avoid communication, supervisors may distinguish between effective and ineffective teachers based upon contact outside of the classroom. Effective teaching was perceived to have more influence on affective learning than upon cognitive and behavioral learning. Conclusions support the importance of classroom communication in the evaluation of teachers. To secure the future of our children, a new generation of teachers is needed, teachers who are competent in their subjects, skilled at teaching, informed about children and their development, knowledgeable about cognitive psychology, schooled in technology, informed about the latest and most relevant research, able to work with peers and others in diverse environments, and confident of their roles and contributions (Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983, p. 15).