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Teacher Communication Styles Models
Gilberto Teixeira ,Prof. Doutor (FEA/USP )
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Note : This paper is written in english because I had a class of american students registered on my course Teaching Methods ,a mandatory credit for all Graduate students in Business Management (São Paulo State University)
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PRETEST
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Instructions: Consider the following brief statements identifying various communication styles of teachers in the classroom.
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ORGANIZER
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Provides a structured, orderly presentation.
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SCHOLAR
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Presents material rigorously and thoroughly.
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DREAMER
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Communicates through the abstract language of ideas.
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SOCIALIZER
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Shares content in informal, unthreatening ways.
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PERFORMER
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Focuses on the dramatic interest content creates.
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SALESPERSON
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Persuades of the value of the idea or action being considered.
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Now answer both of the following:
I believe my basic style is or will be that of a/an _______________________. (Select one of the six terms above)
If I were to see myself as combing two approaches, I would combine: ___________________ and _________________________.
HAVING MADE THESE DECISIONS, MOVE ON TO THE INVENTORY OF PART II
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PART II
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Instructions: Assess your communication style by underling words that aptly describe you the following six clusters. Be precise. Do not underline a word if you are uncertain that it reflects you own communication tendencies. When you have finished underlining, tally the number of underlined responses in each cluster.
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ORGANIZER
Total _______
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Structure, specific, utilitarian, accurate, informative, sequential, enjoys establishing priorities, clarifies, controlled, organized, deliberate incremental, good concentration, instructive, detached, firm, disciplined, process orientated, thorough, even-paced, developmental.
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SCHOLAR
Total _______
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Precise, learned, contextual, complex, articulate, exact, sees subtleties, extensive vocabulary, perfectionist, reserved, soft-spoken, accurate, deep thinker, excellent memory, appreciation of detail, undogmatic, scholarly, amplifies meaning, good enunciation, knowledgeable, reticent.
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DREAMER
Total _______
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Imaginative, original, theoretical, idealistic, brainstorms frequently, thinks of possibilities, speculative, hypothetical, creates analogies, coins words, playful, expansive, creative, dreamer, rambling, open-ended, freely associates ideas, inventive, surprising word combinations, looks for universal import, wander easily.
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SOCIALIZER
Total _______
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Extrovert, gregarious, responsive, need-orientated, compassionate, solicitous, elicits response, unthreatening, encouraging, personal, practical, conversational, warm, touch-oriented, informal, reinforcing, everyday vernacular, complimentary, sociable, diplomatic, compromising.
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PERFORMER
Total _______
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Emotive, dramatic, intuitive, verbal faculty, entertaining, stylish, highly individualized manner, crowd pleaser, performer, witty, captivating, instinctive timing sense, plays to an audience, descriptive, sensual language, uses imagery, concrete, inventive, spots inattentiveness, story teller, a ham.
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SALESPERSON
Total _______
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Promoter, forceful delivery, mover, persuasive, enthusiastic, offensive rather than defensive in tactics, recommends, flatters, energetic, quick of speech, intense, confrontational, debater, asks direct questions, unequivocal, sure of his/her point, improvises easily, direct, little wasted motion, expects response, generalizes frequently.
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My top two characteristic communication styles are:
____________________ and _____________________
When you have identified your characteristic teaching communication styles, please read descriptive paragraphs related to the identified communication style.
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COMMUNICATION STYLE DESCRIPTIONS
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ORGANIZER
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is just what the name implies. This person is a structured, accurate common actor whose comments are generally specific and helpful. He/she provides information clearly and willingly. Recognizing the need to prioritize one's thoughts is apparent as the individual speaks. He/she often uses sequenced expressions such as "first," "second" and "third." As might be imagined, this person does not ramble, will stop talking first. He/she asks questions designed to clarify issues and to bring participants back to central issues. The tempo of speech might best be described as deliberate. Generally the more important the content, the more incremental is the presentation. He/she takes care to distinguish between major and minor issues. He/she often accompanies words with a slight frown of concentration and with firm -wristed gestures designed to be instructive. This individual sometimes gets bogged down in process analysis, in taking the listener through ail the steps. This individual tends to avoid personal content or emotional delivery. Basically he/she believes that good communication brings clarity.
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SCHOLAR
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has a love of knowledge and thus a love of language. He/she carries large banks of this knowledge in one's head and can discuss what is known with seeming ease. This individual spends a great amount of verbal energy providing context for ideas, giving the listener a clearer perspective of the complex forces which affect the ideas. His/her sensitivity to language and affection for detail are apparent in speech. He/she is articulate. Because he/she has a desire to be exact and is aware of the nuances of language, this individual has a large vocabulary. There is a tendency to search for the "perfect" term in conversation and to present thoughts in a reserved, soft spoken manner. The gestures might be described as refined--restricted in space and undogmatic. He/she listens attentively and expects careful listening in return. Since this individual has invested time and energy in the expressions of thought, he/she is protective of his/her communication. The zest for accuracy, for gathering all the details surrounding a complex issue can make this person tedious. His/her impatience with shallow thinking explains the aversion to sweeping generalizations.
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DREAMER
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is imaginative, original, idealistic, and theoretical in bent and the use of language reflects these tendencies. He/she enjoys discussing possibilities, often initiating brainstorming sessions when conversing. The language is speculative, with conditional clauses often beginning with "What if..." or "What about..." The individual's habit is to provide little closure to discussion in order to keep idea options open as long as possible. He/she does not willingly or easily summarize. There is a gift for analogy, for developing comparisons that creatively enliven a thought. Because language to him/her sometimes seems to be a restraint, this person is playful in usage, producing unusual word combinations, coining words that may surprise, interest, or bewilder listeners. The gestures are expansive, as though the individual is pulling the audience into his/her world. This person is a creative listener although has the potential to lose his/her own listeners by leaping from idea to idea and avoiding logical process or by reworking a thought that has particular appeal to him/her again and again and becoming increasingly speculative with each new rendition.
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SOCIALIZER
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is a gregarious extrovert, responsive to people and the needs to express. Because he/she has a natural feel for basic human concerns, this individual is able to elicit responses, to question in unthreatening ways that encourage listeners to share feelings. He/she is good at small talk, at enumerating the common experiences of the day. This one is enthusiastic in speech, talkative, complimentary, often smiling and nodding to encourage students. His/her language is generally informal, practical and cluttered with reinforcing adjectives. He/she makes good introductions, willingly volunteers information about him/herself in conversation and tends to touch people easily, often as an extension of animated gestures. This person is diplomatic of speech and has mastered the art of verbal compromise. He/she will avoid harsh words at almost any expense. This one tends to want immediate response to his/her words. The sense of people-related concerns makes it difficult for him/her to maintain interest in purely theoretical discussions. He/she is not comfortable with formality in communication and does not enjoy speaking in front of large groups.
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PERFORMER
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is emotive, dramatic and intuitive. He/she has a natural verbal facility which in all likelihood he/she enjoys but has not analyzed. Because of a skill, this person has a knack of finding and pleasing audiences. Chances are, again almost unconsciously, he/she has developed and perfected an individualized communication style that enables him/her to tell a story with great effectiveness. The language is descriptive. This individual uses concrete detail effectively and sprinkles in healthy amounts of sensory imagery. He/she is comfortable speaking in front of large groups and is a good audience for other performers. The gestures punctuate the words in dramatic fashion but are not so expansive as to distract. He/she has a good sense of timing and paces words in such a way that they punctuate the style which may be humorous, flamboyant, inventive, ironic, etc. As a result, he/she has the capability of holding an audience's interest longer than usual, has come to expect such attention, and is particularly sensitive to inattentiveness. In informal settings, he/she may lose the focus as an effective communicator if the group he/she is dealing with does not become the audience. Then this individual may seem vague, preoccupied, disjoined, even withdrawn.
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SALESPERSON
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is a promoter who has the personal power and forcefulness to initiate change. His/her verbal patterns reflect these strengths. He/she is persuasive and can develop a verbal momentum that convinces people almost against their will. Furthermore, this enthusiasm may generate enough energy to move the audience to action. He/she makes recommendations willingly and is adept at flattery. If you were to punctuate his/her speech, there would be an abundance of exclamation points. The verbal energy level is consistently high. If he/she is tired, it is difficult to tell by the tone of voice or conversation. He/she is confrontational in the usage of language and falls easily into debating and questioning tactics. He/she rarely give equivocal responses and will answer with seeming certainty even when unsure. He/she will not tolerate silence for long and tends to fill in lulls in conversation with ease. The speech is fast-paced, direct and free of wasted motion. He/she avoids detail and grows impatient with a more leisurely conversational pace. His/her gestures are broad, frequent, and designed to elicit response. The negative tendency is to overwhelm people, say too much too forcefully and to be so involved in the presentation that he/she does not notice that the audience is wilting.
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MOVE ON TO PART III
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PART III
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Instructions: Upon completing the reading of your identified communication teaching style(s), read the suggestions which follow on the ways and means by which you can modify and vary your basic style for greater effectiveness. The above evaluation only indicates things as they tend to be at this particular point of time and development. Your communication styles can grow and mature into more effective skills with study and practice.
Basic tenet: Develop techniques that will break the regimented rhythm of your presentations. Suggestions:
Basic tenet: Concentrate on ways of making materials personally accessible to students. Suggestions:
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