Communication has the ability to confuse, clarify, encourage, discourage, instruct or teach.

Communication can be seen in daily life when listening to evening news, in interviews, in

meetings, at home and at school. This shows that communication is very crucial in various set

ups. This essay is going to discuss the authenticity of the assertion which claims that

communication plays a pivotal role in teaching and learning situation using the special

reference to teaching practice experience. Key terms to be defined are teaching, learning and

communication.

Farrant (2011) defines teaching as a process that facilitates learning. Noyak and

Rao(2011),views teaching as conscious and deliberate effort by a mature experienced person

to help an immature person to acquire and develop knowledge and attitude in morally

accepted way.According to Siyakwazi and Siyakwazi (2012),teaching is providing

opportunities for students to learn. Therefore teaching is a process where by a person with

knowledge helps others who do not have.

Farrant J. S (2011), learning is the process by which we acquire and retain attitudes,

knowledge. Understanding, skills and capability that cannot attribute to inherited behaviour

pattern as physical growth. Dehouwer (2013), learning is changing of behaviour that results

from experience. The above definition implies that learning is complex process that happen in

the brain comes from experience.

Communication is a process whereby information is enclosed in a package and is channelled

and imparted by a sender to a receiver via some medium. The receiver then decodes the

message and gives the sender a feedback. All forms of communication require a sender, a

message, and an intended recipient; however the receiver need not be present or aware of the

sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication in order for the act of

communication to occur. Communication requires that all parties have an area of

Communicative commonality. There are auditory means, such as speech, song, and tone of

voice, and there are nonverbal means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage,

touch, eye contact, through media, i.e., pictures, graphics and sound, and writing,

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication). According to Coates (2009), communications

is the giving and receiving of message, transfer of information from one or more people to

one or more other people. From the above definitions, communication is the sharing of

information.

Both verbal and non-verbal communication plays a pivotal role in teaching and learning

.Teaching and learning is a two way system like communication. There is need for the

effective communication between the teacher and pupils in order for this to take place. Its

only communication which conveys knowledge from the teacher to pupils. Tassoni (2006)

states that verbal communication is a very powerful tool because it is an immediate method

of communication.

Gamble and Gamble(1984) said that non verbal communication is a true picture of what will

be taking place during the communication that act like a conversation and its signals play a

vital role in communication because they can strengthen a verbal message or replace words

entirely. .Without communication, surely there will be no any progress in teaching and

learning as it keeps on circuiting it.

A classroom consists pupils with different learning styles including auditory learners.In this

case, auditory communication styles will be used to teach the pupil, for example sounds –ea-

by the teacher.
Coates (2009) states that auditory communication styles employ audible signals such as the

tone, pitch and volume of voices. In a classroom situation this is very important. The teacher

can stresses important points for pupils to note by changing the pitch or tone of the voice.

Some pupils are visual learners. These pupils call a teacher with visual communication styles

for learning to take place in them. A teacher with a visual communication style might teach a

concept by rely partly on the real thing, model, picture or the drawing (teaching and learning

aids) so that pupils will grasp the concept.

Non-verbal communication is also important in teaching and learning. Albert Mehrabian

(1971) provided some interesting information about the relative importance of verbal and

non-verbal messages in determining the receiver's impression of the sender's emotions. In a

classroom, the teacher and pupils can communicates using gestures, facial expressions and

eye contact. Young pupils especially at E.C.D level understand gestures and facial

expressions better than words. Describing and narrating events when teaching young pupils

for example circle time can be best done by employing non-verbal communication skills. At

ECD A, some pupils will be not fully develops speaking skills, but the child attended school

to learn, in this case only non-verbal communication skill will dominate in teaching and

learning.

Birdwhistlel(1970) talk about facial expression. Your face is the primary vehicle for

expressing your emotions it reveals both the type and intensity of your feelings. Your eyes

are especially effective for indicating attention, interest, influencing others, regulating

interaction and establishing dominance. In a classroom, the pupils can communicate with the

teacher on front that they are fatigue, the lesson is boring or interesting by facial expression.

This will notify the teacher to make proper adjustments, its only communication which

uncovers these feelings,by the way it plays a pivotal role in teaching and learning.
To conclude, communication plays a pivotal role in teaching and leaning as it brings together

the teacher and pupils to a same point of view. Without communication there will be neither

teaching nor learning taking place. However, communication barriers can costs its efficiency.

.
REFERENCE

Creative commons copyright 2009 by Gordon Coates

Dettouwer(2013)Learning Moral Education and behaviour;Theory research and social

issues.Rinehart and Wilson.

Farrant J. S . (20110. Principle and Practise of Education. Person Education Limited.

Harlour.

Gambel,T.K and Gambel.M(1987) Communication Works.Random House.New York

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication(accessed on 1 November 2016)

Noyak H and Rao.(2011).Effective Schools for All London: David Fulton Publishers.

Tasson,P.(2006).Diploma in Pre-school Practice.Heinemamn Education.Jordan