Communication a need for today's school

Today a lot of communication is written, there is talk of the subject, but it gives the impression that there are not a few ambiguities and lack of clarification in this regard. When a teenager attends to consultation who does not talk with his parents, he says he has communication problems, so it is concluded if a couple does not feel satisfied; or when referring to a group of students who feel tense and distant, diverse situations, different environments and the same conclusion.

Nevertheless, ¿What do we mean when we affirm that in these cases it is a communication problem?, ¿How personality originates and develops?, ¿Significant diagnosis situations run?, How the educational process becomes?, ¿What is the orientation itself? In the search for answers to these questions we will surely find the Communication category: A need for school today.

1. What is communication
2. Types of communication
3. The interactions in the classroom
4. School Group: Your organization
5. Communication an interactive process.
6. Communicative dimension
7. Perceptual dimension
8. Interactive dimension
9. Communication barriers
10. Communication in the classroom
11. Communication as indicator of group cohesion
12. Communication and spatial distribution of groups in class.

What is communication

Communication, such as education as a whole, is a domain of human activity that deepens its study is a privilege of different sciences. The complexity of interpersonal communication requires an interdisciplinary approach. However, at this time we will look at the characteristics of communication from psychology.

¿What to understand by communication?, ¿What place occupies communication in human relationships?

"Etymologically the term communication comes from the Latin communis that means common. By communicating we intend to establish a community with the other, we propose to share information, an idea, an attitude and a feeling.”(Ibarra, L 1988)

The communication is an integration process Among the people in which Its psychological qualities are expressed And in which their ideas, representations and feelings are formed and developed. Each person has their own communication system based on their attitudes, their orientations regarding themselves and others, their work, the general organization of their life and a very complex set of factors. Each one's ability to communicate its capabilities to speak or write properly. Personality characteristics, their chances of success and self -realization seem to be directly related to their ability to communicate. In this sense, we are referring to interpersonal communication.

We understand by communication an interrelation process in which all participants do it as subjects. In this process The subject assumes and transmits the message according to his personality and stimulates the development of cognitive potentialities and new reasons, interests and convictions. It represents the fundamental way of the social determinism of personality, by this means it is synthesized, organized and elaborates the cultural historical experience. Communicating is recognizing the other, taking it into consideration, dynamically, active. During this process, functions, roles are exchanged, cooperation, understanding and tie originates. Communication stimulates cognition and affection and can cause reflection.

Types of communication

Consequently with the above, we identify in communication types of interaction:

• Biological interaction: Own the newborn with the mother who is not reduced to the satisfaction of biological needs, but also mediates cultural experiences, emotions and guidelines.
• Personal interaction: It refers to the intersubjective link, the encounter with the internal world of the significant "other" throughout its development.
• Cultural interaction: Appropriation of norms, guidelines, codes and values ​​that govern socially as part of a culture.
• Transcendental interaction: Allows the integration of what has been learned with what is progressively acquired.
• Interaction with yourself: This type encourages the development of personality, identity and new relationships with others and with the environment with greater maturity.

Communication and interaction are imbricated to reinforce the relational system that allows continuous exchange, reception and perception of messages that Promotes the improvement of the subject. Communication is analyzed in the personality frameworks of the subjects who interact intellectual and emotionally in this process.

To the fact that the personality is revealed in communication, we grant a diagnostic value and take advantage of the research in the study of the categories Personality and Communication. ¿How the social relations in which the subject intervenes affects or not their needs? The communicational process influences personality in the form of emotions, of meanings for the subjectivation of reality. Interpersonal communication that takes place in the school stage represents a significant factor in the training and development of the students' personality. To the extent that we approach more to the understanding of the psychological mechanisms of this interactional process we can carry out the most effective school intervention and better guide teachers, students and mothers.

The interactions in the classroom

Due to the interactions in the group, the members will occupy certain positions and communicative guidelines will be established, all of which will influence group behavior. The school group is characterized by temporary stability and this implies the establishment of the formal (official) structure and the emergence of an informal structure.

The positions occupied by students Depending on the assigned tasks, it will generate interactions and that skein of relationships is complexed by the interactions that emerge from the informal structure. The group structure influences:

• The behavior of its members
• Group satisfaction

The norms of behavior of school groups also originate from communication standards. Also, the group's communicative process influences significantly In the informal structure of school groups. All this reveals the close links between group interaction, communication and structure and the need to study interstices to understand students' group behavior and design guidance programs for the teacher.

We will not try to scrutinize the complexity of the group of group interaction but explore the way in which interaction and communication occurs and influential factors.

¿What to understand by interaction?

The relationships between two or more people in which the actions of one affect the others and vice versa provoking other actions of responses or reactions of each other. These response chains can be different from one subject to the other. To understand the behavior of a child before a certain event in which he interacted with another in school conditions it would be necessary to consider:

• Personal history (experiences).
• Personological characteristics.
• Social Development Situation.
• Group position.
• Interactions frequency.
• Intersubjective link.

In a visit to a school We observe the following situation:

In the classroom during the rest time and shift change Gabriel propitiates a push to Lester. Each belongs to different subgroups of this group. At the beginning of the Lester class, Gabriel's chair withdraws and he falls causing the laugh of some and the discomfort of others that only ceased the intervention of the teacher. In the successive days the rivalry between the subgroups remained, resulting in difficult for the teacher to prevent the outbreaks of "revenge" of those who supported one or the other.

The concern of the mastery was that despite the disciplinary measures adopted with the two students (Gabriel and Lester), the group situation generated had split the group in such a way, which made resistance to integrate work teams students who belonged to subgroups Different, in the recess they did not share games and nonverbal expressions of anger were observed. The teacher told us that in other similar situations "blood had not reached the river" ¿Why this time the group's behavior was violent?

We asked the teacher that since she was comparing two similar situations, identified the differences. In the previous situation, one student assaulted the other, the attacked did not react violently, but evaded the confrontation. The group reacted in a different way not with manifestations of violence. In addition that student had not interacted little in the group.

¿What indicates this situation?

The group's behavior influences the way of interacting members as well as the positions they occupy in the group structure. Other influential encounters in interaction types are:

• Age
• The gender
• Social acceptance
• Organization of the group
• Volume
• Communication

Education for human communication can be the best preventive level orientation to promote solutions to conflict situations in a constructive way.

School Group: Your organization

If we remember the characteristics of the school as an organization, it should not be surprised that there are those who recognize class groups as a highly formalized structure (Banny - Johnson, 1971) which means that this organization is predetermined and does not depend on the wishes and preferences of the group members.

The school group is formally structured to achieve the objectives set in the programmatic documents, facilitating teachers and managers to perform the tasks assigned to their roles rather than to achieve students' goals and aspirations, although by promoting the actions that allow performance The student's learning is propitiated from the teacher's role.

Communication an interactive process.

Considering communication as a form of interaction implies highlighting the active character of participants in the process. Communication in its interrelation process between two or more people in which all its participants intervene as active subjects. Conceiving all participants as a subject allows to transcend the classic communication scheme.

Channel Message

Issuer ----> Receiver

Feedback

Subject ----> object

By locating “another” in the receiver position, the active character of the subject is overlap, visualizing it as an entity that receives information or affection and responds to the stimulus in a mechanical manner, evidencing the quality of the reception of the message (feed - back) which does not assume that subject (receiver) is involved in the communicative act, nor committed their motives and needs.

• The word communication As we express previously, it derives from Latin common What means common. By communicating we intend to establish a community with the other we propose to share information, an idea, an attitude, establish contact, express thoughts and feelings.
• The person who starts communication is transmitter who transmits thoughts, opinions, feelings, doubts.
• Receiver It is called who listens, welcomes, receives what is issued.
• The content communicated between them is called message.
• The way used to issue this message refers to channel which can be through words, for gestures, movements, face to face, in writing.

The elements that make up the communicative process represent a complex, dynamic and interdependent system, so that variations in one of them affects others and communication itself.

Conceiving communication as an interactive process leads us to rethink the previous scheme to highlight the active character and condition of the subject of all participants.

Subject subject

Communication structure:

• Communicative dimension
• Dimension precept
• Interactive dimension

Communicative dimension

It refers to the exchange of information between individuals. Includes elements such as:

• Oral, written or gestural source.
• Message or recipient.
• Primary (verbal) and secondary (nonverbal) channels.

Communicating supposes to come into contact with the other, is to penetrate in some way the subjectivity of whom (it) we communicate. Accept that participate in ours. It means sharing tastes, hobbies, experiences. Assess the content of the messages received, show that we listen carefully and an availability to dialogue, not only to the monologue.

All behavior reveals communicative messages which represent information generating vehicles between people. Of the types of verbal and nonverbal communication. They do not always manifest coherent, observing discrepancy that could distort the message and damage the relationship or create conflicts.

Verbal communication

The use of verbal media, signs, symbols to transmit information provides a certain knowledge, which does not lead to an interpersonal link. It constitutes the primary level of communication focuses on "what is said" through directly understandable concepts.

Non-verbal communication

The message is expressed by nonverbal forms which implies from the interlocutor an interpretation or translation of the encoded language it receives. It represents the secondary level of communication focuses on “what is said with gestures or body language. It is characterized by the variety and amplitude: tone and inflections of the voice, rhythm, cadence, contact of the hands, movements of the face, gestures, postures of the body, the silence.

Also the context in which communication takes place is necessary to understand what is communicated. The message sent can be understood in different ways and evoke emotions depending on the interlocutor and context. Sometimes, interference in both causes conflicts, which if this possibility would not be inexplicable the reactive behaviors observed in the others.

Perceptual dimension

The mutual perceptions and understanding process Among the participants in the communicative process. Mutual understanding means considering the reasons, objectives and activities of the other as well as its acceptance, which encourages joint actions and close the links of intimacy and attachment among the participants. It is possible to understand the interpersonal attraction in the group if we value the development of the perceptual dimension

Interactive dimension

It refers to the organization of the interaction between the subjects that can adopt different forms of:

• Cooperation.
• Competence.
• Agreement.
• Conflict.
• Adaptation.
• Opposition.
• Association.

In this dimension the emotional element of communication stands out. Evaluate the way in which subjects interact have an extraordinary value in educational work. Communication is a form of interaction, it can be considered a indicator of the level of development of the group and their behavior. A dysfunctional communication can generate tension or frustration.

In addition, communication barriers can cause Difficulties to establish standards For the functionality of the group and even be one of the variables that explain the difficulties in learning and students of students' behavior .A successful diagnosis will allow the teacher to provide the levels of help that develop the potential of the students.

When addressing the structure and functions of communication, the informative process in which communication fulfills the function of Information exchange; The process of interaction, of reciprocal influence, communication meets a case of behavior regulatory function; and the process of mutual understanding, of interpersonal perception where the emotions of the communicators intervene and that fulfills an affective function. In the process of mutual comprehension that is considered essential in the teacher-student relationship, the mechanisms of identification, mutual perception and empathy that in the conditions of our line of work, the work of the influence of the communication process in the Training of professional reasons represents a moment of special attention in the conception of the different work sessions that form the experiment.

In the Teacher-student communication The informative function acquires a great dimension because it is the first that facilitates the construction of sitematized knowledge and the necessary experiences in the training of students. Not often this function is hyperbolized to the detriment of the rest, manifesting the asymmetric character of communication that causes the communication process to be less effective (Ibarra, L. 1988). In addition, being a process of interaction, it cannot be conceived in such a way that one pole issues the message and the other only receives that information, but that the subject is implies as a personality in the process . In the information exchange process there is a mutual influence that affects the student's behavior. In this sense, it is necessary to take into account that in communication there can students, as well as by the students themselves who can have a perception distorted by the teacher or that the message has not been properly decoded.

Communication barriers

We understand by Barriers of Communication the interference or obstacles that hinder the understanding of information, of feeling and behavior. and prevent the functionality of the process and an adequate interpersonal relationship . Some have been identified as:

• Own love barrier: subtract value from the qualities of others and appreciate only theirs. It is believed with all the truth and prevents others from talking.
• Indifference barrier: the other is heard but it is not heard.
• Barrier of superiority: it feels superior to the other, it is not considered as the same in dignity. Consider the other as an object, not as a subject.
• Selective ear barrier: listen only to what is convenient for you.
• Pattern barrier: when you type the other in a certain image.
• Language barrier: when irony or mockery before comprehensive language before.

In the communicative process we raise barriers without knowing the consequences for the interaction with the other or how dysfunctional that results in which terms, evaluating judgments, authoritarian, accusers, who interrogate, trivialize and give solutions or advice senteing are used.

In this same sense, overgeneralizations using totalizing expressions, lapidary as "always" "nothing" regularly accompanied by inappropriate emotional burden. As well as messages or in reality the double messages that imply contradictions between verbal and nonverbal communication, content and affection, discourse and behavior or between what is expressed and what is required, ”do what I say And not what I do ".

To communicate better It would be convenient to observe some aspects:

• Choose an appropriate place and moment with the other person
• Reflect on what you want to get and how to say it better
• Be aware of how we feel and seek a favorable emotional state to communicate (a good sigh or count up to ten describe the facts, not qualify, judge or blame. "The music is so loud"
• Express feelings, desires and opinions in the form of "me" messages ("I'm tormented", instead of saying . "You torment me") the messages you regularly accuse.
• Recognition of own and other needs. "I know that you want to hear music and I need to sleep"
• Negotiate a solution that satisfies the interlocutors "if you listen to the shortest music I can sleep"
• Reflect on possible consequences of their actions
• Use of clear, precise and useful messages

A empathic listening favors the communicative process to the:

• Accept the arguments, objections or criticisms of the other person without this meaning to agree with their behaviors or opinions.
• Commit physically and mentally to listen, look at the other, indicate that it is heard affirming with their heads.
• Listen without unnecessary interruptions.
• Leave the breaks to encourage the one who speaks to what he continues to do.
• Avoid getting defensive.
• Do not distract the attention of the conversation from which you speak, showing yourself in disagreement or speaking of yourself.
• Summarize from time to time what the other says to make sure it has been treated.

In a discussion with a group of mothers and fathers and on another occasion in a meeting with teachers, the reflections were similar ¡How difficult and how easy it is to communicate properly! And how many barriers we erect without noticing that it distances us from the other of communication. The domain of these elements is an important moment in the path that leads us to establish more developer interpersonal relationships and for this is essential functional communication.

Communication in the classroom

If in the classroom the communication is carried out in one sense, From teacher issuer of the contents to the students and the students are not involved in the communicative process This will be poor, Because there are no papal opportunities, dialogue or exchange, interactive space is not created and does not participate for various reasons: for fear of making mistakes, due to lack of motivation, because the appropriate time was not generated, etc. Teachers could reduce discipline problems in the classroom, if they promoted effective communication in which students had the possibility of interacting, exchanging opinions and criteria freely and communication were also a student - student not only in the vertical direction teacher - student - student.

Limiting exchange and dialogue between students during class does not eliminate the need to express feelings or ideas of satisfaction or discomfort, only contains them or inhibits them .These will manifest at another time, in the recess or in another class, but as a burst for the pressure to which the group has been subjected. This aspect is also observed in the learning process, in which with no short frequency, the lack of ability to generate a participatory debate causes mechanical questions and answers that do not guarantee high quality production or knowledge construction.

Observe how things are said, it clarifies its meaning and contributes to the work of the teacher in the group's education. Education models associated with communication models have been identified according to J -classification.Díaz Bordenave (Ojalvo, 1995):

Education with emphasis on content

The teacher assumes the leading role in the process of transmission of information and values ​​from the place of power and knowledge .The student is placed in the place of ignorance, of not knowing, receiving and receiving passively what is transmitted, depositary of knowledge is not fostered the implication of the subject to the learning situation. This model is typical of traditional teaching. It is associated with the previous educational conception, the classic communication model, characterized by a subject - object, vertical, authoritarian and monological relationship from an address: that of the teacher.

Education with emphasis on effects

Education with emphasis on effects represents an attempt to activate teaching with the introduction of technical media such as television, video, radio among others. Educational technology fundamentally attends habits in students from stimuli scheduled and planned by the teacher, to which the student will respond and repeat the exercise until the expected effect and their automation . The student's participation is mechanical and passive and subordinate to the repetitive actions designed by the teacher who remains in the previous model owner of knowledge and controlling the results. The communication continues to be unidirectional, vertical, the teacher sends the messages and program the feedback in the form of stimulus and punishment, for the formation of habits. A real participation of the subject is not encouraged based on their needs and motives. This does not mean that the introduction of the technical means in teaching entails this model its use can also promote the involvement of the student as a subject of learning, it depends on the objectives and the conception of education.

Education with emphasis on the process

Education focused on the process, the teacher stimulates the construction of knowledge in the student and propitious and learning, assuming a leading role and participating as a subject. Communication in this model is an interactive process, the relationship is subject-subject, the flow and reflux of information, the exchange between teacher and students and among the students themselves and among the students themselves, is stimulated. There is a true communicative dialogue, an influential factor in the training of personality, because when committing as a person, when considering their needs and reasons in learning, they actively intervene in the formation of their values ​​and their preparation for life. Still in our classroom the first two models intermingle, although the teacher is in a learning process of how to move from the place of knowledge, traditionally recognized and accept that the others, the students also have a knowledge, which will allow the awakening of the interest What they learn. Dialogic communication is a way to undertake this other way to play our role and become better educators.

Communication as indicator of group cohesion

Before a group of high level of group cohesion it can be predicted that there will be high communication between its members. To the extent that a group present a high level of cohesion we will find less individual differences in the amount of interaction. The satisfaction and pleasure of the students by the group is increased by interaction.

If he student does not perceive that he is accepted For the other members of the school group, their emotional responses tend to restrict their participation in group affairs. The teacher can better manage the group to the extent that it takes into account issues such as: students who occupy a lower position wish to achieve group acceptance and find as a replacement for the satisfaction of that desire to resort to increasing communication with the students who occupy Central positions in the group.

The School Group Dimensions influences communication. Before a large group the possibilities of interaction and communication decreases as well as the participation of students in class.

Also the School dimension limits communication between students. This factor is necessary to consider in teaching activities such as seminars, workshops and others in which the possibilities of the students intervene in the debate are minor and like the interaction between them, especially since in these tasks the time is part of in shifts of Classes with a limited time and in a large group the student would have to wait for the moment when his turn arrives and may not match his speech with the course of the discussion because that theme was already behind.

On the other hand, some experience a feeling of threat by exposing themselves to the group inhibiting participating by having the impression that their opinions are not important and do not deserve to be contributed. Observing an inversely proportional relationship between group size and group participation and self -satisfaction. The explanation of the above is shown when studying the group factors, which in turn affect the communicative process:

Large groups have a greater number of members and find more individual differences between them. A large school group is maintained for a period and creates an informal structure to formally established. The relationship network is complex by structure and mutual perceptions and affect communication.

A large group tends to be split into subgroups that are those that make the interaction between the members possible. Regarding the driving of the school group by the teacher, it is observed that in large groups the address tends to be more focused on the teacher, less participatory and that represents a challenge for the teacher the formation of group management skills so that Do not use authoritarian management practices. It is also necessary.

Communication and spatial distribution of groups in class.

The contributions of groups on groups, the experience of teachers and research in the school environment aim to consider that the attitude of students to interact is favored if they can be heard and seen, which allows them to capture not only verbal messages but also achieve nonverbal communication ¿Where to locate the most participatory students who sometimes monopolize discussions? ¿ And those who are quieter? ¿How to favor communication between students and not only in the sense of the teacher and the student?

It has been proven that the Circle -shaped spatial disposition It turns out to be satisfactory in promoting interaction at the horizontal level. However, it is necessary to take into account the task and dimension of the group by deciding the most flattering variant. In a large school group, spatial distribution in circle may not be the most appropriate for effective communication because the distance between members does not stimulate integration between them. You can't always prevent communication from being directed towards the teacher. To this we must add that those shy students or that it is difficult for them.

In the small school groups Given the alternative to choose freely where to locate it has been observed that these students are placed around the teacher authority and that offers them security. Another element to contemplate is that shy students frequently occupy the first row with the intention of intervening without the pressure of the group that will experience in other positions in the classroom. These influential factors in the nature, the quality and quantity of interpersonal relationships contribute to the development of oral expression, one of the most important skills of school.

In some pedagogical practices and in the literature the spatial distribution of children is devalued In rows or columns. In this regard, it should be noted that there seems to be a relationship between the way of interacting and the type of task, or activity in class. If the objective of the class implies the performance of individual tasks, the location in rows and columns that limit communication and interaction favor the individual executor. While, in classes that a cooperative learning is stimulated, which promotes the exchange between students to achieve the objective of the class would facilitate this purpose a spatial disposition that fosters communication and student interaction - student. In summary, the knowledge of these links between communication and spatial disposition in the classroom makes it easier for the teacher to be more effective and improve the driving and management of the school group. During class regularly, students are not given the opportunity to express themselves and teachers tend to focus on the content, what they want to communicate, in which the message and the response of the students are understood. When the teacher conceives education and communication as a process of interaction, he will also attend to what students want.

The conception of class discipline and school philosophy about the significance of communication between disciples will influence the behavior of the teacher, the attitude he assumes in the face of conversations in the classroom and his concern or not because it is heard Only his voice. In school groups that are provided with few opportunities to communicate for very long organized periods, they meet their communication needs in spaces such as recess or in classes themselves. When students feel they have free or without activities and can interact them in a chaotic way, such as the pressure escape they have not been able to communicate during classes during classes. A class in silence in which only the teacher's voice was heard could seem for some for a "disciplined" class paradigm for others, conditions are not conducive to developer learning or create a group climate that benefits relationships and communication. Of all of the above, it cannot be concluded that control is not necessary, the order would lead to manifestation of disruptive behaviors and obstruct the learning process. Communication and education are two indissoluble processes. If we consider their ties and the most functional ways of proceeding we will bet on a greater impact on the psychological development of our children.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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