Exploring Interpersonal Communication Skills in the ClassroomMona El-Ayoubi, Associate Professor Isaac Brown and Ahmat Garling, Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Northern Territory University. Abstract Teaching/learning in the language classroom is a complex and challenging process which involves more than an understanding of particular cultural contexts, linguistic or theoretical frameworks. Simply speaking or listening is not adequate when engaging with one another. There are internal and external cultural signals which are employed achieving meaningful discourses in the classroom. This paper will explore the important concept of communication transfer, will look at the Aboriginal and Institutional cultural contexts and at the interchange that is needed to widen the concept of meaning. Acknowledging diversity from various levels in order to 'disseminate', 'disclose' and 'communicate' effectively enriches all those concerned with the learning process. Brief, isolated and fragmentary discourses occur when the transference of communicative knowledge does not take place. What does interchange and interaction represent when we are talking about talking? How do we recognise the existence of varied knowledges in the classroom? What tools are needed which draw from both Aboriginal and institutional cultural contexts? There are numerous theoretical frameworks and methodologies which provide and clarify communicative processes intended to support classroom pedagogy. This paper will offer perspectives from the indigenous student, the educator and the cultural institutions (internal/external) to elucidate how effective communication impacts on learning. |
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