The Communication Process

A Lesson Proposal; Signature Assignment for EdX Instructional Design Models

The Communication Process

As a language learner and teacher, experience, education, and training have shown me that knowing and becoming familiar with the nature and scope of the communication is fundamental to become a better communicator of the target language.  This short lesson that could be covered in 20 minutes has two parts: (1) elements and types of communication and (2) the Transactional Communication Model and common barriers affecting it.

Goal of instruction: Introduce English language learners to the foundation of the communication process

Objective 1: Exhibit understanding of a message by paraphrasing and/or summarizing

Task A: 1. Students read a short article about the communication process. 2. They mark, highlight, or underline words, phrases, or sentences that they find meaningful. 3. Students share three most striking lines from the article.

Measurement 1: Students submit an explanation (2-3 sentences) for every striking point. This evaluation scheme looks into the depth of their explanation.

Objective 2: Prepare and outline coherent and succinct messages

Task B: 1. Students choose a section from a long article about the Transactional Communication Model. 2. After reading, they prepare to render a 30-second summary.

Measurement 2: Students submit their short summary through an online voice recording app. This evaluation scheme checks how well students organize ideas gathered from the given material.

Objective 3: Reflect on the different aspects affecting the communication process

Task C: 1. In 50-80 words, students write about the most valuable learning gain they acquired through this lesson. They may also focus their reflection on questions that they still have or link this lesson with a related educational material or personal experience. 2. They then add their reflection as a post to a class discussion thread.

Measurement 3: Students respond to their peers’ reflection through a forum.  This evaluation scheme weighs the scope and relevance of feedback students share through their responses.