Communication and Teaching

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how communication relates to teaching effectiveness in an Industrial Education setting. Teaching effectiveness was defined in terms of two criteria: supervisor evaluations of teachers and student evaluations of teachers. Results from the study underscored the importance of communication skills in the teaching/learning process. The most important measures were: teacher dynamism, teacher delivery, time spent with the students, positive reinforcement of the students, and positive attitude toward the students. These measures differentiated "good " from "poor" teaching. In the next few years increasing demands will be placed upon vocational educators to implement and sustain programs for the burgeoning population of career-oriented individuals. The U.S. Office of Education estimates that by the mid-1970's 345,000 teachers will be needed in vocational fields alone. Such demands make salient the critical problem of teacher selection and preparation. Schaefer (1971) points out that: There is need for... individuals with subject matter expertise and intellectual ability, but also with personal attributes which intensify learning—individuals with, in Stone's words, the ability to listen, who emphasize inquiry, social sensitivity and self-direction, and who are around and about the classroom, guiding, probing, and encouraging. ' (p. 136) * This study was funded by a series of grants from the Florida State Department o