Sarah Colson

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Effective and authentic communication within the

school community has a direct correlation with the
learning and development of students. Discuss.
Throughout the years there has been a shift in views about how
children not only learn, but also who is responsible for their learning.
This change has resulted in not only schools being considered as
educators of students, but also the parents, fellow peers and
community (Barbour, Barbour & Scully, 2011). This has therefore
resulted in an increased need for communication between these
parties, in order to provide a comprehensive and cohesive education
that will best foster learning and development. The communication
that is required within the school community in order to best
support student learning, is communication that is authentic and
effective. Authentic communication should encapsulate openness,
respect and acceptance, as the parties involved should make
themselves available and be open to listening to the ideas and
concerns of others. The impact that this communication has on the
quality of students education is due to the partnerships that it
allows to be developed. The partnerships encapsulate collaboration,
mutual. Within this essay the positive impacts of authentic
communication will not only be discussed, but also the positive
partnerships that are built and developed. The partnerships and the
communication involved being explored in this essay includes
communication between teachers and parents, teachers and
students, students and peers and teachers and students and the
community.
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Parents have been described as a childs first educators, and

therefore effective communication between a childs teacher and
their parents can provide rich opportunities for a childs learning and
development to be extended (Bruneau, Ruttan & Dunlap, 1995).
This idea is also supported by the research conducted by
Greenwood and Hickman (1991), which found that parent
involvement within their childs education, can lead to not only
higher academic achievement, but also higher levels of positive
attitudes and confidence within students. Porter (2008) expressed
how in order to achieve a level of communication that is authentic
among teachers and parents, there is a need for both parties to not
only be open to collaboration and sharing information and ideas
openly, but also personal commitment. Through this ongoing
commitment to enact authentic communication and create
collaborative partnerships, teachers are able to gain access to a
vast resource of knowledge and information about their students
(Keyser, 2006). It is through this that teachers are able to cater to
and provide learning opportunities that will best extend the
development of their students, and their overall education
experience (Pianta, 2008). Bruneau et al. (1995) also explained how
teachers can also be a valuable source to parents, as they can share
relevant information that will allow cohesiveness between their
home and school environment, resulting in positive impacts of their
learning and development. Keyser (2006) described how through

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development of authentic communication between parents and
teachers, both are able to enhance their self-confidence, enabling
them to effectively express any concerns that they have, as well as
work collaboratively to address them. There are also a range of
strategies that teachers are able to incorporate into their practice
which will not only encourage the opportunities for communication,
but also engagement within the students learning. Porter (2008)
believes that ensuring that your classroom environment is open and
inviting to parents is crucial to encouraging engagement, as parents
should feel confident and empowered when they are present. Porter
(2008) also advocates for volunteering opportunities or classroom
roles which parents can undertake, giving them a sense of purpose
and commitment towards their childs learning and development.

Students and teachers share a unique relationship through which,

with effective and constructive communication, both can develop
and learn. Communication is something that teachers and students
engage in everyday in the classroom, but as Arum (2011) explained
in order for it to impact on positively on students it needs to be
genuine and consistent. Through genuine communication and
interactions between teachers and students, collaborative
partnerships can be developed, in which both work towards
common goals (Pianta, 1999). Newberry (2010) described the
quality of partnerships that form between students and teacher as
the key to providing a positive and productive learning environment.

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Split, Hughes, Wu and Kwok (2012) also support this idea, as they
believe that supportive partnerships between teachers and students
fosters increased student engagement, therefore impacting their
learning and development. (Newberry, 2010) believes that
supportive partnerships result in students feeling more comfortable
and confident within the classroom, meaning that they are not only
more likely to engage, but also to take risks and extend on their
learning. Authentic communication and partnerships between
teacher and students does simply impact on the students academic
achievements, but also the emotional wellbeing and overall
happiness (Newberry, 2010). Hattie (2012) believes that
communication between teacher and students should empower
students and involve the opportunity for both to provide relevant
feedback. Hattie (2012) expressed how feedback is one of the most
power teaching tools, and has the potential to influence students
learning and achievement. Through the use of authentic feedback,
teachers are able to guide students learning and understanding, as
well as provide the opportunity for students to share feedback of
their own. Hattie (2012) believes that teachers should encourage
their students to provide feedback on their teaching practices and
learning experiences, allowing them to influence and shape their
classroom experiences.

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Within a school there are a vast number of teachers who each have
different backgrounds and experiences, and so effective
communication between them can provide teachers with an
opportunity to learn, reflect and improve their practice. Bandura
(1997) expressed how on of the most powerful tools among schools
is the knowledge and skills that the collative teachers hold, and the
reciprocal relationship that it has on students learning. Goddard,
Hoy and Hoy (2000) further supports this, expressing how
collaborative and effective communication within a school has a
direct impact on the effectiveness and positivity of the learning
environment. Through authentic communication within a school
environment, partnerships between teachers can be built that will
allow collaboration. Doppenberg, Bakx and Brok (2012) states that
teacher collaboration creates a rich learning environment that
stimulates not only professional development of teachers, by
development of the whole school. Voogt et al. (2011) further
supports this idea by explaining how in order to allow for learning
and development in teachers, it needs to be situated in a context
that is not only authentic, but that is also social and supportive.
Within these contexts teacher are exposed to the various areas of
expertise that teachers hold, and through this can utilise this source
of information to improve their own practice (Voogt et al., 2011).
The positive impacts on students learning and develop from
teacher collaboration are vast, as it often result in a more cohesive
and well structured program that provide relevant learning

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opportunities for the students (Doppenberg et al, 2012). Voogt et al.
(2011) provided further examples of this, stating how through
effective communication and collaboration of teachers, there are
opportunities to deepen understanding of the content areas, as well
as share examples of effective classroom practices and programs.

Just as it is important to create environments for teachers to

communicate effectively, students should also be provided with
similar opportunities, allowing them to challenge and extend their
knowledge and understandings. The work of Vygotsky (1962)
advocates for children to interact socially when engaging in
learning, as he believes that students can be one of the richest
learning tools. TschannenMoran, Uline, Woolfolk Hoy and Mackley
(2000) also support this idea, describing learning as a social
experience, through which individuals are able to use and share
their previous knowledge and experiences in order to engage in new
learning. Boud, Cohen and Sampson (2001) describe the transaction
of knowledge between students as peer learning (p. 413), and
within this learning there are mutual benefits for all students
involved. Boud et al. (2001) explains how even through
communicating and sharing understandings, advanced students
extend their understandings and develop skills that allow them to
articulate these understandings better. Opportunities for authentic
communication within the classroom provides opportunities for
students to develop a range of crucial skills, such as the ability to

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work with others, engage in enquiry and critical reflection and peer
and self assessment (Boud et al., 2001). The development of these
skills and the opportunities that communication between students
provide contribute to students extending and developing their
understandings, as they benefit through the engagement with
various sources of information (Boud et al., 2001) .

Schools are an integral part of the community, and through

authentic communication and the development of partnerships,
students learning and personal development can be enhanced.
Communication between schools and communities can provide
access to a vast range of resources and knowledge that can extend
the variety of learning experiences that students have availability to
(Barbour et al., 2011). Kapur (2008) explained how developed
partnerships between schools and communities create opportunities
that can motivate students in their learning, as they are able to
engage with different environments and different methods of
acquiring and accessing knowledge. Shaari and Hung (2013) further
supported this idea, expressing how as students engage with
different authentic contexts, they develop new knowledge and skills
that help them to become active and enthusiastic learners. As
students engage with and build relationships with the community
themselves, they are able to build confidence and self-efficacy, as
they are able to discover new interests, as also as extend on

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previous interests. Shaari and Hung (2013) also explained that as
teachers communicate with communities, they are able to
collaborate with agencies and resources to help address any
challenges. These challenges can include providing the best
educational experiences for students with learning disabilities, as
they are able to collaborate and work with professionals who are
able to provide resources and guidance (Shaari and Hung, 2013).

Although communication within the school community, including the

parents, colleagues and students is very well supported, there are
still some who do not believe so. Over time views of who is
responsible for childrens education has shifted to a more
collaborative approach, but there are some who still believe that the
hierarchical view is best (West-Burnham, Farrar & Otero, 2007).
Within this view education is seen as the sole responsibility of
teachers and schools, and that little communication or engagement
is needed with parents or the community (Cardno, 2012). This view
implies that the teachers hold all the power in regards to the
childrens education, and that parents are expected to accept and
support the decisions of the teacher (Cardno, 2012). West- Burnham
(2007) disagrees with this view, stating that in order for schools to
continually rise to standards, and support students to achieve, they
need to operate as open systems. Within this open system,
teachers, parents and the community are all encourage to
communicate and contribute their knowledge and ideas. West-

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Burnham et al. (2007) described viewing parents and schools as
equal partners in education, as one of the most crucial elements of
a successful school, opposing the traditional view and expressing
how schools need to address the issue of power. West-Burnham et
al. (2007) suggests that in order to create more successful learning
environments, schools need to develop and engage in authentic
partnerships with both parents and the community.

Communication plays a crucial role in fostering learning and

development in students, as through effective and authentic
communication a vast range of knowledge and information are
available to utilise. Authentic communication between teachers and
parents means that together they are able to provide a cohesive
educational experience for the student, and are both able to share
relevant knowledge (Keyser, 2006). This communication should also
extend to practice within the classroom, in which teacher and
students engage in communication, allowing them to create a safe
and supportive learning environment (Goddard et al., 2000).
Student collaboration provides opportunities for students to engage
in effective communication that allows that to develop new
knowledge and skills, as well as extend on previous ones (Boud,
2001). Communication and engagement within the community
provides rich resources to both students and teacher, as it can not
only offer support and guidance to teachers, but is also often both
engaging and motivating for students (Shaari and Hung, 2013).

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What makes all of these different communications influential to
students learning and development, are the partnerships that are
able to be developed and maintained through such communication,
allowing ongoing support and elaboration.

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