Oral and Written Communication in Classroom Mathematics

In this action research study of my classroom of sixth grade mathematics, I investigated the impact of an increase in student oral and written communication on student level of understanding and student self-confidence. I also investigated the changes in my teaching as I increased opportunities for student oral and written communication of mathematics. While I discovered that student level of understanding was not necessarily increased if written communications were increased, I did find that there seemed to be a rise in student level of self-confidence and understanding throughout the course of the research project due to an increase in oral communication. Additionally, my intentions as a teacher were to become less dominating as communication was increased, but the opposite occurred. As a result of this research, I plan to continue to allow oral discourse to take place in my classroom much like it has in the past.

Writing In Math Class? Written Communication in the Mathematics Classroom

In this action research study of my seventh grade mathematics classroom, I investigated what written communication within the mathematics classroom would look like. I increased vocabulary instruction of specific mathematical terms for my students to use in their writing. I also looked at what I would have to do differently in my teaching in order for my students to be successful in their writing. Although my students said that using writing to explain mathematics helped them to better understand the math, my research revealed that student writing did not necessarily translate to improved scores. After direct instruction and practice on math vocabulary, my students did use the vocabulary words more often in their writing; however, my students used the words more like they would in spelling sentences rather than to show what it meant and how it can be applied within their written explanation in math. In my teaching, I discovered I tried many different strategies to help my students be successful. I was very deliberate in my language and usage of vocabulary words and also in my explanations of various math concepts. As a result of this research, I plan to continue having my students use writing to communicate within the mathematics classroom. I will keep using some of the strategies I found successful. I also will be very deliberate in using vocabulary words and stress the use of vocabulary words with my students in the future.

Investigator/IRB-led community communication in genetic research: A descriptive feasibility pilot study

This pilot study, conducted in the Houston, TX, area, established a structured dialogue among a university Institutional Review Board, its researchers, and its local community members (i.e. pool of potential research participants) for the purpose of further educating all three parties about genetic research and community concerns related to such research. An IRB-designed educational presentation aimed at assisting potential subjects in making an informed decision to participate in genetic research was provided to four community groups (n=54); this presentation also included a current example of genetic research being conducted in the community as explained by the researcher, and a question-and-answer session designed to assist the IRB and the researcher in understanding the community's concerns about genetic research. Comparisons of pre- and post- presentation community questionnaires indicate that the joint presentation was effective in increasing community knowledge about genetic research, most notably related to the risks and benefits of this research to the individual, as well as the understanding that protections are in place for research participants. While researchers are optimistic about the idea of a collaborative effort with the IRB and the community, the feasibility of such a program and the benefit to the participating researchers remain unclear; additional research is necessary to establish the most effective method of communication for all groups involved, as well as to obtain statistically significant results with regard to race/ethnicity, gender, and education levels of community participants. ^

Doctor-patient communication in the medical interaction: Context, implications, and practice

Effective communication; whether from an interpersonal, mass media, or global perspective, is a critical component in public health. It is an essential conduit in increasing public awareness of available health resources, potential health hazards and related disease prevention strategies, and in delivering better health care. Within this context, available literature asserts doctor-patient communication as central to healthcare delivery. It has been shown to affect patient health outcomes, satisfaction with care, adherence to treatment recommendations, and even understanding of medical information. While research supports the essential imperative of interventions aimed at teaching doctors and patients the communication skills necessary for a successful and meaningful medical interaction, most interventions to date, focus on teaching these communication skills to doctors and seem to rely, largely, on mass media for providing patients with the information needed to increase communication efficacy. This study sought to fill a significant gap in the doctor-patient communication literature by reviewing the context of the doctor-patient exchange in the medical interaction, the implications of this exchange in resulting care of the patient, and the potential improvements to practice through interventions aimed at improving the communication exchange. Closing with an evaluation of a patient-centered communication intervention, the “How to Talk to Your Doctor” (HTTTYD) program that combines previously identified optimal strategies for improving communication between doctors and patients, this study examined the patients’ perspective of their potential as better communicators in the medical interaction. ^ Specific Aims, Hypotheses or Questions (Aim I) To examine the context of health communication within a public health framework and its relation to health care delivery. (Aim II) To review doctor-patient communication as a central focus within health care delivery and the resulting implications to patient care. (Aim III) To assess the utility of interventions to improve doctor-patient communication. Specifically, to evaluate the effectiveness of a patient-centered community education intervention, the “How to Talk to Your Doctor” (HTTTYD) program, aimed at improving patient communication efficacy.^

Meeting in the middle: Improving communication in primary health care consultations with people with an intellectual disability

The increased presence and participation in Australian society of people with an intellectual disability provides challenges for the provision of primary health care. General practitioners (GPs) identify themselves as ill equipped to provide for this heterogeneous population. A major obstacle to the provision of appropriate health care is seen as inadequate communication between the GP and the person with an intellectual disability, who may or may not be accompanied by a carer or advocate. This qualitative study in which five GPs, three people with intellectual disability, seven carers and two advocates (parent and friend) were interviewed was conducted in Brisbane, Australia. The aim was to better understand the factors that have an impact upon the success of communication in a medical consultation. Findings suggested that GPs were concerned with the aspects of communication difficulties which influenced their ability to adequately diagnose, manage and inform patients. Implications for practice management were also identified. People with intellectual disability reported frustration when they felt that they could not communicate adequately with the GP and annoyance when they were not included in the communication exchange. Carers were strong advocates for the person with intellectual disability, but indicated insufficient skill and knowledge to provide the level of assistance required in the consultation. The outcome was a model of cooperation that outlined the responsibilities of all players in the medical encounter, prior to, during and after the event.

Challenges of Teaching Written Communication in the Cloud

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2014

The Application of Cloud Computing in Education

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2015

Questioning the merits and demerits of electronic communication in Social Work

This paper examines the social dynamics of electronic exchanges in the human services, particularly in social work. It focuses on the observable effects that email and texting have on the linguistic, relational and clinical rather than managerial aspects of the profession. It highlights how electronic communication is affecting professionals in their practice and learners as they become acculturated to social work. What are the gains and losses of the broad use of electronic devices in daily lay and professional, verbal and non-verbal communication? Will our current situation be seriously detrimental to the demeanor of future practitioners, their use of language, and their ability to establish close personal relationships? The paper analyzes social work linguistic and behavioral changes in light of the growth of electronic communication and offers a summary of merits and demerits viewed through a prism emerging from Baron’s (2000) analysis of human communication.

Crisis communication in politics: forgiveness as image restoration tool

Crisis communication is a widely treated field. There are lot of works and guides which provide helpful information in order to face crisis situations successfully (Alcat, 2005, Benoit, 1997) and articles about case studies (Nespereira, 2014, Blaney y Benoit 2001). Nonetheless, most of times, these guides are focused on business or corporations (Abeler, 2010) and there are not such information about crisis communications in politics (Gaspar e Ibeas, 2015). The field is smaller if we speak about forgiveness as restoration image tool in politics (Harris 2006). Despite all, we live in “forgiveness era” as Krauze said (1998) where people demand to politicians to apologize when they have mistakes (Harris et al. 2006:716). So, we will try to make an approach to forgiveness in politics as a image restoration tool and analyze its capabilities in order to face crisis management.

Using blogs to enhance the capacity of mathematical communication in High School

The aim of this investigation is to analyze the use of the blog as an educational resource for the development of the mathematical communication in secondary education. With this aim, four aspects are analyzed: organization of mathematical thinking through communication; communication of mathematical thinking; analysis and evaluation of the strategies and mathematical thought of others; and expression of mathematical ideas using mathematical language. The research was conducted from a qualitative approach on an exploratory level, with the case study method of 4 classrooms of second grade of secondary education in a private school in Lima. The observational technique of 20 publications in the blog of the math class was applied; a study of a focal group with a sample of 9 students with different levels of academic performance; and an interview with the academic coordinator of the school was conducted. The results show that the organization of mathematical thinking through communication is carried out in the blog in a written, graphical and oral way through explanations, schemes and videos. Regarding communication of mathematical thinking, the blog is used to describe concepts, arguments and mathematical procedures with words and examples of the students. The analysis and evaluation of the strategies and mathematical thinking is performed through comments and debates about the publications. It was also noted that the blog does not facilitate the use of mathematical language to express mathematical ideas, since it does not allow direct writing of symbols nor graphic representation.

Clinical skills and communication in nursing students

Abstract Background: Communication is a basic tool in nursing, a crucial element of care. The quality of the interactions that take place between the nurse and the user/family influence their satisfaction and security felt with the care received. Objectives: To identify the communication skills and interpersonal relationship of nursing students in health care; identify the sociodemographic and academic variables influencing communication skills and interpersonal relationship of nursing students in health care. Methodology: Quantitative study, cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire with questions concerning the socio-demographic and academic characterization; basic skills of interview and clinical communication in health care; learning of clinical communication skills and range of communication skills and interpersonal relationship. The sample consisted of 374 nursing students from two Portuguese schools. Results: The majority were female (80.5%), in the age group of 18-21 years. The students recognize the importance of clinical communication skills and interpersonal relations in nursing practice (82.4%); agreed on the teaching methods of communicational skills (54.3%). Evaluated their training in the area as good (71.7%). Age, semester and school influenced communication skills and interpersonal relationship of students (p <0.5) Conclusion: The results obtained allow us to state that the education / training of nursing student in the relational context is of fundamental importance in building capacity for competent professional practice.

Communication in the Seventh Grade Classroom

Reflections on communication in the learning process at the level of the seventh year of secondary education based on the methodological and pedagogical approaches, considered in research of a multidisciplinary team of the CIDE of UNA (National University), with the aim of building the “teaching performance profile for the seventh year of Costa Rican education”. It demonstrates the role of teachers to ensure favorable communication links to the learning process, not only to capture the attention and interest of students through varied and systematic motivations, but also by the honesty, openness, personal example and involvement in the task, problems and aspirations of students.

Linkage: Basic Requirement in any Product of Research in Education

The scientific production, in the field of education, constantly refers to linkage as a special condition to develop research. However, its meaning and the way to achieve that condition are not always clear, particularly for those who are in a training stage of research in education. Meanwhile, the academic production reviewers consider linkage as a very important aspect and essential characteristic of any research project. This paper suggests that linkage involves an epistemological discussion on the research factors in each one of the research stages, such as the construction of the object of study, the definition of methodology, and the data analysis and interpretation, among the most important stages. Linkage takes shape in a written product showing the results from an orderly construction and communication of thought, according to the rules established in a particular field of knowledge.

The central role of communication in developing trust and its effect on employee involvement

Communication plays an important role in the development of trust within an organization. While a number of researchers have studied the relationship of trust and communication, little is known about the specific linkages among quality of information, quantity of information, openness, trust, and outcomes such as employee involvement. This study tests these relationships using communication audit data from 218 employees in the oil industry. Using mediation analysis and structural equation modeling, we found that quality of information predicted trust of one's coworkers and supervisors while adequacy of information predicted one's trust of top management. Trust of coworkers, supervisors, and top management influenced perceptions of organizational openness, which in turn influenced employees' ratings of their own level of involvement in the organization's goals. This study suggests that the relationship between communication and trust is complex, and that simple strategies focusing on either quality or quantity of information may be ineffective for dealing with all members in an organization.