Dear reader,
Education is one of the spheres where the process of communication gets foremost importance. A doctor’s jargon should not be digestible for a farmer. A farmer’s language and gestures should not be understandable for a lawyer.
There is an interesting study by renowned British Sociologist, Basil Bernstein (1925-2000) which is still referred by the educationists. He studied two groups of children, one coming from middle class and the other from working class. The observation was that the children of the middle class families used words lavishly to narrate an incident, whereas children from the working class households used lesser words. This, to Bernstein was due to the difference in family contexts. When the middle-class practices lot of speech and communication at their homes, there was lesser communication and talk back at working class families.
The point underlined was that when our classrooms and syllabi adopt communication strategies, we should also think about the profile of our students who are going to receive it.
Let us do not forget that students come from different backgrounds and demand a universally understandable mode of communication. Whatever be the medium of teaching, let’s ensure that it lives to the idea gifted by scholars like Bernstein.
Wishing you successful communication always,
Abera Tilahun
- Editorial for February 2015 issue of Micro Voice monthly newsletter
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