Aren't you listening? Didn't you hear me?

Here's the thing, if you are talking to somebody other than yourself, you have a 100% chance of being misunderstood. When we are speaking to our student's or anyone for that matter, if we are giving instructions, redirecting or sharing information we must consider the audience. Do our best to speak in a language they understand and express our willingness to answer any questions. We have to be approachable, honest and willing to admit that not only are we not right all the time, but sometimes others may hear something different than what we said and meant.

 

The point is, no one intends on miscommunication, just as our students are not ever going to intentionally NOT follow directions, so the best we can do is be forgiving, encourage students' questions and never assume the responsibility lies with someone else. We can try to communicate in many ways including explanations, visuals, examples, etc. but we still must leave room for error.