THE SPECIFICITY OF COMMUNICATION IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 206 2025, vol. 12, issue 2, 206-209 SHORT COMMUNICATION https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17870695 THE SPECIFICITY OF COMMUNICATION IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS Cristina Iuliana IACOB Spiru Haret National Pedagogical College Abstract The world of interdependencies we live in today is in constant need of communication. Communication, as a result, becomes a necessity that encompasses information, emotions, experiences, and knowledge. In this article, we aim to outline several features of communication as it occurs in educational settings. A fundamental feature is affectivity, accompanied by authentic dialogue, self-confidence, tolerance, and flexibility. All these elements establish a distinctive framework that defines communication in the educational process. A teacher capable of adopting a wide range of teaching styles as well as of adjusting their work approach to different contexts will turn the act of teaching into an efficient and effective form of communication. Keywords: educational communication, affectivity, dialogue 1. Communication: A Constant Human Need The need to communicate is a basic condition of the human species, for to live means to communicate, and we communicate in order to reveal to one another our needs and aspirations, to share them with each other. This is, after all, the meaning of the Latin term communis, which conveys the idea of participation, of involvement in the relationship of information exchange. We engage in communication within the complex framework of our existence – with nature, our own creations, and our fellow human beings. Educational communication cannot be reduced to the establishment of isomorphic relations between itself and the formal model of communication theory, which represents an essential but not sufficient instrument for the analysis and interpretation of the teacher-student communication relationship. Consequently, the specificity of the relationship between teacher and student is expressed through the act of communication present in all circumstances of an educational process, whether of an instructional-educational nature or of a social nature. Each teacher aspires to achieve an affective relationship with the class of students that is genuine and enduring. In explaining the teacher-student relationship in the educational process, the term interference from physic is often used: two formations may pass through one another without colliding, entirely preserving their integrity while modifying their structure. This analogy may be extended to the affective component within education as well. Information conveyance, support in the formation of skills, and the development of psychological processes, in order to be effective, must benefit from what is commonly referred to as affective interference, the passage through one another of two consciousnesses. An indispensable condition of effective communication in the school environment is represented by affectivity. The teacher's affective behaviour may act upon the personality of the educated individual on multiple levels: as an incentive for intellectual development, as an action catalyst, and it can also regulate the feelings and emotions of the learner. It is necessary for the teacher ’’to be always in control’’, that is to be in turn the staging director of the communication process, the initiator of questions, the multiplier of messages. If they show their students they care, teachers too will be loved back by their students. All the effort teachers put in building a close relationship their students will pay off in the end. In educational communication, the teacher must make students feel that he or she possesses a vocation in this direction, that he or she is a trustworthy partner who seeks genuine communication. Communication competence will also make itself visible through the capacity to listen to students. The most appreciated teachers are those who grant their students freedom of expression, who do not make them feel either judged, or manipulated, or lectured, who give them a sense of security and freedom of communication. 2. The Educational Process and the Act of Communication Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 207 The educational process is in itself an act of communication. A good communication relationship is transacted, mediated, negotiated, and continuously improved, what we call communicative behaviour being defined as "approaches which favour the exchange of information and competences in school settings" (Iacob, L., Comunicarea didactică, p. 35). In this respect, we find of great interest the observations professor Ioan Jinga has made with regard to what it takes to be a good educator, among which impeccable diction, patience, self-control, openness to communication, good organizational skills, coherence of thought, clear reasoning, and accuracy of language. Influences are exerted from both parts – teacher and learner– but the most important, numerous, and decisive are those exerted by the educator on the learner. Consequently, in the educational process, communication does not stand for a simple exchange of cognitive messages, but also for emotional tension and affective-social relations. The student, being a living reality and not an abstract notion, is not only intelligence, but also emotionality, desires, and impulses. This reality must constantly be borne in mind, since intelligence operates according to the manner in which it is fuelled and oriented by the emotional-active factors of personality. Affectivity related to interpersonal communication may be considered under two aspects: that of the affective echo of the act of communication and that of the communicative potential of different affective experiences. Affectivity is involved in obtaining a certain efficiency of didactic activity, when objectives are attained in a short lenght of time, with the least effort, but with maximal satisfaction. The personality as well as the actions of the teacher trigger emotional responses in the learner. The relationship that enriches and shapes behaviour, a sincere relationship based on trust, will lead to genuine and meaninful communication, but also to an unpredictable unfolding, in the sense that the act of communication may also suffer a setback. Such a relationship, within the framework of the educational process, is achieved by means of active, self-engaged learning, a situation in which the teacher is alongside his/her students, assisting and supporting them. Insofar as he/she is able, the teacher will avoid placing the learner in a position of inferiority solely on account of the fact that he or she has knowledge gaps. Even if the student fails, he or she must feel they still have the teacher’s support. In order to enable the student to succeed, it is necessary for the teacher to be aware of the learner’s background and act upon it. If one wishes the student to truly succeed at something, one must establish a goal which is attainable with the resources at hand. Feeling supported, the student will succeed, will boost his or her self-confidence, and will set out to to reach a further goal. This increase in self-confidence will optimize the context and will favour further achievements. This is the recipe for success. Thus, teachers who truly love their students communicate according to the interests of those they love. Broadly speaking, communication is the process through which a sender and a receiver exchange messages that encompass both ideas and feelings. The sender encodes the messages using verbal, nonverbal, and paraverbal elements. The receiver receives the messages and decodes them, interpreting these elements according to his or her own experiences, beliefs, and needs. However, in educational settings, communication acquires particular features, and the actors of this process are constantly involved. 3. The Educational Setting: A Space of Communication The educational setting, perhaps more than any other, is a space of communication. It is all about communication. To communicate means to interact with people by means of some specialized channels. Communication implies a network which, in space, conducts information to a zone of signification and organization that generates values of exchange. The level of insight and understanding of the communication system open and enable the path to self-knowledge and knowledge of those around us, making it possible for us to clarify the hierarchization of people in society according to value criteria. Since the outcome of the communication process heavily depends on him/her, the teacher should possess qualities such as: self-awareness, understood as awareness of one's own culture, values, beliefs, prejudices and stereotypes, as well as a a clear grasp of one's limits and the capacity to recognize them, a sense of self-identity, tolerance and flexibility, that is to say openness towards new challenges and new relationships, a sense of humor, and the capacity for self-improvement. A way to initiate communication, even on topics that are likely to spark debate, is the use of the language of responsibility as a form of communication through which we express our own opinions and emotions, employing the principle of "negative politeness," that is to say without violating your dialogue partner’s territory. This is a way of avoiding criticism, labelling, and moralizing, by keeping the focus of the conversation on the behaviour, not on the person. Responsibility messages communicated in an angry tone become negative messages. These blame the student, criticize him or her, and do not point at the student as the responsible person Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 208 for whatever happened. The tone of negative messages convey lack of respect for the person to whom the statement is addressed. The teacher must avoid evaluative communication and move towards descriptive communication. Similarly, he or she must avoid messages of control over the dialogue partner through the offering of solutions and advice, and must develop problem-oriented communication that helps the student identify the alternatives to his or her problem without imposing the solution. We must not attempt to manipulate the student in communication, but rather allow him or her to express their opinions spontaneously. The teacher must not adopt an attitude of neutrality toward students or one of superiority, for this will certainly impact negatively on the communication process. Any activity that we take part in implies an exchange of information, that is to say processes and relations of communication. As a social phenomenon, the communication process engages people with their entire psychological burden, which is not to be seen in the animal world, where it has a purely instrumental significance. Lately, more and more people are acknowledging that being an effective communicator is a quality. The art of effective communication is neither a natural process nor an innate skill. We learn to communicate. Every communication instance implies creation and exchange of meanings, these being represented through "signs" and "codes." It seems that people have a genuine need to decipher the meaning of each and every human action. The observation and understanding of this process can make us more aware. In order to foster creativity, one must also engage the students in processing and reorganizing data, ensuring an intellectual and affective dynamism opposed to any tendencies towards apathy and sheer routine. The very enrichment of the repertoire of experiences and events with which students are confronted can confer new premises for cultivating elements of creativity or components of creative potential. In pedagogy, the method becomes a necessary path for knowledge acquisition and capacities projected at the level of the objectives of the instructional process, through the valorization of specific principles for the design and realization of the educational activity. We speak, therefore, of terms of communication – knowledge – creativity. The pedagogical quality of the teaching method involves its transformation from a path of knowledge proposed by the teacher into a path of learning effectively realized by the student. Everything takes place within the framework of formal and nonformal education, with openings towards lifelong education. The methods used by the teacher in establishing interesting points of communication are very important. In such a context, the status of the teacher as sender and of the student as receiver become debatable. The interpretation of information encoded through words and thus concentration through verbal messages becomes less used in relation to the diversity of codes employed (word, image, gesture, mimicry) and the acceptance of the numerous channels of communication (visual, auditory). Teaching and learning activities that include modern resources (ICT instruments, for instance) will foster the engagement of students in analyzing and interpreting the message, in debates, in dialogues, in commentaries based on problematization; it will make them more sensitive, it will get their attention and spark their interest and curiosity about the issues addressed. Beyond the instructive character, the educational function of these modern means should also be emphasized. They thus become a series of models of civilized conduct and of responsibility for personal acts. Modern communication may be influenced by interactive pedagogical behaviour. In this context, the teacher favours social interaction within the group, encourages his or her students, incites them to autonomy, to selfdecision, to cooperation in group work. Teacher-student communication engages affective experiences and conduct, mobilizes capacities and aptitudes, temperamental manifestations, which cannot be circumscribed within the sphere of uniform, previously programmed relations. The classical perspective on communication is replaced with the interactive model, which analyzes the communicative act as a relation of exchange between partners who simultaneously have a dual status: of sender and of receiver. Consequently, the behaviour of students acquires forms of institutional communication. 4. Active-participatory Methods: A Distinctive Form of Educational Communication The lesson conducted using an active-participatory method (group work) turns the teaching activity into an engaging one. Here, students apply their specific knowledge, eliminating formalism and giving free rein to ideas and thinking. Thus, the learning environment becomes transparent, as students acquire not only the content of the lesson but also get insight into the learning process itself: through teamwork, they actively engage, critically adding new ideas to what they already know. In such a setting, various types of teacher–student and student– student interactions can be promoted, and the teacher’s role shifts from being a mere conveyor of information to that of a partner. In this process, students demonstrate sufficient motivation to bring about the necessary changes for acquiring lasting knowledge. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, Volume 12, Issue 2 – 2025 209 In activities carried out through active participation, the emphasis falls on the processes of learning rather than on the oucomes of learning. This method helps students search, explore, and discover knowledge on their own, as well as to process it, in the end making it possible for them to reconstruct and reorganize their knowledge. Group interaction methods attract students to discussions, to cooperation, facilitate and intensify the spontaneous exchange of information and ideas, of impressions and opinions, the confrontation of opinions and alternatives within the class of students. The lesson, conducted in such a framework, has a series of formative values, such as stimulating creativity, developing critical thinking, building on students' own experience, taking responsibility for their own learning, and expressing reasoned opinions. Thus, students have been involved in the communication relationship and engaged in a constructive discussion. The choice to employing group learning has been made not only according to the criterion of the complexity of the tasks that needed to be tackled, but also according to the students' ability to fulfill certain roles that would provide the opportunity to highlight either the abilities to interact and communicate, or the difficulties they encounter in this respect. In the context of using active-participatory methods, the teacher’s activity is not limited to the transmission of information or knowledge. It also about the way this knowledge is presented — as an exposition of problems within a certain context — and the placement of those problems within a particular perspective, so that the learner can make connections between the identified solutions and other issues within a broader framework. Students do not mind the teacher’s poor involvement in the teaching process, because proper classroom atmosphere, the affirmation of each student’s personality, and the removal of the imaginary barrier between the teacher and the students are essential tools of a modern teacher, one who encourages participation, acknowledges students’ emotions, supports them, and values their ideas. A teacher who is capable of both adopting a wide variety of teaching styles and adapting their work to different contexts will turn the act of teaching into effective educational communication. References Iacob L., Educational Communication in Psychopedagogy, Polirom Publishing House, Iași, 1999. Cucoș, Constantin, Pedagogy, 2nd edition, Polirom Publishing House, Iași, 2002. Stan, Emil, Classroom Management, Aramis Publishing House, Bucharest, 2006. McBride, Sean, Many Voices, One World, Scientific and Encyclopedic Publishing House, Bucharest, 1982. Marcu, Vasile, Filimon, Letiția (coord.), Psychopedagogy for Teacher Training, University Publishing House, Oradea, 2003. Pânișoară, O., Effective Communication. Methods of Efficient Interaction, Polirom Publishing House, Iași, 2003. Șoitu, Laurențiu, Pedagogy of Communication, Didactic and Pedagogical Publishing House, Bucharest, 1997. Pintilie, Mariana, Modern Teaching Methods, Euro-Didact Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca, 2003.