Discussion 5
The hearing-listening process consists of four parts. These are, encoding, hearing,
listening and decoding.
Encoding
At this first stage of the process, the sender needs to express the message in a clear and
logical manner in order for the receiver to comprehend it. If the sender doesn’t possess
the right skills to express the message in an understandable manner, then communication
losses can occur.
Hearing
Hearing is described as a physiological process (Smaldino, et al. 2005). This second stage
of the process can be affected by a number of factors. These include auditory fatigue,
masking, and hearing impairments (Smaldino, et al. 2005).
Listening
The physiological process of listening involves receiving, decoding and understanding
(Smaldino, et al. 2005). Communication losses can occur at this third stage of the process
if the receiver is lacking in listening skills.
Decoding
At this final stage, the receiver’s interpretation of the message will be due to his/her
ability to comprehend the idea expressed. Therefore, if the receiver is lacking the skills
necessary to comprehend the idea, then losses in communication will occur.
Factors which may inhibit audio communication include: the volume levels maybe too
high or low, the receiver’s listening skills or lack of them, physical impairment for
example, illness, a monotone, in terms of auditory fatigue, in which the receiver simply
“tunes out” or lose consciousness with a sound source (Smaldino, et al. 2005).
The implications of audio communication for my work environment are: as an educator,
it is vital to communicate clearly and logically with parents, co-workers, and students to
ensure correct comprehension of the intended message. Also, when speaking, the volume
must be at a moderate level (not too high or low) to ensure accuracy of speech. In
addition, noise should be at a moderate level in the classroom, because if it is too high or
low, it will impede the comprehension of information. Visual cues should be used to
support students who are physically impaired.
I listened to room 208 Podcast-Bonus Show. The topic was Portland Art Museum. The
podcast was about a group of elementary school children and their teachers who visited
the museum to learn about landscapes. The sound effect of the podcast was good. The
quality of the presenter’s speech was also good. She spoke in a clear and comprehensive
manner for all to understand. For instance, the children were able to ask and answer
questions appropriate to the site of interest. Except for a few unwanted noises such as
children coughing in the background, and clearing their throat, I would say that the
overall quality of the podcast was good. As a matter of fact, a person with little or no
knowledge about landscapes would learn a great deal of information from the audio
presentation. This is an effective way to cater for especially auditory learners in our
classrooms.
Podcasts could be successfully employed in my work setting. I could use podcast for
students to record their fluency in oral reading, and then let them review their fluency in
terms of for example, length of time it took to read a passage, proper pronunciation of
words etc.
Reference
Smaldino, S., Russell, J., Heinich, R., & Molenda, M. (2005). Instructional technology
and media for learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.