Classroom Communication Teaching Resources
Explore classroom communication tools for teachers perfect for communicating with parents and students this school year.
This collection of teacher-created tools was built by the teachers of Teach Starter to help boost verbal and non-verbal communication in your classroom this year so you can build strong relationships with your students and their parents.
A crucial part of being a good teacher is being a good communicator, and we've built tools that can help you be just that. Even better? This collection is stocked with tools that will also help you teach your students to be more effective communicators.
Why Classroom Communication Matters
You likely already know that a teacher's communication in the classroom is linked with student outcomes, but just how much does it matter? A lot!
Education researchers have evaluated what happens when teachers are specifically trained in classroom communication, and the results are significant. Not only do teachers spend less time on discipline and more time actually engaging their students, but the students' behaviour mirrors that of their teacher.
Meanwhile, other studies have shown that a teacher's communication skills are just as important as their knowledge base regarding their effectiveness as educators, and even how we communicate with parents can boost student success.
So, what does good classroom communication look like? Both verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as written communication, play heavily here.
Read on as we break down each.
What Non-Verbal Communication in the Classroom Looks Like
When we talk about non-verbal communication, we tend to talk about things like body language and facial expressions. Everything from how we gesture to how our faces change when someone says something falls under non-verbal communication in the real world and, of course, in the classroom.
In the classroom setting, however, non-verbal communication is particularly important to create a safe environment for our students.
A warm smile on your face when a student enters the room is a non-verbal cue that lets them know you welcome them to the space. Similarly, when we turn our bodies toward a student who is speaking and give them our full attention, we show them we value what they have to say.
These behaviours also play into our important role as role models for our students who are still learning social norms and how to be good communicators.
Non-verbal communication in the classroom can also take the form of the visual media we provide to help our students learn, including learning aids like:
- Anchor charts
- Bulletin boards
- Posters
- Maps
This type of non-verbal classroom communication helps our students learn through the help of visual representation, and they can help supplement our verbal communication.
What Does Verbal Communication Look Like in a Classroom?
Of course, that brings us to verbal communication in a classroom. Again, there are direct ties to verbal communication as we describe it in a broader context.
Verbal communication can refer to the direct instruction that's core to teaching, but it also refers to things like the greetings we give children when they enter our rooms and the one-on-one conversations we have with our students.
Of course, these all help us build relationships with our students and serve as a means of providing students with information.
Being good verbal communicators isn't just being able to impart information to or chat with students. It's being able to:
- Appropriately engage the audience
- Transmit information in clear and understandable ways
- Speak in a tone that's appropriately assertive — not intimidating or abrupt but also calm and loud enough to be heard
It's a lot for teachers to juggle; we know! It's why we've created so many tools to help!
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Positive Notes for Students – Printable Templates and Tracker
Strengthen connections and celebrate achievements with this set of positive note templates.
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Parent Communication Log – Documentation Templates
Document parent phone calls, emails, meetings and more with this set of printable templates.
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Positive Parent Notes - Doodles
Let your students parents know when they have done particularly well or shown good behaviour with a Positive Parent Note.
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New Student Survival Flip Book Template
Be prepared for a new student any time of the year with a printable New Student Handbook template.
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Parent Information Night PowerPoint Template
Prepare for your parent information night with a customisable slideshow template.
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Student Progress Report Template
Update parents and guardians every week using this editable weekly student report template.
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Free Classroom Newsletter Template - Weekly Snapshot
Use this free classroom newsletter template to communicate important information each week.
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Maths Activity Ideas for Parents - Question Prompts and Reflective Thinking
An information sheet for parents or carers to use when assisting children with questioning and reflective thinking.
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Maths Activity Ideas for Parents - Multiplication and Division
An information sheet for parents or carers to use when assisting children with multiplication and division at home.
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Maths Activity Ideas for Parents - Addition and Subtraction
An information sheet for parents or carers to use when assisting children with addition and subtraction at home.
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Meet The Teachers - Template for Back to School BINGO!
Encourage your students to explore their new classroom and meet the teachers with a game of Bingo!
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Meet The Teacher Station Signs - Editable
Organise your Meet the Teacher event by setting up classroom stations using our printable Back to School Station Signs.
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Classroom Wish List - Card Set
Set up a Classroom Donation Station at your Parent Information Night meeting with our printable classroom donation card set.
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Meet The Teacher Postcard Templates
Use this Meet Your Teacher postcard template to prep your back-to-school letters and ease your students’ first-day jitters.
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Ready Confetti - Student Gift Bag Tags
Calm your students' first-day jitters with bags of Back-to-School Ready Confetti topped with fun First Day of School poems.
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10 Reasons Why - End of Year Letter to Students
Strengthen connections and send your students off on summer vacation with an encouraging end-of-year letter to students.
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Interest Inventory for Students – Reward Survey
Discover motivators and reinforcers that excite your students with this printable reward survey.
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Editable Classroom Newsletter Templates
Keep communication lines open between teachers and parents by using these templates to create a classroom newsletter to share important information.
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Student Interest Survey - Early Years
Determine your students' interests with this survey for early years students.
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Weekly Newsletter Templates
Send out important information to your students’ parents and guardians using weekly newsletters made with our handy templates!
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Parent Handbook Flip Book Template
Start the school year with informed parents by providing them with a parent handbook.
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Back to School – Meet the Teacher PowerPoint Template
Use an editable slide deck during to foster communication during your 'Meet the Teacher' or 'Back-to-School Parent Information' event.
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Classroom Wish List – Giraffe
A classroom wish list to display at the beginning of the year.
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Multi-Purpose Student Tags
A page of multi-purpose student tags.
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Easter Appreciation Tags
A set of tags to show your appreciation of teachers, students and staff in the lead up to Easter.
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Helpful Homework Tips for Parents Poster
Helpful tips for parents on how to support students to complete homework.
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DIY Mailbox Template
A mini mailbox paper craft template.
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Student End of Year Gift Tags - We Had a Ball This Year
Have a ball making your end of year gifts for students when you add special student gift tags to their gifts.
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Student Gift Tags - Your Future's So Bright I Have to Wear Shades
Brighten your students' end of year with fun end of year student gifts adorned with a fun student gift tag!
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Superheroes - Happy Birthday Badges
A set of happy birthday badges with a superheroes theme.
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Fractions and Decimals Maths Activity Ideas for Parents
An information sheet for parents or carers to use when assisting children with fractions and decimals at home.
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Positive Parent Notes - Happy Face
A set of parent notes to send home as positive feedback.