- A teacher can complete a lesson and still leave learners struggling to understand what was taught.
- Hillary Muhalya argues that effective classroom communication requires teachers to listen, simplify explanations and encourage participation.
- He says meaningful learning occurs when learners can understand, question, apply and communicate what they have learnt.
A teacher can speak for 40 minutes, cover every point in the lesson plan and still leave an entire classroom confused.
That is one of the uncomfortable truths about teaching.
The problem is not always a lack of knowledge. Sometimes, it is the inability to communicate that knowledge in a way learners can understand.
A teacher may possess impressive qualifications, years of experience and deep subject knowledge. But if learners are afraid to ask questions, unable to follow explanations or too intimidated to admit they are confused, something fundamental has gone wrong.
Teaching is not about filling the classroom with words. It is about creating understanding.
The best teachers understand this difference.
They know that a classroom is not a stage where the teacher performs while learners listen passively. It is a space where ideas are exchanged, questions are welcomed, mistakes are examined and understanding is built.
They listen as much as they speak.
They simplify without lowering standards.
They explain difficult concepts using familiar examples.
They ask questions that make learners think rather than merely recall.
They correct mistakes without humiliating learners.
And they exercise authority without creating fear.
In the age of Competency-Based Education (CBE), this becomes even more important.
Learners are expected to communicate, think critically, solve problems, create, collaborate and apply knowledge to real-life situations. None of these competencies can flourish in a classroom where communication flows in only one direction.
A teacher should therefore ask a more uncomfortable question than, “Have I finished the syllabus?”
The real question is:
“Have my learners understood?”
If the answer is no, the teaching process is not complete.
Speak less, explain better
One of the biggest mistakes teachers make is believing that complicated language demonstrates intelligence.
It does not.
Sometimes, the more complicated the explanation, the further the learner moves from understanding.
A teacher introducing photosynthesis, for example, does not need to bury learners under technical terminology. The concept can begin with something familiar: plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own food.
Mathematics can be brought to life through everyday experiences.
If a Sh2,000 item is discounted by 10 per cent, how much is the discount? What will the customer pay?
Suddenly, percentages are no longer just figures on a board. They have meaning.
Simple language is not simplistic teaching.
It is intelligent communication.
The goal is not to remove difficult vocabulary. It is to introduce it properly, explain it and give learners opportunities to use it.
The problem is not difficult words.
The problem is difficult words without explanation.
Listening is part of teaching
Some teachers believe communication means speaking clearly.
It means more than that.
A teacher must also listen.
When a learner says, “I don’t understand,” responding with, “I have already explained that,” closes the conversation.
A better response is:
“Which part don’t you understand?”
That question opens a door.
When a learner gives a wrong answer, instead of immediately declaring it wrong, the teacher can ask:
“Show us how you arrived at that answer.”
The teacher may discover that the learner understands part of the concept but has made one crucial mistake.
Listening helps teachers distinguish between laziness, confusion, anxiety, lack of confidence and genuine gaps in understanding.
Sometimes the quietest learner has the biggest question.
Sometimes the learner who appears distracted is struggling to follow.
Sometimes the learner who repeatedly fails simply needs the concept presented differently.
Listening is therefore not a courtesy. It is a teaching strategy.
Make the classroom a laboratory of real life
Learners understand more deeply when they can connect classroom knowledge to the world around them.
A geography lesson on erosion can begin with what learners observe after heavy rainfall.
An agriculture lesson can move into the school garden.
A physics lesson can use ordinary objects.
A mathematics lesson can involve shopping, transport, budgeting, measurements and savings.
A language lesson can draw from conversations learners have every day.
This is the spirit of CBE: knowledge should not remain trapped in exercise books.
Learners should be able to use it.
The teacher’s job is therefore not merely to ask, “What should I teach?”
It is also to ask:
“How can my learners experience this knowledge?”
Stop asking questions that require only memory
A classroom filled with questions is not necessarily a classroom filled with thinking.
The quality of the questions matters.
Instead of asking only, “What is erosion?” ask:
“Why does erosion become worse after heavy rainfall?”
Instead of asking, “What is the answer?” ask:
“How did you arrive at your answer?”
Instead of asking learners to repeat information, ask:
“What would happen if one of these conditions changed?”
Such questions force learners to reason, explain, predict, compare and defend their thinking.
That is where deeper learning begins.
The teacher stops being the sole source of answers and becomes a facilitator of thought.
Discipline without fear
A good teacher must maintain discipline.
But discipline should not require humiliation.
There is a huge difference between a classroom where learners respect the teacher and one where learners are simply afraid of the teacher.
Fear can make learners silent.
It can also make them afraid of making mistakes.
And a learner who is afraid to make a mistake is often afraid to participate.
Teachers can be firm while remaining approachable.
A disruptive learner can be corrected.
Poor work can be challenged.
Deadlines can be enforced.
Rules can be upheld.
But dignity should remain intact.
Fear may produce obedience. Respect produces engagement.
Read the classroom, not just the lesson plan
Every classroom communicates.
Confused faces communicate.
Silence communicates.
Repeated mistakes communicate.
A sudden drop in participation communicates.
If only three learners are answering every question while the rest remain silent, the teacher should not automatically assume everyone else understands.
They may be lost.
The effective teacher notices these signals and adjusts.
Slow down.
Give another example.
Change the explanation.
Demonstrate the concept.
Ask learners to discuss it in pairs.
Use a practical activity.
The lesson plan should guide the teacher, but it should never blind the teacher to what is happening in the classroom.
A lesson plan is a roadmap — not a railway track.
Your tone can create or destroy confidence
Teachers often remember the words they said.
Learners remember how those words made them feel.
“This is poor work” can make a learner feel defeated.
“You have made progress, but let’s work on these areas” can communicate the same concern while leaving room for improvement.
The difference is tone.
A teacher’s facial expression, gestures, patience and response to mistakes can determine whether learners become confident participants or silent observers.
Correction should build competence, not destroy confidence.
Encouragement should be genuine.
Praise should recognise effort, progress and achievement.
A learner who feels respected is more likely to ask questions, attempt difficult tasks and recover from failure.
The real test is not coverage. It is understanding
One of the biggest traps in education is confusing syllabus coverage with learning.
A teacher can finish a topic.
Learners can copy notes.
An exercise can be marked.
Yet genuine learning may still not have occurred.
The better questions are:
Can learners explain the concept in their own words?
Can they apply it?
Can they demonstrate it?
Can they solve a new problem using it?
Can they connect it to real life?
If they cannot, the teacher should reconsider the communication approach.
Perhaps the explanation was too complicated.
Perhaps there were not enough examples.
Perhaps learners needed more time.
Perhaps the teacher talked too much and listened too little.
Perhaps fear prevented learners from admitting they did not understand.
Great teaching is not a competition to see which teacher can say the most.
It is the ability to make learning happen.
The best teachers know when to speak and when to listen.
They know when to explain and when to demonstrate.
They know when to challenge and when to encourage.
They know when to correct and when to ask another question.
They know when the class is following — and when it is not.
Most importantly, they understand that knowledge locked inside the teacher’s head has little value until it reaches the learner’s mind.
That is why communication is not an extra skill for teachers.
It is the bridge between knowledge and learning.
A teacher’s words can intimidate or inspire.
They can confuse or clarify.
They can shut down curiosity or ignite it.
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They can make a learner afraid to speak — or give that learner the confidence to raise a hand and say:
“I have an idea.”
That is the classroom every teacher should strive to create.
By Hillary Muhalya
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