Teachers to be efficient and effective, they are in need to be eloquent and articulate instructors. In addition, the way they set the mood in uttering words and connecting their ideas to make a point should be outstandingly interesting and engaging. Teachers do not talk in the classroom to say anything. They speak for a purpose and there are often meaningful messages that should make students think and improve their level of perceiving themselves and their environment alike.
However, what is not recommended from teachers in the classroom is lecturing. Teachers should not play a role of a lecturer. They should avoid lecturing as much as possible. In fact, lecturing that goes beyond the rationale of teaching must be discouraged and disheartened and even banned in some instances in the arena of teaching. Teachers are required to talk less and provide more opportunities for students to do the talking where teachers facilitate, manage and adjust the talking.
As a matter of fact, there are many ways that teachers can follow to make students talk and express themselves willingly. One of these ways is called ELICITATION. According to Oxford Dictionary, new edition, “to elicit means to evoke or draw out (a response, answer, or fact) from someone in reaction to one’s own actions or questions.” In the kingdom of teaching, ELICITATION is a skill that teacher should have. He usually uses it to discreetly gather information starting a conversation with a specific purpose.
Such conversation aims at collecting information that is not readily available and do so without raising suspicion that specific facts are being sought. It is usually non-threatening, easy to disguise, deniable, and effective. In the world of teaching, the teacher as the elicitator provokes a topic using simple to average to more complex statements following the student’s state of mind and his readiness to engage.
Teachers will make a lot of back and forth in order to urge students in recalling and checking their knowledge about the topic. Meanwhile teacher links the known with the unknown to help students shape an idea about the topic while teasing their imagination to predict and prepare for what is coming next. Such technique makes learning memorable as learners can link new and old information. The conversation that the teacher starts with all students jumping from one student to another can help produce a dynamic and stimulating environment.
However, such conversation to succeed must stay focused through simple statement and easy instructions. Moreover, teacher should keep students on their toes and never let the conversation down till he draws every information needed to enrich and empower the spirit of the topic that would take the students with their mind to the next level.
Finally, while elicitation as a technique of teaching is proven to be effective through simple and easy conversation about a specific topic, using visuals like pictures and silent short clips to elicit information from students and understand their state of mind is also considered stunningly powerful and fulfilling.
Rabahi Yazid M.ED.
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