TEXAS CTE LESSON PLAN

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Lesson Identification and TEKS Addressed

Career Cluster Health Science

Course Name Practicum in Health Science

Lesson/Unit Title Communication Barriers

130.233. (c) Knowledge and Skills
TEKS Student
Expectations
(2) The student applies mathematics, science, English language arts,
and social sciences in health science.
(D) The student is expected to examine the environmental
factors that affect homeostasis
(E) The student is expected to relate anatomical structure to
physiological functions
(F) The student is expected to distinguish atypical anatomy and
physiology in the human body systems

(3) The student uses verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

(B) The student is expected to demonstrate therapeutic
communication skills to provide quality care
(C) The student is expected to employ therapeutic measures to
minimize communication barriers
Basic Direct Teach Lesson
(Includes Special Education Modifications/Accommodations and
one English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) Strategy)

Upon completion of this lesson the student will be able to:

Instructional Objectives
 Understand effective communication
 Use effective listening techniques
 Use proper verbal and nonverbal communication skills
 Practice communication techniques to minimize communication
barriers seen in health care
Communication Barriers are common in the health care field. Health
Rationale professionals are expected to use effective communication techniques.
Duration of Lesson 4 hours
Word Wall/Key
Vocabulary
(ELPS c1a, c, f; c2b; c3a, b,
d; c4c; c5b) PDAS II (5)

* Special Education Modifications or Accommodations, if applicable

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Materials/Specialized  Copies of the Communication Practice activity, the scenarios, and the
Equipment Needed history and physical form
 Copies of the “Communication Barrier Brain Storming Activity”
Anticipatory Set A family member approaches you and is concerned that no one has spoken
(May include pre- to their parent about the tests and procedures which will be run tomorrow.
assessment for prior However, you have spent ten minutes explaining everything that was going
knowledge) to take place tomorrow to the patient. What seems to be the communication
problem?
I. Effective communication is essential to limit communication barriers
Direct Instruction *
A. be aware of communication filters which can distort
messages within their group:
1. Semantics
a. jargon and abstract words are
interpreted by different people in
diverse ways
b. it is always important to be precise and
explicit with words
2. Emotions (our most powerful communication filter) --
always remember: senders who are emotional or angry
are perceived differently
a. emotions can prevent receiver from hearing
what speaker has to say
b. emotional state can make listener too
susceptible to speaker’s point of view
c. it is important to detach self from emotions
and think of the verbal content of message
3. Attitudes (beliefs backed up by emotions; deeply embedded
ideas and feelings)
a. bias towards accents, ethnicity, mannerisms,
dress, demeanor, physical characteristics can
change the way we send and receive
messages
b. receiver and/or sender bias towards the values
and opinions of others can affect message
interpretation (abortion issue, religious
preference, gender orientation, political
viewpoints, social perspectives)
4. Role Expectations – sometimes people tend not to listen
when individuals talk “outside” of their expected role (mom
or dad giving academic advice; best friend who has never
had a date telling you how to treat your boy/girlfriend,
etc.). It is always best to remain open and objective.
B. Be aware of the messages you send with body language
1. eyes transmit more information than any other part of the
body

* Special Education Modifications or Accommodations, if applicable

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 2. gestures indicate whether people are open or closed to
communication, how comfortable an individual is during
given situations, who is the true leader of a group
3. individuals who agree with a speaker will mirror the
speaker’s posture or expressions, silently signaling
agreement
4. positioning oneself in a group is critical to inclusiveness;
turning your back to people in a group signals that they
aren’t included
C. Who Is Responsible For Effective Communication?
1. both the sender and the receiver share equal
responsibility for effective communication
2. communication loop is complete when the receiver
understands, feels, or behaves according to the message
of the sender; when this does not occur, the
communication process breaks down
3. receivers must provide senders with enough feedback to
ensure that an accurate message has passed through all
the filters that might alter it
D. How to Improve Group Communication
1. Send Clear Messages
a. don’t talk too fast
b. don’t be too wordy
c. be aware of filters that can distort your message
d. ask purposeful questions to make sure you
were understood
2. Use Words Carefully
a. use language that is simple and precise
b. avoid words that might be vague and/or
ambiguous
c. avoid technical or occupational jargon
3. Use Repetition
a. repetition is a valuable tool in
ensuring communication accuracy
b. use parallel channels of communication -- send
memo and follow-up with phone call
4. Use Appropriate Timing
not wise to communicate when receiver is extremely busy
5. Develop Listening Skills -- We hear, but do we listen?
a. listening is taught least, yet used the most
b. may explain why people listen at a 25%
efficiency rate in typical situations (miss about
75% of messages spoken by others!)
c. discrepancy between our rate of speaking and
our rate of hearing -- people speak
approximately 150 words per minute; listening
capacity is about 450 words per minute.
* Special Education Modifications or Accommodations, if applicable
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 Because message is usually much slower than
our capacity to listen, we have plenty of time to
let minds roam, think ahead, and plan that we
are going to say next
d. Five Signs of Poor Listening Habits:
i. thinking about something else while
waiting for speaker’s next words or
sentence
ii. listening primarily for facts rather than
ideas
iii. tuning out when talk seems to be
getting too difficult
iv. prejudging from person’s appearance
or manner that nothing interesting will
be said
v. paying attention to outside sights and
sounds when talking to someone
E. Active Listening -- process of feeding back to the speaker
what listeners think the speaker means
1. Steps towards becoming an active listener:
a. cultivate a listening attitude
i. regard person worthy of respect &
attention
ii. empathize with speaker and really
try to understand other’s
experience
iii. drop expectations of what you are
going to hear or what you would like
to hear
iv. be patient and refrain from
formulating response until speaker
has finished talking
b. focus full attention
i. establish eye contact
ii. equalize difference in height between
you and speaker
iii. maintain open body posture and lean
forward slightly
iv. continually refocus away from
distractions
2. Take notes
Taking notes ensures greater accuracy and builds speakers
confidence in your ability to remember details
3. Ask questions
ensures your own understanding of speaker’s
thoughts and feelings and helps secure additional
information

* Special Education Modifications or Accommodations, if applicable

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 4. Empathic Listening
a. avoid being judgmental
b. accept what is said -- you do not have to
agree with what is being said, but you should
let the person know you understand his or her
viewpoint
c. be patient – signs of impatience send a
negative message to the person needing
to talk
5. Common Communication Barriers
a. Anything that interferes with communication can
lead to a lack of understanding or
misinterpretation of the message.
b. Patients are often physically ill and emotionally
upset when a health care worker is attempting
to communicate with them.
c. Health care also has its own language –
“medical terminology” and patients often do
not understand medical words.
d. Patients may also have sensory
impairments that interfere with
communication.
i. Poor hearing, poor vision,
confusion, and speaking problems
ii. Aphasia – absence or impairment of
the ability to communicate through
speech, writing, or signs (stroke
patients)
e. It is the health care worker’s responsibility to
make sure that the patient understands the
information being communicated and that the
health care worker understands what the
patient is conveying.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for all special education students must be
followed. Examples of accommodations may include, but are not limited to:
NONE
Guided Practice *
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for all special education students must be
followed. Examples of accommodations may include, but are not limited to:
Independent  Complete the “Communication Practice” activity
Practice/Laboratory  Complete “Communication Barrier Brain Storming” activity
Experience/Differentiat
ed Activities *
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for all special education students must be
followed. Examples of accommodations may include, but are not limited to:

* Special Education Modifications or Accommodations, if applicable

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 NONE

Lesson Closure

Summative/End of Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for all special education students must be
Lesson Assessment * followed. Examples of accommodations may include, but are not limited to:
For reinforcement, the student will select a second scenario in Activity I to
research and fill in history and physical form.
References/Resources/
Teacher Preparation

Additional Required Components

English Language
Proficiency Standards
(ELPS) Strategies
English-Listening:
College and Career
B.1 Listen critically and respond appropriately to presentations
Readiness Connection1
B.2 Listen actively and effectively in a one-on-one communication

Recommended Strategies

Reading Strategies

Quotes
Multimedia/Visual
Strategy
Presentation Slides +
One Additional
Technology Connection
Graphic
Organizers/Handout

Writing Strategies
Journal Entries + 1
Additional Writing
Strategy

Communication

1
Visit the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards at
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/collegereadiness/CRS.pdf, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
(THECB), 2009.
* Special Education Modifications or Accommodations, if applicable
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90 Second Speech
Topics

Other Essential Lesson Components

Enrichment Activity For enrichment, the student will research modern technology on the market
(e.g., homework which can help health care workers with solutions for communication barriers.
assignment)
Family/Community
Connection

CTSO connection(s) HOSA

SkillsUSA

Service Learning
Projects

Lesson Notes

* Special Education Modifications or Accommodations, if applicable

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