Oral Communication: Listening To Students

"Through talk, students not only communicate information but also explore and come to understand ideas and concepts; identify and solve problems; organize their experience and knowledge; express and clarify their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Listening and speaking skills are essential for social interaction at home, at school, and in the community."    - The Ontario Curriculum: Language

The Oral Communication Strand
The Oral Communication strand has three overall expectations, which are outlined in The Ontario Curriculum. These three expectations are listed in the picture to the right. I find that this strand of the curriculum is extremely important as these expectations should also be met by teachers. It is important for students to meet these expectations and teachers can ensure this by harnessing their own oral communication skills.

Talk Nerdy To Me
A resource that I found extremely helpful is a TedTalk by Melissa Marshall called Talk Nerdy To Me. The focus of this TedTalk is communication and the need for great communication to teach students. One of the issues that Melissa talks about is the use of jargon. When teaching students, it is important to avoid jargon that they are not familiar with. Even if you have a student's full attention, they won't be able to understand you and respond appropriately.

Examples, stories, and analogies are ways to excite students. Let them learn through experiences and apply concepts to real world situations. Student's want to have fun in class, so let them talk about their experiences and give them an opportunity to address course concepts through personal stories.

Why Should We Listen To Student?
Listening to students allows them to open up. As Victor Rios points out in his TedTalk, we need to change the way we label young people from "at risk" to "at promise". Every child has the potential to change and promise to learn. "Students are like oysters. They open up when they are ready. If teachers aren't there when they are ready, they close back up". Oral communication is a skill that students have been developing for a long time. Teachers need to listen to what they have to say, pinpoint the interest of students and use oral communication as a gateway to learning the curriculum and life skills.

Debates in the Classroom:
Debates are not part of The Ontario Curriculum. In Debate: Where Speaking and Listening Come First, Dee Burek and Carol Losos point out that because debating can't be written down and graded, some schools will not allow time for it. Debating, however, is an excellent way to get students communicating ideas, opinions, and resources. It requires argumentation and refutation, skills that are not developed through classroom discussion.

Giving students the option to debate about something that interests them goes beyond developing their oral communication. It gives them the opportunity to explore resources, organize their ideas, form an appropriate perspective and address a specific audience. It is an activity that primarily focuses on oral communication, but requires skills that are addressed in the Reading, Writing, and Media Literacy Strand.

Overlapping Curriculum Strands
As I have looked at each strand within The Ontario Curriculum, I have become more aware of what each strand entails. I have noticed that while expectations differ within each strand, lessons can be made that tackle more than one strand. What we teach may be set in stone, but how we teach it is up to us as teachers. Creating fun and engaging activities that grab the attention of students is our goal as teachers. Students want their voice heard and oral communication is one way that students can get involved in the classroom while meeting expectations in several strands of the language curriculum of Ontario.

From Pencils to E-mails: The 21st Century Writer

The Importance of Writing
Technology advancements continue to shape how we live our lives and communicate with one another. Writing has gone through many changes over the last few decades and takes on many forms. Whether it be an e-mail to a friend or writing an essay, writing is an important part of growth and is a necessary skill that all students need to develop.

The Writing Strand
The Writing strand has four overall expectations, which are outlined in The Ontario Curriculum. These four expectations are listed in the picture to the right. I find that these expectations align with the writing process; brainstorm, draft, edit/revise, and reflect on feedback. Within each stage, specific skills and strategies are developed within the student and need to be harnessed to write effectively.

https://goo.gl/IQ8nSi

Students of the World
The Pen Pal program has been around for a while and takes on many different forms. While I had a Pen Pal in elementary school, to whom I wrote via pencil and paper, the Pen Pal has transformed into a form of writing that is easily accessible. Students of the World is a website where students can write to other students via e-mail. This form of communication allows students to brainstorm topics, draft letters and talk to students almost immediately. Writing to a Pen Pal not only addresses the Writing strand, it also incorporates the Reading strand and Media Literacy strand I discussed in previous posts. Taking a curriculum expectation and applying it to the real world is the best way to engage students!

Writing Takes on Many Forms

https://goo.gl/l8NK7m

Writing is not the same as it was in the beginning of the 20th Century. Only recently have we been able to communicate through a various forms. Some of these forms include advertisements, letters, newspaper articles, online blogs, e-mails, and many other forms of social media. Students in the 21st Century have been exposed to writing from a very young age and have developed skills that teachers need to acknowledge and use. Looking back at the Overall Expectations of Writing outlined above, this strand of writing can be developed using a multitude of forms and teachers need to be aware of this opportunity.

https://goo.gl/olcXWB

Writing In the 21st Century
For many students, writing has always been thought of as a strenuous task. Sitting down and writing a four-page paper may be an effective way for some students to explore a topic or explain their thoughts, but many students have struggled with this task and continue to struggle. I'm not saying that it shouldn't be expected of students write this way, but allowing them to explore different opportunities will help them to develop fundamental skills. Within my placement, I have been lucky enough to see my teacher explore many forms of writing. Allowing students to develop writing skills while enjoying the process is far more effective than having them write an essay where they may struggle with length, organization and overall fluidity.

https://goo.gl/btWvfV

How Can I Help Students Develop a Strong Vocabulary?
As I become more involved in my placement, I want to ensure that I am helping students develop their writing skills. Throughout my program and in my placement school, the Word Wall has been a strategy discussed and I feel is extremely helpful to students. Allowing students to look a list of words can help them develop their word choice, which is a specific expectation present in every grade's curriculum. Reading is another way that students can develop their vocabulary. Giving students the opportunity to explore different books is a great way to expose them to new words.


"You can make anything by writing" - C.S. Lewis

Reading

"The Ontario curriculum focuses on developing the knowledge and skills that will enable students to become effective readers. An effective reader is one who not only grasps the ideas communicated in a text but is able to apply them in new contexts."

The Ontario Curriculum, page 10

Reading Between the Lines

The second strand of language and literacy that we have looked at in class is Reading. We were asked to look at a few educational ministry resources to get an idea of what this strand entails. Reading goes beyond the ability to recite words presented to us. It requires an understanding of the text and an ability to notice distinct features within variety of texts.

Reading Expectations

Much like the Media Literary strand, the Reading strand has four overall expectations and are outlined in The Ontario Curriculum. These four expectations are listed in this picture. While these expectations share similarities to the Media Literacy strand, they are geared towards Reading. As these expectations outline, Reading requires an understanding of multiple texts and prior knowledge to help with fluidity and understanding.


All Students Can Learn
One of the resources I explored is called All Students Can Learn. This video, along with several others, focuses on the testing of Grade 3, 6, 9 and 10 through EQAO. This video in particular discusses the relationship between a student success and their socio-economic status.

The research given in this video argues that and individual's socio-economic status may aid in a student's success, but it is not the driving factor or determinant. This video also discusses how teachers need to have a flexible "outreach" mindset and that we need to be sensitive to "differentiated characteristics of the students and families we serve".

A teacher will never have a class of cookie-cutter students and must know how to approach teaching while including all students. Due to their socio-economic background, some students may not be able to purchase a tablet or new laptop. Teachers need to be aware of this situation and make sure that while technology can be an extremely effective tool to teach with, some students do not have that luxury.

Beyond the Sticky Note and Venn Diagram
The article Beyond the Sticky Note and Venn Diagram discusses the role of technology within the classroom in more depth. It discusses the use of "out of school" literacies, which involve new technologies and the ways in which we can integrate them in the school curriculum. There is a seemingly endless amount of applications and online activities that students can use to learn with and teachers can use to teach with. With a growing interest in these applications, teaching needs to step away from the strategies that were used years ago and step towards strategies that incorporate these new technologies and engage students with learning.


Examples of "out of school literacies" associated with 21st Century comprehension:

Cube Creator

Printing Press

Trading Cards

EQAO and The Venn Diagram 
Both of the articles mentioned above tie into the Reading Strand in The Ontario Curriculum. Reading is an important skill that needs to be developed as a student and plays a crucial role in life. Reading takes on many different forms, such as seeing an advertisement, reading a book, and using social media.

As mentioned in the EQAO article, success is not determined by a students socio-economic status, income of their family, or education of their parents. Reading falls under this category as all students can learn to read regardless of any other factors previously mentioned. The other article that talked about "out of school literacies" also ties into the reading strand as it argues that online space has the potential to empower students to become active participants in their learning process. Reading is everywhere and social media is no exception. If students are interested in online articles and educational contents as opposed to a physical book or newspaper, they should be given the option to read online.

Reading in My Placement

My teaching placement takes place in a rotary Grade 8 class. Between two Grade 8 classes, I have been exposed to teaching math and social sciences. Within both of these subjects, reading plays an important role as it is the primary form of communication. Whether my associate teacher posts the assignments online or hands out notes on a piece of paper, students are required to read. Word problems within math are a central to some of the tests that I have seen. As I have watched students write these tests, I notice that they focus in on specific numbers and words. While math specifically focuses on the relationship between numbers, reading is still a skill necessary to solve problems. A fun way to teach math is through word problems as a teacher can create a problem that relates to students. They can use sports, politics, or any other area of interest that engages the students and challenges them through a mathematically centered word problem.

   

  

Student Learning Math

Media Literacy: Social Media in Schools

What is "Media Literacy"?
The first strand of language and literacy that we have looked at in class is Media Literacy. We were asked to look at various educational blogs and resources that pertain to media studies. Media is an important aspect of learning and is outlined in The Ontario Curriculum. As noted in this document, media literacy is the result of study of the art and messaging of various forms of media texts. Media literacy explores the influence of mass media and how various forms of media have an impact on a learning experience.

Media Literacy Expectations

As discussed previously, media literacy is an important part of The Ontario Curriculum and has four overall expectations, which is shown in the picture to the left. These expectations alongside the media literacy strand aim to help students develop necessary skills used to understand, create and interpret media texts.


Social Media in Schools
Social Media in Schools by Vicki Davis is a an online article I read that discusses the movement towards social media in the 21st century and the beneficial role it can have in elementary schools. One of the focuses within this article is the role of parents and how they have become increasingly distanced from their child's education due to various reasons such as their careers. This resource sets social media up to be a way of connecting and learning where parents can interact and communicate with their child's school and education. Social media aligns with the media literacy strand of learning and can contribute to the expectations associated with this strand provided above. It goes beyond these expectations, however. Social media allows students to take their learning outside the classroom setting. Phones have become so advanced that they can virtually do anything a laptop can. It allows students to connect to educational material and relate it to real world problems and events, making the learning process not only effective but engaging and interesting.

Using Social Media in the Classroom: A Best Practice Guide
In Using Social Media in the Classroom: A Best Practice Guide, Megan Poore discusses the transition between "Traditional Media" and "Social Media". One of the important features that differ between these two types of media is the level of interaction. Traditional media consists of a 'one-to-many' delivery method where information is transferred from a producer to a consumer. Poore explains that examples of this type of media include newspapers, books, television, and magazines. Poore argues that social media challenges this concept and can be thought of as "networked media". This type of media allows immediate interaction and commentary between both the consumer and producer. The Social Media in Schools article discusses the need for parental involvement within schools. This book intertwine with this article as it helps redefine social media as a means of communication and elaboration.

Media Literacy, Teaching and the Role of Parents

In my placement classroom, there is a Bring Your Own Device policy in place. My associate teacher is very savvy with technology and finds an opportunity to use technology in every lesson. The Smart Board is used on a daily basis, but several projects and assignments are developed through some form of technology. Students not only communicate with each other in the classroom, they communicate with other classes of the same grade level. My associate teacher has also made an effort to involve parents with education and makes sure that every parent understands what is being taught in the classroom and sends them any important information regarding their children. Without social media, this task would be extremely difficult and might not be possible for some parents.

My Goals with Social Media

Having read the article by Vicki Davis along with some passages from Megan Poore's book, I understand social media to be a productive tool that allows students to have fun and be engaged while learning. Much like many of the courses I am currently taking, Blogger is an effective way to communicate ideas and learning experiences. Blogs allow students to write about experiences and knowledge they've gained while reading and commenting on their peer's blogs. Parents can also view these blogs and see their child's learning process in effect. Twitter is another way students can learn trough socializing and can be accessed by both parents and teachers. Twitter and Blogger are two dominant forms of social media in today's technology world and can help teach students about their Digital Citizenship, how social media can be an effective tool to learning if used appropriately, and how learning and education transcends past the traditional views of media.