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