Let's Talk About Oral Communication: Tips for Turning Disagreements into Civilized Debates

Is Oral Communication Really All That Important?

Differencebetween.info (2017). Debating [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2zSABSk

Yes, because oral communication is arguably the most frequently used literary mode of communication. We do a lot of listening and speaking for the majority of our daily lives. This does not end in social contexts, because we also do a fair bit of talking directly to ourselves, in our heads! For example, we do this when we organize our thoughts before and as we write and of course we also use that little voice in our head when we silently read. We also constantly take in stimuli from our environment, as the listening gates of our ears always remain open. Additionally, we sometimes passively capture various sounds and we can also activate our best listening skills when we really need to.

How to Strengthen Our Speaking and Listening Skills

I believe that in order to be able to read, write and critically evaluate media literacy, effective oral communication abilities should be developed. By doing so, the little voice in our head can help us to better organize our thoughts when writing them out on paper, read effectively and undoubtedly communicate well orally by listening and speaking. A great resource to highlight this is the Government of Canada's "Oral Communication Tip Sheet". There are various tips and exercises recommended for strengthening oral communication skills. Below are some tips that can help readers get started:

Government of Canada (2015, September 09). Tips for Oral Communication [Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2hDVpmc

Implications For a Sound Literacy Foundation

Students can benefit their literacy learning by practicing their oral communication skills. To do this, they should be aware of and have opportunities to involve themselves in situations that can challenge aspects of their oral communication skills. In this blog, I will discuss a few of the many situations involving both speaking and listening that can help strengthen the students' skills. Specifically, I will discuss how important it is for students to understand how to participate in and achieve cordial discussions of their disagreements between one another. Lastly, I will discuss how using structured debates in classes can help put those proper disagreement skills into real-life contexts.

Learning How to Disagree with Dignity

via GIPHY
Disagreements can get ugly. Especially when they are concerned with touchy and personal topics. I would like to direct your attention to this hilarious clip from the popular 90s sitcom Friends. Here, Ross and Phoebe seem to be at their wit's end due to the fact that Phoebe does not believe in the theory of evolution. This is a particularly personal subject for Ross because he happens to practice Paleontology for a living. Take a look and see what not to do when having an argument!

Did you notice the bad examples? There were rude facial and body language gestures at times and also impolite comments like, "how can you not believe in evolution?" and "why do you have an obsessive need for everyone to agree with you?". There is an excellent podcast that Ross and Phoebe might have benefited from in their situation and it is titled, “How to Tactfully Disagree with Someone”. The podcast was created by Lisa B. Marshall and she informs listeners about the practical tips that influence effective communication. Marshall talks about how we can have respectful and cautious conversations that address differing points of view. Examples to use are, “can you tell me why you think that way?” instead of, “you make no sense” or, “help me to understand your point” instead of, “I totally disagree with you”. This aligns with the Ontario Language Curriculum that states oral communication generally, “…focuses on the identification and development of the skills and strategies effective listeners and speakers use to understand and interact with others”. Helping junior and intermediate students practice these valuable tips in real-life contexts can be done through debating.

Applying Tips on How to Disagree with Dignity to Civilized Debating in a Classroom

Differencebetween.info (2017). Debating [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2zSABSk

In the article "Debate: Where Speaking and Listening Come First" by Dee Burek and Carol Losos, the authors discuss the many advantages of structured class debates in middle school classrooms. They argue that debates promote critical thinking and research skills as students gather evidence to support their arguments against each other on various hot topics. More importantly, debates help improve both listening and speaking skills because they foster advanced modes and opportunities for self-expression. The curriculum also states that, "[students] become aware of the many purposes for which language is used and the diverse forms it can take to appropriately serve particular purposes and audiences. They learn to use the formal language appropriate for debates...". Using the tips from Marshall's podcast can really help students begin debates with a virtuous foundation when arguing. These skills are also absolutely transferable to other aspects of students' lives both inside and outside of the classroom!

Write First and Worry Later: Teaching Students to Create Meaningful Writing

Traditional Approaches to Writing

Rennett Stowe (2008, October 30). Tapping a Pencil [Photo]. Retrieved fromhttp://bit.ly/2yyO9D2

When I was a student in elementary and high school, many of the teachers I had really emphasized the rules and conventions of writing significantly more than the ideas or the processes of writing. For the 21st-Century learner, the focus on maintaining perfect writing conventions could be overwhelming. Teachers are now concentrating on the skills students utilize in order to create meaningful learning with writing, such as finding and expressing their identities and voices. Teachers are therefore stepping away from wanting perfection and this has great implications for writing. In this post, I will be exploring resources that advocate for student engagement and originality in writing. Additionally, the resources I explore will highlight the benefits to students that produce purposeful rather than perfect written pieces.


via GIPHY

EduGains (2012, March). [Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2zykGt8

Writing to Learn as Opposed to Learning to Write

An excellent resource from Edugains titled "Writing to Learn" discusses how instead of 'Learning to Write' properly, students should be 'Writing to Learn'. Tips on how to make 'Writing to Learn' engaging are seen in the image. Additionally, the Ontario Curriculum for Language states, "writing activities that students see as meaningful and that challenge them to think creatively about topics and concerns of interest to them will lead to a fuller and more lasting command of the essential skills of writing". This article describes the very particular phenomenon of how teachers have had a strict and narrow lens when making sure their students were learning how to write by always checking for the use of perfect writing conventions. The article further explains that with recent realizations, teachers can actually stump purposeful student writing by putting too great of an emphasis on writing conventions. Consequently, that takes the student's attention away from creating meaningful written pieces where they can truly explore and even reflect on their own thinking.

A key point for teachers to take away from this resource would be to inspire creativity and look for the quality of students' ideas as opposed to their writing mechanics. An activity that I believe would be a great way of modelling 'Writing to Learn' in a classroom is the 'Exit Slip' strategy. This strategy is an open-ended writing activity given at the end of a lesson. The purpose of this activity is to allow student contribution to and reflection of a lesson. I must note, the article boldly states that during these activities, "don't edit. Don't waste valuable thinking time correcting spelling or grammar". That statement might be a hard pill to swallow for those that went through the traditional language arts curriculum. I will further explain how this 21st-Century learning approach can be easily modelled and how it will be beneficial to student writing entirely.

21st-Century Learning and Meaningful Writing 

Gage Jeter further elaborates on meaningful writing techniques and relates it to 21st-Century classrooms in his article titled, “Fostering "good" writers: Making writing meaningful. Voices from the Middle”. Jeter’s article aligns with this perspective because it highlights how meaningful and powerful writing is as a tool once you disconnect from the fear of having the perfect written piece. The author provides useful examples for educators that may help with the integration of familiar and meaningful materials into literacy lessons. Examples include using newspaper articles, social media and political speeches.

Using Social Media as a Writing Strategy

Joy Kirr (2017 October 4).  [Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2zka5kC

One of Jeter's examples centered around using social media as a tool to stimulate student engagement and creativity in writing. Using Twitter as a platform, I uncovered an excellent and interesting resource titled, “Celebration – Author Responses!” by Joy Kirr that was written on her blog “My Own Genius Hour”. In her blog post, Joy shares a successful activity that her class accomplished. Mrs. Kirr had asked her students to write a letter with comments and questions to the authors of the books that they were currently reading. Joy then Tweeted these letters out and soon the authors began to reply. The activity was a huge success! Several Ontario Language Curriculum expectations are met with this example. According to the curriculum, letter writing is introduced in Grade 4 and this activity would be great to incorporate into the junior classroom. Additionally, students need to write letters with respect to the intended audience or reader. This focuses in on the first overall curriculum expectation for writing that states, “…organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience”. This activity is a wonderful way to engage fearless and purposeful writing for students in modern classrooms.

As a pre-service teacher, I stand behind this transitioning philosophy on writing in schools. I cannot agree with completely forgetting about writing mechanics because they are absolutely important for clear and effective communication. I do believe, however, that teaching students to get into the habit of writing fearlessly will help them become better writers and that the conventions of writing will be learned along the way eventually. So my advice to students now is to write first and worry later!

via GIPHY

Building Effective Readers by Tapping into Students' Own Identities

Alex G. Ramos (2015, September 20). Inspirational Reading Quote [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2hXltso

Reading Paves the Road to Limitless Literacy

When I was recently asked the question, “What is literacy?” the first thought that popped into my mind was the ability to read effectively. As I will reveal in my blog with a series of posts, literacy learning is much more than just the ability to read. Components of literacy come in forms of media literacy, reading, writing and oral communication. Reading is still, however, a fundamental aspect of embodying true literacy. I believe that the ability to read and soak up knowledge empowers students and inspires their imagination and curiosity. I also strongly agree with the wonderful quote by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis that states, “there are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world, love of books is the best of all”!

Pindelski (2010, April 4). iPad Reading [Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2yHmxKx

In this post I will be exploring how building excellent reading skills can be mastered using several key reading strategies. I will discuss how the strategies can be implemented by teachers through digital platforms to accommodate 21st-Century Learning. I will also discuss how vital it is that students find their identities and voices through reading. This helps students connect their lives and build deeper, more meaningful learning. Lastly, I will mention that if students can adapt to these objectives, they can maximize their reading experiences.

Reading Strategies Through Digital Platforms that Cement Reading Skills

Styslinger, Walker, Lenker (2014). GoogleDocs [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2irPjcx

The Ontario Curriculum states that reading is made up of, "comprehension strategies [that] include predicting, visualizing, questioning, drawing inferences, identifying main ideas, summarizing, and monitoring and revising comprehension". In the modern classroom, teachers are actively integrating technology to assist students' learning goals while meeting curriculum expectations. In Styslinger, Walker and Lenker's article titled, “Beyond the Sticky Note and Venn Diagram: Comprehension Strategies for 21st-Century Schools”, the authors provide a practical review of three digital literacy learning avenues used to demonstrate summarizing, visualizing and questioning strategies. One example the article explores is using Google Docs on iPads or Chromebooks to promote the questioning process when reading. Students can collaborate and share their questions and opinions on the Google Docs platform. This process encourages students to slow-down, pay attention and clarify parts of text, which leads to a greater understanding of the reading. This article is an excellent resource for teachers because it provides in-depth explanations of the technologies and programs we can use, shifting towards modern classrooms. Since I am in a junior-intermediate classroom, I would definitely introduce engaging programs like these. Students will thus get to master and continue using them throughout the grades as curriculum expectations intensify.

Helping Students Find Their Voice and Identity Through Reading

Jim Burke (2006, October 25). Reading Questions Students Should Ask to Find Their Identity in Reading [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2yHvSlP

Finding meaning when reading can sometimes be challenging. If students can express their opinions and take control of their learning through their own interests, they can connect reading to their lives and facilitate deeper understanding while creating purpose. The curriculum dictates that, "students may analyse, synthesize, make connections, evaluate, and use other critical and creative thinking skills to achieve a deeper understanding of the material they have read". An EduGains article containing direct implications to the curriculum titled, "Connecting Students' lives to Learning", provides an excellent perspective on the idea of encouraging students to connect their lives to learning while inviting their unique identities and voices into the classroom. Several questions that the reader may ask to achieve this are outlined in the image. The article is research-based and provides many more examples for teachers to use in a classroom, which is very beneficial when planning lessons for the language curriculum.

As teachers, I believe that preparing students to ask the right questions while connecting with their own lives will encourage a sense of belonging and respect for theirs and others' abilities. Questions that promote self-discovery that I'd like students asking themselves in my classroom would be, "who am I as I read this text?" and "how does this text relate to what I have read and studied before?".

Putting It All Together: Reading Strategies and Student Identity for Meaningful Reading

If students can capitalize on modelling reading strategies to develop sound skills while finding their sense of belonging and identity through reading, they will embody strong reading skills. These reading skills are built with the intention of increasing text comprehension and contributing to an overall solid literacy foundation. Teachers hold a responsibility to use 21st-Century classroom tools to facilitate deep and meaningful literacy learning. Lastly, another facet of the Ontario Curriculum states that, “reading experiences that invite students to discover new worlds and new experiences and to develop their imaginative powers will go a long way towards convincing them that reading can be a rich source of pleasure and knowledge”. Capturing students' imagination and creativity will be a goal of mine each time I present my students with reading activities!

Doug DeLong (2016). Book With Pages as Hearts [Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2z01TXk