TEACH SPEAKING
Exceed the Listening and Speaking Standards
Exceed the Listening and Speaking Standards
"Your work is amazing. Our colleagues are inspired. Thank you! "
Chris, Head of Upper Elementary School
"While you are a terrific speaker, I think your most fine tuned communication ability is listening. You understood what we needed and then built an informative, entertaining, "spot-on" presentation for us."
Janelle, Professor of English
A thank you from a 4th grade student:
An endorsement letter from a secondary school committed to improving oral communication
A thank you from a 4th grade student:
A. The Common
Core State Standards.
They include Speaking and Listening. Is your school or district offering any programs for you?
B. Finding resources.
There are over 200 books in the National Council of Teachers of English catalog: on native American literature, Shakespeare, The Great Gatsby, Amy Tan, using graphic novels, vocabulary, meter, grammar, portfolios, writing on line, preventing plagiarism, and great films. Not one book is about speaking.
There are over 200 books in the National Council of Teachers of English catalog: on native American literature, Shakespeare, The Great Gatsby, Amy Tan, using graphic novels, vocabulary, meter, grammar, portfolios, writing on line, preventing plagiarism, and great films. Not one book is about speaking.
C. Creating lessons that develop oral communication skills.
There are no classes in teacher education
programs on how to teach speaking skills. It is never a topic on any
inservice days either.
Comments from Baltimore:
"Erik was a fantastic speaker. I am enriched by it!"
"He was absolutely excellent--the best one."
"Outstanding!!
"He was absolutely excellent--the best one."
"Outstanding!!
Erik Palmer
12359 E. LaSalle Place
Aurora, CO 80014
303.745.9917
Aurora, CO 80014
303.745.9917
1. Our students have not mastered oral communication.
If you have been in a classroom, you have noticed that students don't speak very well. Class discussions, presentations, podcasts, videos, and digital storytelling suffer.
2. Every teacher has speaking activities...
Answering questions, discussions, debates, book reports, research presentations, podcasts...
3. But very few teachers specifically teach the skills needed to be effective oral communicators.
We mention eye contact and gestures, but we offer no lessons on eye contact; no lessons on emphatic hand gestures or descriptive hand gestures...
4. The vast majority of communication is oral communication.
All of life's most important communication is verbal--the job interview, the video conference, the sales call, the summation to the jury, the teacher in the classroom...
5. People who speak well are more successful in professional and social life.
Every career involves speaking. Every life offers chances for meaningful oral communication, from wedding proposals to wedding toasts to service clubs to eulogies to cocktail parties...
If you have been in a classroom, you have noticed that students don't speak very well. Class discussions, presentations, podcasts, videos, and digital storytelling suffer.
2. Every teacher has speaking activities...
Answering questions, discussions, debates, book reports, research presentations, podcasts...
3. But very few teachers specifically teach the skills needed to be effective oral communicators.
We mention eye contact and gestures, but we offer no lessons on eye contact; no lessons on emphatic hand gestures or descriptive hand gestures...
4. The vast majority of communication is oral communication.
All of life's most important communication is verbal--the job interview, the video conference, the sales call, the summation to the jury, the teacher in the classroom...
5. People who speak well are more successful in professional and social life.
Every career involves speaking. Every life offers chances for meaningful oral communication, from wedding proposals to wedding toasts to service clubs to eulogies to cocktail parties...
