Listening, a Key Concept in Oral Communication

Oral Communication

When first looking at the topic of oral communication I immediately think of public speaking. Oral communication to me is being able to talk to your peers to communicate your thoughts or present your ideas. How well you can speak about a topic is not the only part of oral communication and may not even be the most important. Being an engaged listener is also part of oral communication that for me goes unnoticed a majority of the time. By being engaged and listening to the presentation of information we are using our oral communication skills to learn a new idea. From researching the oral communication strand I was surprised at the emphasis that was put on listening and how much the students can learn from listening to their peers.

Listening

Being a good listener does not only help the student become more liked by the teacher. By being an active listener in class the student can draw upon multiple aspects of the literacy curriculum to improve their own learning. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are all interconnected to help the student learn. By listening to the presentation students will learn of different ways to become a better speaker or writer by hearing someone else present their information. Students that listen also show that they are interested in the topic. If a student is interested in the topic they will be able to answer the question in more than one way. The interest that a student has in a subject will impact if they will be an active listener and become a better learner. Listening is a core part of the literacy curriculum and to find out more about the benefits that listening has for students the government has published multiple documents to help teachers and parents. One of the documents is Let's Talk About Listening. In this document not only are the benefits of listening listed but also ways to increase it in your classroom.

How to create a Listening environment

Creating a classroom where students are being attentive or active listeners will be a core component to a classroom in where I am teaching. I want the students not only to be paying attention to the person that is presenting but also be able to learn from what they are presenting about. With this idea in mind I found a short video with an ice breaker on how to teach active listening. This concept introduces the students to one another but also helps them engage their listening skills to improve their oral communication and other aspects of literacy.

While the ice breaker can help me teach students about active listening it is not a physical object that the students can refer to everyday. In addition to the ice breaker I would also use an anchor chart that students can use as a reference to what an active listener does and looks like.

retrieved from: 10 skills for active listening 

These two ideas will help teach the students listening skills that they can use to help them improve in all facets of their literacy knowledge. Being an active listener will allow the students to better understand the writing, the information that is being conveyed and can help them improve their own communication skills. Not only is oral communication about how well a student can speak and present to the class, it is also about how well they can listen and what they can learn from being an engaged listener. 

An Introduction to Story Structure

The Use of Story Structure

            Writing a story is an integral part of an elementary school literacy curriculum. Students are expected to be able to convey a story that touches upon all component of a story beginning, middle, end etc.) during their literacy course. As a student teacher in a grade 6 classroom I was able to view first hand students writing a narrative story. The students were told what needed to be included in their story through the use of a rubric that they could refer to. The rubric stated what the teacher was looking for in the story but not specifically how to write a story. In this instance I felt a story structure diagram or video could have been used to help the students in their writing.

What is a story Structure Diagram?

            A story structure diagram breaks down what is to be included in a story into smaller segments that are able to be understood. Story diagrams do not just state that there should be a beginning, middle and end, but also what components should be included in each segment. What should be included in these segments can include, a theme is presented, characters developed, conflict arising and solution to the conflict. Below is a video that goes in depth into the parts of a story structure. The video outlines key components that students should focus on when writing their story.

retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54l835una7A&list=PL92B3E146AB7D132F

Story Structure in the Classroom

            While a video can not be played continuously for students to refer back to that does not mean a story structure diagram can not be posted in the classroom. A diagram such as the one shown, could be hung in the classroom and left for a long period of time. Students would then be able to quickly glance at this structure and view what they are missing or if they need to add anything to their story.

 

retrieved from: http://fandelyon.com/the-craft/novel-structure/

How I would use it in the Classroom

            As a teacher I can view this resource as being extremely helpful for all students. Students while writing can use this a resource. Not only while they are writing by while doing peer editing can this resource be used. Peer editing is a valuable skill to learn in the writing field as it shows the student things that they may be missing in their own work. It also exposes them to different forms of writing that can help them improve their own. While peer editing the students can use this diagram to show them what to look for in their peer’s work.

Story Structure Within the Curriculum

            The story structure diagram can help teachers evaluate the students completing expectations set out by the Ontario government. Two overall expectations that the story diagrams can help students be successful in are:

1.      Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience

2.      Use editing proofreading and publishing skills and strategies and knowledge of langue conventions to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively

Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2foiirw

These expectations can be met when students are able to use the diagram to help them. Students can use the diagram to help them organize ideas and write for a purpose. If students do not know what they are writing about or for then they will not be able to be successful. Lastly students are able to complete the expectation of using proofreading to present their work effectively. Not only will they be able to proofread their peer’s wok better but will also be able to proofread their own work to present it more effectively.

            Story structure and its use in the classroom can be a pat of the success the student can have in the writing strand of the literacy curriculum. The students will be able to use this diagram not only to improve their own writing but can use it as a reference as they proofread their work as well as others.

The Four Reading Roles

           

retrieved from: http://www2.palomar.edu/pages/reading/

Many students in elementary school read without understanding the text. When I was in elementary school I was one of those students. I would read the text in front me as fast as I could with barely picking up information or key words. I would then finish the reading and try to answer questions only to realize that I had to go and re-read the text to find the information I was looking for. While I do not remember the reading roles that are now a significant part for understanding the reading process, they would have helped me enhance my reading skills and comprehension of the texts.

What are Reading Roles?

            Reading Roles consist of four different categories. The four categories, code breaker, meaning maker, text user, and text analysis, all contribute to a readers understanding of the text. The different roles are assigned to four students who then work as a group to break down the text in regards to their specific role. For a deeper understanding of the roles, my read, explains how the readers can be successful through using the roles. The roles help the students examine the text for specific criteria that can help them better understand the information. The reading roles also allow students to work in a group setting and gain different perspectives from the multiple members in their group. The following image breaks down what some expectations of each role is. If all students complete the roles, then they will have a significant understanding of the information.

retrieved from: http://barefootliteracy.weebly.com/the-four-resources-model.html

The Importance of Reading Roles

            Reading roles can play an integral role in a students understanding of literary text. Reading with roles gives the students an idea to focus on while reading. The roles also help students make connections to other texts or other readings that they have done in the past. Reading roles gives students a chance to work with their peers and use collaboration. While students may be afraid to speak up and ask the teacher for help in fear of being wrong the reading role groups can help the students deconstruct the reading and find the meaning on their own.  

  

How to use Reading Roles

            Reading roles can be integrated into any classroom where reading is present. The roles can be assigned by the teacher or by students which allows for choice. If the teacher is assigning the roles they can assign roles to identify student’s strengths or to help students work on their reading weakness. The roles can also create class discussion whether in between groups or a larger full class discussion. For more information on how to use the reading roles in class use edutopia for further ideas. This website contains many articles on how to use different teaching resources in the classroom. This specific article examines specifically the four reading roles in the classroom.

Reading and the Curriculum

            The reading roles also help the students achieve the overall expectations of the reading curriculum. The students will better be able to understand a variety of texts using a range of strategies to construct meaning. The students can take turns in each role which would help them better understand the texts using different strategies. The students will also use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently. The student who is the code breaker will use their prior knowledge to read the text fluently and decipher new texts. This specific role will help the students read fluently by identifying words that are new. The reading roles are not only useful for helping the students understand the text by also achieve expectations set out by the Ontario curriculum.

            To enhance the reading of all students, teachers should look for any resources that they can access. Reading Roles can be implemented in a variety of grades. The connections that students make to other words or readings should improve as they age. The roles will help all students create a better understanding of the text. Reading role will also help the students read for meaning as they are trying to understand the text instead of just skimming through the information looking for the answers to questions. Reading roles can and should be brought into classrooms to create a better understanding of reading in elementary students. 

Use of Media in Elementary Classrooms

            In elementary schools today, technology has become an essential part of the learning experience. On my first day of placement I was surprised to see the students sharing laptops or iPads as they completed their assigned work. I couldn’t help to think back to when I was in elementary school and the lack of electronics that we had access to. The times have changed since then and so has the curriculum in the schools. Students are now encouraged to use the technology, and more specifically social media to extend their learning capacity.

Social Media in the Classroom       

            Social media can be a great enhancement to a lesson if it is used in the proper way. Below is a video I found that demonstrates the positive use of social media in the classroom. In the video it is a grade one a two classroom that is using social media. The results that these students receive from the use of social media in the classroom is an example as why it is necessary to use media aids in the classroom.

TVO Parents (May 21, 2013). Using Social Media in The Classroom (Video). retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riZStaz8Rno

Safe Social Media

            The regulation of social media and any form of technology in the schools can be hard for the teacher or principle. When I was attending elementary and high schools cell phones or any other electronics were prohibited on the property. While we still used them teachers and other faculty members had a hard time regulating their use within the school day. The regulation of electronic devices that students bring to school has improved greatly. Parents are to sign a permission form that acknowledges the students have brought the device and also gives the faculty member permission to confiscate the device if used inappropriately.

St. Luke Personal Device Policy

This hyperlink is an example of a bring your own device school policy in the Hamilton catholic board. It is the permission form that the parents have to sign. The form also states what is deemed as unacceptable behavior that the parents are to go over with their children before sending them with the device.

Using Social Media as a Teacher    

            As a teacher I would not only use social media to enhance the students learning but also as a communication tool. Social media is a great way to connect with people around the world but also with people that you may not see or talk to every day. Using social media in my classroom would be a great way to connect to parents to inform them of upcoming events but also would allow myself to provide them updates about what is ongoing in the classroom. It is a chance to share the work that the students are completing as well as the progress that they are making throughout the school year. Here is a list of ways that I would possibly use Social media in the classroom.

(May 22 2104). "School Media." Photograph.
  Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2dJMkHY

Connect to other classrooms          

Create a class blog that parents can access            

Post status updates as a class

Research

Social Media and the Curriculum

            Media Literacy is one of the identified strands in the literacy section of the Ontario elementary school curriculum. Media literacy is not identifying individual words based on the spelling, instead it focuses on the construction of meaning through images graphics, sounds and/or words. Social Media is an excellent way to teach students about the media literacy strand. Social media allows students to interact with each other around the world using images, words, voice clips and much more. Through the interaction on social media students will be exposed to a plentiful amount of different media that all aim to get a specific point across. The student’s ability to interpret the media text is an expectation of the media literacy strand and is something that can be gained through the use of social media in the classroom.

            The use of social media in the classroom has become an integral part of a student’s education. With technology at their fingertips we should continue to encourage the use of social media in the classroom. If social media is being used for appropriate reasons and teach the language curriculum it is great and necessary resource.