Oral Communication

Oral communication is an essential aspect of literacy, as it allows students to express their thoughts and ideas with others. Providing students with opportunities to explain what they know to their peers, teachers and parents.

Stage Fright? Fear Not.

From personal experience during my own education, as well as during my placement opportunities, oral communication can be a problematic strand of literacy for students to excel in the classroom. Fear can be associated with underachievement in these areas, as some students' "stage fright" can consume their thoughts and voice during presentations, class discussions and other forms of oral communication. Joe Kowan tells his story about his overcoming of stage fright during a TedTalk presentation. He explains the fear he felt when presenting for others, but also his strategy for conquering this fear.

Joe explains how admitting you are scared can help you overcome the fears you have when public speaking. Through a song and performance, Joe surpasses his nervous emotions and can present in front of a variety of audiences. Using this video as a guide and other similar TedTalks, teachers need to provide students with the opportunity to have fun, express themselves and overcome this rationally irrational fear.

Incorporating oral communication into the classroom through artistic forms, such as Dramatic Arts or Music, can provide students an opportunity to express their thoughts, emotions and experiences in an open and exhilarating way. When teachers put less emphasis on public speaking and more emphasis on expression, students will have more fun with the use of oral communication in the classroom curriculum. In addition to self-confidence, The Novak Djokovic Foundation highlights how the use of drama in the classroom can promote student literacy and achievement. Involving students in dramatic arts can have positive and lasting impacts on student literacy achievement, academic success and social interactions.

Student Should Take the Lead

Oral communication is about voicing personal thoughts, beliefs and experiences, however, students should have an output for these elements. Allowing students to guide and take responsibility for their learning, engages and promote literacy in their education. Sharon Cromwell highlights her beliefs about Student-Led Conferences through her article, explaining the importance of using these conferences to instill responsibility in students and develop oral communication skills. Student-Led Conferences invite students to guide the discussions they would like to have during conferences with both their teachers and parents. These conferences can be done in replacement of or in addition to Parent-Teacher conferences.

To have Student-Led conferences in the classroom, teachers must provide students with the criteria that need to be discussed throughout a conference. Through the use of conference assessment tools and resources, students can develop their ideas and voice them through an engaging and interactive method. In connection with the curriculum, students will meet expectations involving the use of speaking skills and strategies.

Let's Talk

An amazing activity that should be incorporated into every classroom is Table Topics, which are different prompts that ask students to think on the spot and have discussions. There are a variety of ways Table Topics can be incorporated into the classroom, inviting students to speak individually about a topic or asking students to have a group discussion about a topic. Through the use of these topics, students can evaluate their oral communicate, in addition to the oral communication of others.