Teaching Oral Communication

Photo by Eliott Renya on Unspalsh.

Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to visit my Teaching Language blog. I have written this post for teachers looking for oral communication ideas for their grades four-six classes.

What is oral communication? In the Ontario Language Curriculum (2006), the oral communication strand encompasses using speaking and listening skills to both understand and communicate. Without the ability to listen to and speak with others, students would not be able to function in the 21st century. Teachers are shaping the future through their practice.

As it is so important to teach our students to communicate well, teachers need to have resources that equip them to teach oral communication to their students.

Podcasting

Podcasts are a powerful media tool that educators can utilize to the benefit of their students. Colin Gray points out that students can be both consumers and creators of podcasts, and that both are beneficial. Listening to podcasts is a good way for students to listen to understand (overall expectation 1, oral communication). Creating podcasts is a fantastic way for students to practice speaking skills and strategies to connect with an audience (overall expectation 2, oral communication).

In the junior grades, students will need guidance to profit from listening to and creating podcasts. Teachers can create their own podcast or recommend others for their students to listen to. These can be shared with parents and students via links posted in Google Classroom or through a class newsletter developed by the classroom teacher.

Photo by Soundtrap

There are several tools that students can use to create their own podcasts, including Soundtrap. Teachers need to create and pay for a class account. Then, students can use Soundtrap on any device when they are connected to the internet. Students can also collaborate on podcasts.

Having students create their own podcasts is a good alternative to oral presentations. Students are still communicating with their audience, but recording a podcast may be less intimidating to some students than presenting in front of the class.

Oral Storytelling

Storytelling matters. Adichie reminds us that stories can be used to misrepresent, but that they can also be used to empower. Students in our classrooms must have opportunities to share pieces of their stories and cultures with their classmates.

Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash.

Leary shares that bringing cultural artifacts into the classroom helped her share her Indigenous heritage. In a junior classroom, teachers should allow students to share their stories using important items. Students would be using their speaking skills to communicate with their peers (OE2, oral communication), sharing about people and things that are important to them.

Debates

To promote oral communication in language classes, junior teachers can have students participate in debates. Teachers can choose from many debate formats, including classical, four corners and fishbowl (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2011). No matter the format that is chosen, students need to be able to present (OE2) their arguments and listen (OE1) to the arguments of the other side(s).

Photo by Anna Samoylova on Unsplash.

Debates can be about a simple topic (such as which food is better) or have increased complexity (e.g., whether an action is right or wrong). The Ontario Language Curriculum encourages debates, beginning in grade seven. However, teachers could use informal debates in grades five and six to encourage student listening and speaking skills. Student engagement is increased when students have the opportunity to defend a point of view that they believe in and perceive as being important to them.

There is only one week left in the semester before my internship and teaching block start in a grade 5/6 split class. I am excited to begin to put into practice everything that I have been learning this semester.

Thank you for following along with my journey so far!

Miss Amanda Maier