This article explains four teacher-developed mnemonic learning strategies--one for learning the steps of long division, one to teach decision making, one for developing homework skills, and one for preparing and giving a speech. (DB)

An assignment focuses on introducing students to the complexities involved in rendering a decision concerning the First Amendment to the Constitution. During the first week of classes, students are asked to read the introductory sections to the topic-specific chapters in "Freedom of Speech in the Marketplace of Ideas" by Fraleigh and…

Peer feedback by students, both positive and negative, has proven to be helpful to many public speaking educators. Asking students to design their own evaluation sheets can not only guarantee the numbers of evaluations they receive, but also assist them to do more audience analysis during the preparation process for their speeches. In designing…

This paper presents an exercise which serves as an addition to public speaking courses. Showing students how to uncover the speech patterns that shape their lives allows them to appreciate the importance of speech communication in their lives. In the exercise, groups analyze speeches and report their findings to the class. The exercise improves…

Audience adaptation is a concept that is heavily stressed in the basic public speaking course. One way to introduce students to a new audience is by using feature film clips as hypothetical examples. Clips heighten student interest without sacrificing academic rigor while allowing observation and evaluation of communication processes in action.…

By using public speaking skills, typical classroom problem areas can be reduced or eliminated. During the first five minutes of class, instructors can orient their audience by reviewing information from the previous class, or gain attention with an interesting story, quote, or humorous incident related to the subject matter. To avoid wasting the…