Effective facilitation of classroom dialogue can stimulate open discussion and debate, challenge students to consider diverse perspectives, and promote critical student reflection and growth. Unfortunately, some instructors may be hesitant to approach controversial topics, for fear of losing face or risking chaos in the classroom. By learning and…

Students in colleges and universities need to be able to learn how to communicate effectively both within the specialized arenas of their chosen disciplines and, increasingly, with a wide variety of public and professional audiences. One way to accomplish this goal is to integrate the development of effective writing and speaking skills into both…

Talk provides a foundation for how we learn language and advance as literate individuals. Talking helps us form thoughts, engages us in deeper learning with others, and plays a key part in how we learn to read and write. In this article, Accountable Talk®, which comes from researchers through the Institute for Learning (University of Pittsburgh),…

Vocabulary development is a crucial aspect of literacy. It is our duty as teachers to enrich the language of our students to better prepare them for a successful lifetime of communication. This paper offers several methods to enhance levels of speech in the classroom. Some of the techniques included are the use of repetitive reading, reading…

As the new English Language Arts Common Core State Standards take hold across the United States, the need grows for pre-service and in-service teachers to be ready to develop curriculum and instruction that addresses their requirements. This timely, thoughtful, and comprehensive text directly meets this need. It delineates a literacy practices and…

Describes the conceptual patterns approach to rhetorical invention, a way to help students become aware of and activate their thought patterns in composing speeches. (PD)

Describes the use of undergraduate teaching assistants in a basic communication course in order to provide a workable method for large numbers of entering students to learn about communication in small laboratory settings. (PD)

The paper presents a program for increasing spontaneous functional speech to autistic like children. The program, applicable to individual and group settings, emphasizes the use of language skills beyond the classroom. (Author/CL)

This report is the result of a six-week study in which the voice training offerings at four schools of drama in London were examined using interviews of teachers and directors, observation of voice classes, and attendance at studio presentations and public performances. The report covers such topics as: textbooks and references being used; courses…

Describes the approach taken by the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to communication-across-the-curriculum courses and programs. (SR)

An introductory speech communication course should contain a unit on communication ethics so that students learn ethical standards and how they should be applied in creating and delivering a message or responding to a message. One of the many hinderances that accompany incorporating such a unit into the curriculum is the lack of precedence for…

Describes a technique in which students deliver their speeches three times, each time to a different third of the class. Helps beginning speech students develop self-confidence and communication effectiveness more rapidly and thoroughly than is usually achieved in standard classroom speaking formats. (PD)

General American Symbols, speech and phonic symbols adapted from the Northampton symbols, are presented as a simplified system for teaching reading and speech to deaf children. Ways to use symbols for indicating features of speech production are suggested. (Author)

Describing a game-playing concept called "Tangoes" which is also known as the ancient Chinese puzzle game of Tanagram, this paper offers a teaching method which enables students to better understand the roles played in groups as well as how groups function. The paper contains a list of materials, an explanation of the process, usage…

Several forms of journal writing, both graded and ungraded and serving different purposes, were used to enhance instruction and outcomes of a basic course in oral communication. In-class journals, written in the first five minutes of class and intended to stimulate thought rather than to practice correct writing, were on a topic assigned by the…