In this article, I examine how repairs in adult-child conversations guide children's acquisition of language. Children make unprompted self-repairs to their utterances. They also respond to prompts for repair, whether open ("Hm?," "What?") or restricted ("You hid what?"), and to restricted offers (Child: "I…

Vocabulary learning that overlooks the discrimination of single sounds in English language learning could lead to communication difficulties, such as the inability to hear and speak English pronunciation. To address this issue, vocalization strategy, in which students listen to the sounds of words and memorize them aloud, is considered a useful…

This article introduces self-regulation features with Partial and Synchronized Caption (PSC) for practicing listening skills and fostering self-paced and autonomous learning. PSC generates a partial caption by focusing on acoustically and lexically difficult words and synchronizes each word's appearance with the speaker's speech. The aim is to…

The theoretical literature which has had an impact upon the teaching of composition and which has evolved into the language across the curriculum approach to education, focuses upon the interaction of language and learning. By teaching about speaking and writing, educators are potentially teaching students how to learn. Language functions to…

Calling for redoubled emphasis on the performative and political dimensions of rhetorical study, some scholars recommend an "activist turn" in rhetorical criticism. In the context of the study of social movements, an engaged and active stance can enable critics to become direct participants in the field of social action. The promise of a…

Noting that while individuals need opportunities to develop cognitive and symbolic understanding of communication principles and skills, this paper argues that they also need to develop an experiential understanding in order to use those principles and skills in building and enhancing relationships. To accomplish this, the paper offers a…

Teaching organizational video is best accomplished by integrating organizational communication theory, rhetorical theory, and video production planning in one course. Focus on the individual project is the most beneficial as a stand-alone segment and as a highlight of the planning process that may be part of a corporate communication employee's…

Within the field of composition, classical rhetoric was re-discovered in the early 1960s; that interest has been for the most part confined to the first three of the five parts of classical rhetoric--invention, arrangement, and style--with memory and delivery being ignored or, at least, neglected. Recent interest in "the speaking-writing…

The "process option" approach for speech students should be expanded through the development of a learning context in which (1) topic development replaces last minute subject selection through the spoken equivalent of freewriting, (2) the revision process of writing occurs in preparation for delivered speeches, (3) student/teacher…

The paper disucsses the need for training in critical thinking and the effects of debate training across the curriculum as a teaching tool and learning mechanism. The debate training provided through the Oral Communication Program at Virginia's Radford University is described (design, implementation, results), along with data from a report on the…

An observable feature of learner language, linguistic variability, is described and used as the basis for speculating about an aspect of the process of second language learning. It is hypothesized that variation in correct use of target language forms varies as a function of the demands placed on the learner to produce these forms. Three groups of…

One format for the student written journal in an interpersonal communication theory course uses three components--classroom journals, reading journals, and listening journals--to develop students' skills as competent communicators. Student journals can provide a format for learned skills and awareness which may be applied creatively, critically,…

The population of college students contains an increasing number of students who are over 25 years old. Therefore, more adult-focused courses in communication are needed because adults tend to be interested in communication problems rather than communication subjects and value learning that makes use of their experiences. One model that fulfills…

This paper attempts to draw applications from major learning taxonomies and theories Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives and Gagne's types of learning are considered in terms of their implications as diagnostic and evaluation criteria. Additionally, an attempt is made to operationalize these criteria behaviorally. Instructional strategies…

The goal of this paper is to show how experience transcends subject-matter planning. Indeed, there is a paradox in planning authentic experiences; hence the word "quasi-authentic" in the title. Subject matters are defined here as disciplinary genres. They are integrated into a new framework for semiotic research into disciplinary…