I'm a special educator whose classroom was next door to the homeroom of my hard of hearing son. I had him as one of my students for special education literacy three times a week. I was fortunate to have the professional background, personal knowledge, and treasured relationships with colleagues -- all of which helped me navigate the experience of…

The relationship between working memory and speech has been a topic of intense research interest and investigation for many years. Memory studies have found that the active processing of working memory is required for language comprehension and speech production. Though there are studies that discuss the capacity of working memory, the processing…

Skills in discussing substantive issues are vital in any job or civic role--and even in family life. Anne Vilen and Ron Berger, leaders in the Expeditionary Learning Schools network, detail how Casco Bay High School and other EL schools have established structures and programs to ensure courageous discussions are a regular part of learning for…

Purpose: Speech sound production intervention in early childhood is relatively rare despite empirical and theoretical support for providing this type of targeted therapy for toddlers. Challenges perpetuate the present clinical condition including those related to treatment decision making (e.g., intervention approach). Method: Although there are…

Contribution: In this article, an experience applying three role-playing games in the context of an Entrepreneurship final project is presented, discussing the challenges, and the lessons learned. Background: Soft skills have been expounded repeatedly as a crucial factor to thrive in the workplace, as opposed to mere knowledge of content only,…

Public speaking is a concern for many students. Research has pointed to the professional benefits of honing oral communication skills despite the potential aversion to it. This article highlights how college students' speech apprehension and their need to communicate with audiences effectively have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In…

Soft skills, the interpersonal skills that demonstrate the ability to work with others, are essential for job attainment and advancement. However, as noted in current research and as echoed by employers, a significant soft skills gap exists in communication (oral and written), teamwork, and critical thinking that can prevent workers from advancing…

Power is a complicated and uncomfortable topic that affects everyone to varying degrees. A traditional view of power would be a force that someone wields over others. However, Michel Foucault's view of power turns it into a relationship between two or more individuals that becomes quite liberating (1994). Through power-relationships, freedom of…

By maximizing class time with more peer-to-peer interaction, students can develop interpersonal skills essential for communicating in a global society. While technology empowers the world language student with a global classroom, this short-form article discusses the value of "unplugged" activities based on ACTFL's Proficiency and World…

Ability to communicate using spoken language occurs naturally in children earlier than they learn how to use written language. Throughout persons' lives, their ability to use spoken language is being continuously maintained and further developed. As a result, spoken language has greater capacities to form and organize thoughts than those of…

The purpose of this article is to discuss the major research findings associated with the reading/literacy development of students who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) in inclusive education classrooms. The conditions for developing effective literacy skills are also described. A professional review approach was utilized, and relevant…

Effective presentation skills never go out of style, however, the channel by which we deliver presentations has been rapidly changing over the past two decades. Technological developments have made it easier to bring audiences together in virtual spaces and as a result, more and more presentations are taking place every day through digital…

Despite all the speaking that students do in class, they don't speak all that well. We sit through mediocre book reports and think, "Oh well, that's just how kids speak." We post a video to YouTube with students speaking poorly and kid ourselves by saying, "Hey, that's authentic speech!" Daily, we accept oral…

Turner and Sheckles (2015) explain that communication centers are centered on campus and impact students' relationships with career and community opportunities (p. xii). This point is apparent in the centers' relationships with departments in addition to the career-development of student communicators. This article situates the communication…

This study presents an overall review of the paradigms that contribute to the making and development of functional human linguistics and communication skills and the teaching of language.