Decries the lifeless and mechanical language used in the national syllabus for oral communication instruction, arguing that it contradicts the interaction it seeks to describe, and that efforts to assess interpersonal communication are equally inappropriate. (HTH)

A thinking aloud pair problem solving (TAPPS) procedure--two students work cooperatively on a collection of short problems--is outlined, and reading comprehension exercises and sample student thought process protocols are presented. (Author/MLW)

Presents a group sales project to culminate the business communication course, an activity which integrates the oral and written communication skills important in the work place. (MS)

Describes DePauw University's program of speaking and listening across the curriculum. (MS)

Third-grade students were exposed to a literature passage, The Red Carpet, via one of three modes of presentation. The teacher read aloud from a book, showed a filmstrip, or showed a film. A listening retention test was administered, and results showed that the differences were statistically insignificant. (Author/GDC)

Telling children when and why listeners have or have not understood what a speaker meant is not a very effective way of advancing children's referential skills. If giving such information also modifies children's speaking and/or listening behavior, it is very effective. If the same modifications are produced by other means, consequences are…

Described is an interesting attempt by one university to require of students demonstrated competencies in writing as freshmen, quantitative reasoning as sophomores and juniors, and oral communication as juniors or seniors. Quantitative measures of the effectiveness of the program are not provided. (Author/RM)

Investigates the power of a macropropositional model of comprehension for a complex social interaction (a rape interrogation) to predict accurate recall by both individuals and groups. The findings are considered in relation to strategic models of discourse comprehension, and the implications for future social psychological research are discussed.…

Describes a three-step process which enables students to understand the subjunctive in German. This method is based on Stephen Krashen and Tracy Terrell's Natural Approach and involves students in communicative situations through the use of props, dialogs, and mini-dramas. (SED)

Describes an exercise that familiarizes students with the language of German weather reports, so that they will know what kinds of information to listen for. The exercise also helps students expand their vocabulary. The article includes transcriptions of actual German weather reports. (SED)

Presents the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' provisional generic descriptions for nine levels (novice-low, novice-mid, novice-high, advanced, advanced plus, and superior) in the following areas: (1) speaking, (2) listening, (3) reading, (4) writing, and for six levels in culture. (SED)

Found that (1) students exposed to any three of the instructional strategies (lecture, video role model, and lecture plus a role model) produced better summaries and took more notes than the control group; and (2) those exposed to the video role model asked the most questions. (PD)

Reviews current research in the teaching of English in Australia and concludes that there is a large volume of highly relevant research and that a way must be found to disseminate it to potential clientele. (DF)

In order to determine how use of responsive listener cues (e.g. head nods, yesses, smiles, etc.) changes over preschool years, children were videorecorded as they listened to an adult speaker talk about his experiences. Age and sex differences in preschoolers' responsive behaviors are discussed as well as the relationship between the development…

Finds no significant differences for immediate learning for students presented material orally and those presented the same material in written form. Shows, however, that students in the oral presentation mode performed significantly better than those in the reading mode on measures of delayed learning. (FL)