In an Oral Communication course students often say they want to improve their communication skills but dread public speaking. My goal is to offer students many opportunities to practice speaking and listening skills along the continuum of communication purposes – informal to formal – from sharing thoughts and feelings to asking and answering questions to presenting an extemporaneous, informative speech.
Learning to use more effective communication skills requires a change in behavior. I’ve discovered in my work with students that they are more successful in modifying their speaking skills when they can identify the underlying steps, analyze a model of performance and have ample opportunity to practice both discrete and holistic skills with immediate feedback. Therefore, I teach speech using this recognition/modeling, production/feedback approach.
This lesson is designed to provide students an opportunity to identify a speaker whom they consider effective and analyze his/her speaking skills. Through using guide questions and listening to/viewing audio/videotapes, students create their own criteria for evaluating an extemporaneous, informative speech. These criteria can then be used as guidelines for preparing and practicing their own informative speeches. Allowing students to explore their own reactions to a speech/speaker is a vital first step in developing effective public speaking skills.
Students in a typical Oral Communication class demonstrate a wide range of English language proficiency and many are reluctant to participate orally in classroom discussions. Using the Discussion Board in Blackboard allows students the time to formulate thoughtful, edited responses to guide questions and interact less stressfully with other students. In addition, the web offers a wide variety of current audio and video clips of speeches which make examples and models more easily accessible.
Collaborative learning has proven to be an effective method for teaching mathematics. It encourages students to participate in the learning process and provides them with alternative views of concepts and methods. As opposed to only drilling formulas, allowing students to develop techniques and postulate their own theories helps them to grasp and retain important concepts. Students share their work, are able to see commonalities in problem- solving, realize when they need help, and often reach out to other students to get that help. It is very encouraging to observe students discussing mathematics, often forming independent study groups.
Without doubt, the integration of technology has improved my students' skills and understanding of the subject matter. Having students reflect on their learning of major concepts through the Discussion Board in Blackboard has given me the opportunity to correct any misconceptions and promote good reasoning techniques. In addition, using the test management system in Blackboard has allowed me to give students a greater number of low-stake assessments to sharpen their skills. This additional discussion or assessment would have been impossible without this technology. I have used Blackboard, and web-based inquiry learning activities and resources to enhance my students' learning significantly. Compared to classes I've taught in the past where students haven't used such technology, I have observed that my current students have a stronger understanding of the course material and sharper skills. They also have a wider and deeper knowledge of the subject than my past students since the technology opened up a new window for learning. With constant feedback through Blackboard, my students were aware of their standing in the class and took the appropriate steps to improve their grades. By using Blackboard, I was able to witness the high level of activities of my students - something that I haven't witnessed in earlier classes.
Activity Overview
Prior to class, I post guide questions using the Discussion Board in Blackboard and identify appropriate audio or video examples of effective speakers. I load the web addresses on the External Links section in Blackboard. As a homework assignment before class, students are asked to write thoughtful responses to the following prompt in Blackboard:
- Identify a person whom you consider to be an effective speaker.
- Describe this person and the occasion on which you heard him/her speak.
- What skills make this person an effective speaker?
- Specifically describe his/her verbal, nonverbal, and organizational skills.
Students are encouraged to respond to each others’ postings.
In class, students meet in small groups of three students for 15–20 minutes. They share the information they’ve collected about speakers they consider to be effective and describe the reasons for choosing him/her. Students then create a list of effective speaking skills.
In a large group discussion (15–20 minutes), students compile an overall list of effective speaking criteria using the categories: verbal, nonverbal and organizational.
Following the class discussion, students watch a video or DVD showing an informative speech and discuss how the criteria apply (15–20 minutes). In subsequent classes, students are able to use these criteria to guide their own speech preparation and practice.
As a follow-up, web links are made available on External Links in Blackboard for students to explore and use for reinforcement of concepts discussed in class.
Materials and Resources
The Infinite Mind: This radio program presents many topics suitable as informative speeches:
http://www.TheInfiniteMind.com
Barack Obama’s Keynote Address at the Democratic Convention, 2004.
http://www.dems2004.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?
The Challenge of Effective Speaking. By Rudolph Verderber. Videocassette. Wadsworth, 1994. I also use videotaped speeches of former Oral Communication students as models.