A pedagogical study of Oral communication skills

1. Oral Communication Skills in pedagogical
research
Prepared By: TUMANA, WJ

2. OVERVIEW
 Oral communication skills are essential both
within the classroom and society. There are
issues teachers face, but there are ways to
help students explore different ways of
communicating. This wiki page explores the
importance of oral communication skills. I
have researched two approaches to teaching
oral communication for the English Language
Artscurriculum, and have provided multiple
activities, resources for mini-lessons, and
assessment ideas for teachers to use in the
classroom.

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
 According to the Ontario Curriculum for
Language, Grades 1-8, “Oral Communication
skills are fundamental to the development of
literacy and essential for thinking and learning.
Through talk, students not only communicate
information but also explore and come to
understand ideas and concepts; identify and
solve problems; organize their experience and
knowledge; and express and clarify their
thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Listening and
speaking skills are essential for social interaction
at home, at school, and in the community.

5. THREE PARTS OF ORAL COMMUNICATION
 IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN AND
ARE CRUCIAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR
SKILLS. They are;
1. Listening – Students need to listen to their
teachers, other students, and oral versions of
texts. This is to allow students to find meaning
in texts and vocal strategies, respond
appropriately when involved in a conversation,
understand and interpret the content of texts or
point-of-view, and demonstrate critical thought

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2. Speaking – Students need to be able to interact
with others, using appropriate language, clarity, and
strategies that emphasize or help express meaning
and emotions
3. Reflecting – Students need to recognize their
strengths and weaknesses when preparing for and
participating in communication activities, and reflect
on how they can improve

7. BY TEACHING ORAL COMMUNICATION
SKIILLS, STUDENTS SHOULD LEARN:
 To listen, understand and respond to students
and teachers in class/group discussions
about texts, concepts, and points of view
 To develop the skills to interact and behave
appropriately while communicating with
others
 To be able to communicate clearly using a
wide range of vocabulary that is appropriate
for the setting and to whom they are speaking
to
 To be able to identify and communicate

8. APPROACHES TO TEACHING ORAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
 Teachers should approach teaching oral
communication skills in all their lessons. Teachers at
the elementary level should prepare a lesson that
focuses on the basic skills that are necessary for
proper communication, so that children can build on
these skills and use them throughout the rest of their
educational experience and into adulthood. For
students at the intermediate level, English teachers
should try to incorporate some kind of
communication activity while analyzing literature in
which students can express their opinions and
feelings about certain topics in class/group
discussions, presentations, etc. This will help you
monitor what skills the student has and his/her

9. TWO APPROACHES TO TEACHING ORAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
 TASKED-BASED APPROACH
 According to Mojibur Rahman who wrote “Teaching
Oral Communication Skills: A Task-based Approach” a
task “is both a means of clinically eliciting samples of
learner language for the purposes of research and
device for organizing the content and methodology of
language teaching.” In other words, its aim is “to
improve a student’s ability to use a language, rather
than acquiring new linguistic skills”
 It focuses on the activities and getting the students
involved in participating in conversations, discussions,
debates, etc. to develop their communication skills.
They learn how to speak by continually practicing
verbal techniques.

10. -
 COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
 This approach focuses on learning the language and
teaching the proper skills for listening and speaking.
 Whatever approach you take to teach oral
communication skills, whether the focus is on the
activities or the language, it is important to look at
how the students learn to determine which approach
to use. I think using both approaches is beneficial to
students.

11. CURRENT ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM
 LANGUAGE BARRIERS
 In many classrooms, teachers are facing students
who speak a different language or the language
being used and/or taught is not their first language.
This could bring up many challenges for teachers,
students and parents as the student attempts to
learn and interact within the classroom. As a teacher,
you need to understand that it might take the student
a longer amount of time to finish a task or to
understand the concepts that are being taught. It is
important, then, to be patient and provide the child
with extra help wherever possible. This could include
one-on-one time or extra help from a tutor.

12. -
 STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONALITIES
 Teachers need to be aware and learn as much as
they can about learning disorders, exceptionalities
and gifted students and how to meet their needs.
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing, mute, or
have any other disorder need to have a differentiated
lesson plan or individual education plan (IEP)
developed for them. When assessing the student,
look for delays in responding to
questions/conversations, how they receive
information (are they struggling to understand what
was said, or did they hear what was said), and if they
respond appropriately in reference to what is being
discussed.

13. -
 UNINTERESTED/UNWILLING
STUDENTS
 Another issue is that some
teachers may face students
who are not interested in or
unwilling to learn how to
communicate effectively. They
may have been taught how to
speak in a way that makes it
harder for teachers to try and
change negative habits. They
are used to what they have
been taught and find it easier
or more comforting to continue
to communicate in that way.

14. OTHER ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM
 Douglas Brown outlines some other issues
in his book Teaching by Principles: An
Interactive Approach to Language
Pedagogy that teachers will face when
teaching oral communication to students.
These include:

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 PRONUNCIATION - This could either be because of
a language barrier for ESL learners or speech
impediments
 ACCURACY AND FLUENCY - Students may find it
difficult to be clear, grammatically correct and use
words with the right meaning, in addition to having
their communication flow
 ANXIETY - Many students become nervous or
frightened when having to make presentations,
speeches, or any other kind of assignment that
requires them to speak in front of large groups of
people
 INTERACTION - Not knowing what to say, how to

16. HOW TO ADRESS TO THESE ISSUES
To address these issues, it is important to create/use
activities that will include all students, and to provide
extra help where necessary. During each lesson be
prepared to:
 Give extra time for students to process
information
 Re-teach vocabulary and certain strategies for
speaking
 Rephrase what was said, or if the conversation is
happening between two students, ask the
student who is not having trouble to rephrase
what they are trying to say

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 Give visuals to support lessons/instructions for
activities
 Get struggling students to restate facts in group
or one-on-one discussions
 Provide a dictionary, word list, and thesaurus
 Give a student one task at a time, and increase
the amount of time they have to work on it
 Provide a student with what will be read in class
the next day to familiarize themselves with it

18. RESOURCES
 https://languageandliteracytheoryandpractice.wikispa
ces.com/Integrating+Oral+Communication+Skills+int
o+Everyday+Learning
 More information such as teaching ideas/activities,
Assessment ideas, Developmental stages of
speaking, and things to look for when assessing oral
communication skills.