EDU
03 LANGUAGE ACROSS THE CURRICULUM-BEd Notes
Unit 4 – Creating language for classroom communication
Prepared by
Sabarish P
Contents
Language of Instruction
Aural & Aural Skills in English language
Language of Instruction
In classroom learning and teaching, a large proportion of time is spent in talking and listening.
Aural & oral Skills in English languageEar training or aural skills is a skill by which musicians learn to identify, solely by hearing, pitches, intervals, melody, chords, rhythms, and other basic elements of music. The application of this skill is analogous to taking dictation in written/spoken language.
Oral communication is the process of expressing information or ideas by word of mouth. Oral communication is the process of verbally transmitting information and ideas from one individual or group to another. Oral communication can be either Formal or Informal.
Examples
Informal oral communication
Face-to-face conversations
Telephone conversations
Discussions that take place at meetings
Formal types of oral communication
Presentations at business meetings
Classroom lectures
Commencement speech given at a graduation ceremony
With advances in technology, new forms of oral communication continue to develop. Video Phones and Video Conferences combine audio and video so that workers in distant locations can both see and speak with each other. Other modern forms of oral communication include Podcasts (audio clips that you can access on the Internet) and Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP), which allows callers to communicate over the Internet and avoid telephone charges. Skype is an example of VoIP.
Listening is the conscious processing of the auditory stimuli that have been perceived through hearing. Listening differs from obeying.
Listening is not the same as Hearing
Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear, whereas listening requires more than that: it requires focus. Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or her body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-verbal messages. Your ability to listen effectively depends on the degree to which you perceive and understand these messages.
Active
listening
involves listening with all senses. As well as giving full
attention to the speaker, it is important that the ‘active
listener’ is also ‘seen’ to be listening - otherwise the
speaker may conclude that what they are talking about is
uninteresting to the listener. Interest can be conveyed to the
speaker by using both verbal and non-verbal messages such as
maintaining eye contact, nodding your head and smiling, agreeing by
saying ‘Yes’ or simply ‘Mmm hmm’ to encourage them to
continue. By providing this 'feedback' the person speaking will
usually feel more at ease and therefore communicate more easily,
openly and honestly.
Signs of Active Listening
Non-Verbal Signs of Attentive or Active Listening
People who are listening are more likely to display at least some of these signs. However these signs may not be appropriate in all situations and across all cultures.
Non verbal Signs of Active Listening
Smile
Eye contact
Posture
Mirroring
Distraction
Smile
Small smiles can be used to show that the listener is paying attention to what is being said or as a way of agreeing or being happy about the messages being received.
Combined with nods of the head, smiles can be powerful in affirming that messages are being listened to and understood.
Eye Contact
It is normal and usually encouraging for the listener to look at the speaker.
Eye contact can however be intimidating, especially for more shy speakers – gauge how much eye contact is appropriate for any given situation.
Combine eye contact with smiles and other non-verbal messages to encourage the speaker.
Posture
Posture can tell a lot about the sender and receiver in interpersonal interactions.
The attentive listener tends to lean slightly forward or sideways whilst sitting.
Other signs of active listening may include a slight slant of the head or resting the head on one hand.
Mirroring
Automatic reflection/mirroring of any facial expressions used by the speaker can be a sign of attentive listening.
These reflective expressions can help to show sympathy and empathy in more emotional situations.
Attempting to consciously mimic facial expressions (i.e. not automatic reflection of expressions) can be a sign of inattention.
Distraction
The active listener will not be distracted and therefore will refrain from fidgeting, looking at a clock or watch, doodling, playing with their hair or picking their fingernails.
Verbal Signs of Attentive or Active Listening
Positive Reinforcement
Remembering
Questioning
Reflection
Clarification
Summarisation
Positive Reinforcement
Although a strong signal of attentiveness, caution should be used when using positive verbal reinforcement.
Although some positive words of encouragement may be beneficial to the speaker the listener should use them sparingly so as not to distract from what is being said or place unnecessary emphasis on parts of the message.
Casual and frequent use of words and phrases, such as: ‘very good’, ‘yes’ or ‘indeed’ can become irritating to the speaker. It is usually better to elaborate and explain why you are agreeing with a certain point.
Remembering
The human mind is notoriously bad at remembering details, especially for any length of time.
However, remembering a few key points, or even the name of the speaker, can help to reinforce that the messages sent have been received and understood – i.e. listening has been successful.
Remembering details, ideas and concepts from previous conversations proves that attention was kept and is likely to encourage the speaker to continue.
During longer exchanges it may be appropriate to make very brief notes to act as a memory jog when questioning or clarifying later.
Questioning
The listener can demonstrate that they have been paying attention by asking relevant questions and/or making statements that build or help to clarify what the speaker has said.
By asking relevant questions the listener also helps to reinforce that they have an interest in what the speaker has been saying.
Reflection
Reflecting is closely repeating or paraphrasing what the speaker has said in order to show comprehension.
Reflection is a powerful skill that can reinforce the message of the speaker and demonstrate understanding.
Clarification
Clarifying involves asking questions of the speaker to ensure that the correct message has been received.
Clarification usually involves the use of open questions which enables the speaker to expand on certain points as necessary.
Summarisation
Repeating a summary of what has been said back to the speaker is a technique used by the listener to repeat what has been said in their own words.
Summarising involves taking the main points of the received message and reiterating them in a logical and clear way, giving the speaker chance to correct if necessary.
Oral language
Oral language refers to the act of speaking and listening. The main components for the oral language skill set include:
Word knowledge - vocabulary,
Sentence structure – grammar,
Language understanding – semantic and comprehension ability, and
Structured thinking – elaborate, organise and sequence thoughts.
Salient Features of Speaking
Commanding yet friendly voice
Perfect clarity of language, thoughts and ideas.
Listener Friendly
Comprising of anecdotes, wit and humour
Avoiding Monotony
Creating a bond between speaker and listener
Guidelines for speaking
Speed (about 125 words per minute)
Clarity
Punctuation
Pronunciation
Familiarity
Fluency
Expressions
Prepared by
Sabarish P
(MSc Physics, MEd, NET)Contact: pklsabarish@gmail.com
