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Marlow Ediger
Proficiency in oral communication is necessary in school and in society. To do well
in the different curriculum areas, pupils must speak with clarity and understanding.
For example, in a discussion group in the social studies involving the topic the pros
and cons of raising taxes, pupils need to express knowledgeable ideas with appropri
ate voice inflection in stress, pitch, and juncture (pauses), including a proper pace.
Listeners need to be able to comprehend what was communicated orally (semantics).
The oral content may lack proper word order (syntax) which makes comprehension
difficult.
The teacher must diagnose diverse types of errors in oral communication and pro
vide objectives and learning opportunities which strengthen oral communication
procedures (Ediger, 2011).
Oral Communication . . / 99
making introductions
explaining how to make an object or
play a game
participating in a readers theater
(SeeTiedt).
Each speaking experience needs to pos
sess clarity in objectives and follow recom
mended criteria. Rules of conduct must be
followed for listeners as well as speakers.
These need to be followed and appraised,
periodically, by pupils with teacher guidance.
Fifth, Bandura (1997) has done much
research and writing on the self efficacy
concept. The major objective of self ef
ficacy is to be motivated and competent
in a plethora of situations. Efficacy in oral
communication must be enhanced. Thus, to
become proficient here, pupils must experi
ence success. Failure seemingly multiplies
itself and hinders growth, development, and
progress. An approach which assists in devel
oping efficacy in speaking is to have pupils
achieve adequate background information,
for example, in a topic being pursued in a
discussion. Pupils might then, for instance, in
a unit on Space Geometry, view, discuss, and
draw 3 dimensional models of cones. Mean
ingfully, elaborating on the cone, and other 3
d m odels, as sequential learning permits .will
guide pupils in achieving indepth concepts.
Indepth achievement helps pupils to utilize
these concepts in a variety of geometric and
lifelike situations. Self efficacy develops as
pupils attain increased understandings when
recalling, attaching meaning to, as well as
thinking critically and creatively, on related
three dimensional models and objects. Op
posite is survey learnings in which instruction
has been hurried and shallowness in learner
understandings are in evidence.
Sixth, the success model in oral com
munication will help pupils to take risks in
being successful in a variety of situations.
Rotter (1954) has done much work in locus
of control and in his research came up with
aiding learners who believe in the locus
Conclusion
Pupils need to interact with interest
ing learning experiences in order to attend
carefully to what is taught. Clarity in these
activities need to be in the offing. Meaning
and understanding in kno wledge/skills should
be an end result. Quality sequence, based on
background information, should be in the off
ing . The teacher needs to provide for the many
individual differences which exist among
learners as well as assist each to achieve as
optimally as possible in oral communication
across the curriculum..
References
Bandura, A. (1997). Self Efficacy: The Exer
cise o f Control. New York: Freeman.
Ediger, M. (2011). Shared Reading, the
Pupil, and the Teacher. Reading Improvement,
48(2), 55-58.
Ediger, M . (2011). Leadership in the Social
Studies Curriculum. Education,l31(4), 711-714.
Goleman, D . (1995). Emotional Intelligence.
New York: Bantam Books.
Rotter, J . B . (1954). Social Learning Theory
and Clinical Psychology. New York: Prentice Hall.
Tichman, E. (2008). The Object of Their
Attention. Educational Leadership, 65(5), 44-47.
Tiedt, I. M. (1982). The Language Arts
Handbook. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.