As communication/English curricula pass from a period of great diversity to one of greater centrality, educators need to find a more reasoned direction to guide curricular decision making. Many of the current reports on the state of education refer to the importance of oral communication skills, but such skills have not received their rightful…

Noting the growing number of foreign students in colleges in the United States, this paper argues that communication educators should devote more discussion to the development of oral proficiency in those students. This paper (1) discusses the significance of the problem facing educators and foreign students, (2) examines the language training of…

In intercollegiate debate, negative debaters must be prepared with a variety of approaches to differing affirmative cases and must adapt to particular affirmative cases they meet. Successful negative debaters cannot determine their strategy until the presentation of the first affirmative speech or, in cross-examination debates, until after…

Examines style shifting in the use of three past tense morphemes by 17 intermediate learners of English as a second language. Style shifting is explored within a single discourse mode--narrative--according to the amount of time made available. Data were collected under three conditions: (1) planned writing; (2) planned speech; and (3) unplanned…

Describes an English as a second language course designed to build the students' reading abilities in order to develop their oral and writing skills. The course consists of group and individual projects on the topic of American Indians and culminates with a simulation of a court hearing involving an Indian land claim. (SED)

Deals with the neglect of instruction in listening and speaking, a fact attributed to a shortage of instructional materials, and teachers' lack of knowledge in these areas. Reviews the available literature and suggests steps to be taken to develop a curriculum in listening and speaking using these materials as a foundation. (RBW)

Many teachers hesitate to integrate film into English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classrooms because of the uncertainty of the educational efficacy of viewing an entire film in class and the motivational value of the repeated use of short film clips. However, both short film clips and longer films can be used in class to motivate ESL students and…

Advisors must beware of communication barriers with the students they serve and should develop specific skills in writing, speaking, listening, and nonverbal behaviors. (MSE)

Reports on the development of an assessment instrument to test basic communication skills necessary for students' success in college. Covers the instrument's conceptual foundation, administration procedures, development, and analysis. (PD)

Analyzes the discussions of participants at a company-faculty forum on energy policy. Reveals the speakers' use and misuse of contradictory rhetoric--the simultaneous appeal to emotions and to reason. (RL)

An oral activity designed to help prepare college students of English as a second language for assignments and rhetorical strategies for essay writing is described. The activity, which comprises several tasks and can require up to two class periods, requires students to compare and contrast a painting and a poem that have a common theme or aspect.…

This paper describes a paraphrasing activity devised to assist English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) graduate students at Ohio State University develop their academic writing skills. The activity is based on the community language learning approach. The students in the class were divided into groups of three, with each group member in turn assigned…

Most at-risk students do not know how to read, speak, or write, and those who know how, frequently elect not to. The problem for educators is thus two-fold, motivating the student to become engaged in the literary process and helping the teacher to engender such engagement. Music may be one way of fostering this engagement. A literature review…

A study investigated the speaking styles of black college students to determine whether selected stylistic features of speeches of students at a predominantly black university were different from those of black college students at a predominantly white university. Audiotapes were made of 25 students at the predominantly black university and 21…

Much of what has been written about improving lecturing is summarized, and strengths and weaknesses of this approach are identified. Lecturing is defined as teaching by the spoken word with emphasis on the teacher talking and the student listening. Instructional goals that are met by lecturing include: communicating the intrinsic interest of the…