As a preliminary study evaluating the relative merits of skill development and information exposure in speech communication classes, an opinion survey was administered to students taking two variants of the introductory course. The two courses, labeled "Basic Blend" and "Blend: Public Speaking Emphasis," included roughly equivalent units on…

By using exercises to increase classroom community and journal assignments rather than tests, teachers can help empower students in the public speaking classroom. To create a sense of community in public speaking classrooms and to increase opportunities for dialogue on a personal level, an ungraded speaking assignment is used that begins the first…

Collaborative learning (the construction of knowledge through interaction of pairs or small groups of students) is an effective tool for helping students bridge the gap between speaking and writing. To accomplish this type of learning, students must practice talking and writing in a small group structure. Concrete teaching experience has shown…

Noting the rapid increase in the training needs of industry, this paper argues that speech communication graduates with a strong background in organizational communication can meet those needs. Following a brief discussion of the need for university speech communication departments to develop communication training courses, the paper identifies…

The eight articles in this focused journal issue are concerned with integrating reading, writing, and thinking, with varying attention to other language processes such as listening and speaking. The titles and authors of the articles are (1) "Does What You Read Influence How You Write?" by Dennis Adams; (2) "Dictation: Building…

Designed to reveal some of the strengths and weaknesses of microtechnology in the language arts, this book suggests how and where microcomputers might have applications or implications in the language arts curriculum. The first chapter of the book discusses practical problems facing language arts teachers in developing classroom computer programs,…

Developed by a team of 13 teachers, this guide presents student performance standards for 36 high school language arts courses. For each course described, performance standards and intended outcomes are preceded by a curriculum framework that includes a statement of major concepts and content, laboratory activities, special notes, and intended…

Offered to groups that wish to review and improve educational programs, this booklet reprints by special permission the "Standards for Basic Skills Writing Programs" developed by the National Council of Teachers of English and "Standards for an Effective Oral Communication Program" prepared by the American…

A study examined the relative effectiveness and synergistic effect of two treatments for reducing speech anxiety--Self-Statement Modification (SSM), a therapy focused on modification of cognitive behavior; and Modified Desensitization (MD), a therapy focused on physiological variables, utilizing relaxation training, group hierarchy construction,…

This guide is intended to assist vocational teachers in preparing their students to assume a leadership role in the Future Homemakers of America (FHA) or Home Economics Related Occupations (HERO). The five instructional units provided deal with the history; primary objectives; and principal activities of the FHA/HERO; parliamentary procedure; the…

Because critical thinking has become a popular topic among speech communication educators in recent years, this paper reviews the literature on teaching critical thinking skills and discusses its relevance for speech communication instruction. First, the paper briefly sketches the history of the critical thinking movement and describes the…

Interpersonal communication and literature are two areas of knowledge that should be pursued together. Plays offer the opportunity to explore and to participate in the process of dialog. Some plays can also lead the viewer/reader/actor to introspection. "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail" by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee can be studied at once…

Intended to promote insights into the composing process as a way of communicating with words, this book proposes ways to increase language sensitivity through a three-stage communication program: evoking visions through speech, fashioning revisions in writing, and sharing visions by reading. The first two chapters explain the stages of the program…

The second of five volumes, this guide for first grade complements the Chicago Mastery Learning Reading Program or other reading programs, and provides an outline of skills in listening, speaking, and writing. The introductory outline contains objectives, a description of the organization of the book, and a discussion of the interrelationship of…

The third of five volumes, this guide for second grade complements the Chicago Mastery Learning Reading Program or other reading programs, and provides an outline of skills in listening, speaking, and writing. The introductory section contains objectives, a description of the organization of the book, and a discussion of the interrelationship of…