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Communication skills are the glue that brings together the other 21st Century Skills. It is vital that educators provide ample opportunities for students to develop their communication skills, from writing to interpersonal communication to public speaking.
Communication skills are the glue that brings together the other 21st Century Skills. It is vital that educators provide ample opportunities for students to develop their communication skills, from writing to interpersonal communication to public speaking.
The social studies classroom provides an important spaces where students learn to exchange and share ideas, honing communication skills that will serve them in all areas of life. I thus center literacy development and incorporate multiple modes of communication in my classrooms.
Developing literacy is key to developing strong communication skills
Developing literacy is key to developing strong communication skills
Check out the assignments completed during my Dominican University coursework where I developed my knowledge of and abilities to teach literacy inside my classroom. Through understanding my own literacy journey, observing literacy being taught by more experienced educators, and developing my own literacy toolkit, I have prepared myself to strengthen my students' communication skills.
Providing students diverse opportunities to express themselves is important to developing robust communication skills
Providing students diverse opportunities to express themselves is important to developing robust communication skills
In my classrooms I provide students multiple ways to demonstrate their understanding and to strengthen diverse modes of communication. Students communicate ideas through writing, talking, creating graphic novels, drawing, and the use of novel communication technologies, such as jamboard and flipgrid. Students often work in flexible groupings where they have the opportunity to communicate across lines of difference and in a variety of settings.
Developing Students' Claim-Based Writing Skills
Developing Students' Claim-Based Writing Skills
One way students develop their communication skills in my classroom is through learning how to write clearly and persuasively. Social studies provides an important vehicle through which students' writing skills can be strengthened and they can begin finding their voice. Through writing about topics and issues of import, students develop confidence as communicators and their skills as effective communicators. These skills can translate to others of their lives. See some of the ways I scaffold claim-based writing and examples of student work. I have included slides used to scaffold claim-based writing for 6th graders. Students got to choose a pharaoh to research in small groups. Students were provided a jamboard to facilitate communication among themselves. Students were provided ample opportunities
Bringing Creative Writing into the History Classroom
Bringing Creative Writing into the History Classroom
I have incorporated creative writing into my history curriculum this semester. Students did not have ELA so I wanted to incorporate more literacy skills. Creative writing through historical fiction provided a means for students to learn to communicate in rich ways and develop historical empathy. Check out some of the ways I scaffolded elements of historical fiction in the planning stage of writing.
Attendance Questions: getting students communicating from the first moment of class
Attendance Questions: getting students communicating from the first moment of class
Many of my students confronted high-levels of social anxiety during virtual learning. One of my goals as a student teacher was to support students in feeling comfortable talking on zoom in a trauma-informed way. While I incorporated many alternative engagement opportunities (chat, Jamboard, Peardeck, etc.) , attendance questions provided students a low-stakes opportunity to get comfortable talking aloud online while also me to build rapport with students and create a warm, inclusive classroom environment. Sometimes I tied questions to classroom learning; at other times, questions are unrelated to classroom learning. Take a look at some sample opening slides from 8th grade advisory, 8th grade American History, and 6th grade Ancient World Civilizations.
Growing literacy and social-emotional skills through increasing student access to high-interest books
Growing literacy and social-emotional skills through increasing student access to high-interest books
Developing students' literacy skills grows their communication and social emotional skills. I have thus integrated literature as a regular part of my social studies classroom. This year students do not get ELA all year. At the beginning fo the school year I identified that many of my students did not have easy access to the public or school library system. Combined these factors could contribute to less books being in their hands, less reading, and, as a consequence, literacy stagnation or even loss. Before I started my student teaching I got in contact with the San Rafael Public Library system to see in what ways we could fill this gap. At this point the library had not yet done virtual school visits. I arranged for the young adult librarian to visit 4 Social Studies and ELA classrooms to increase student awareness of the public library resources at their disposal and help them get library cards. Through this experience, several teachers and I were made aware by the public librarian that our school had access to SORA, an app that gives students access to a wider selection of e-books through their school accounts, a resource that no one at our school site was aware of at this point. We got in touch with the district and were able to get our school access. I tried as best as possible to think of literature in my classroom as a window and mirror for my students so they could use it to grow social and self-awareness and engage their affective domain.
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