LISTENING AND SPEAKING - Pearson

1 04/06/2006 01:21 PM Page 157. FIRST PAGES. Ch apt e r LISTENING AND SPEAKING . Talk in a Community of Learners ACT THREE. The old gray rat was quick to her door and Frog was the dandy he was before. Charmed, said Rat and gave his consent. Next you'll hear how the wedding went. FROM FROG WENT A-COURTING: A MUSICAL PLAY IN SIX ACTS BY DOMINIC CATALANO. Dominic Catalano provides a familiar tale that may rekindle rich memories of an oral lan- guage performance from elementary school. A brilliant cast of characters, including Frog, Miss Mouse, Reverend Bug, and Madam Moth, and brief, easily memorized lines are accom- panied with music to this familiar song. As the opening script continues, the listener learns that Miss Mole made the wedding gown from the finest silks in town. Miss Mouse then walked down the aisle to face Reverend Bug. As the sage continues, the marriage and after- math of the wedding of Frog and Miss Mouse unfolds through delightful rhymed language.

2 157. GRIDLINE SET IN 1ST-PP TO INDICATE SAFE AREA; TO BE REMOVED AFTER 1ST-PP. 04/06/2006 01:21 PM Page 158. FIRST PAGES. 158 CHAPTER 6 LISTENING and SPEAKING The combination of music and drama readily lends itself to an enjoyable parent night per- formance. This short scripted book includes a chapter that emphasizes the importance of SPEAKING , LISTENING , oral language expression, and the value of talk in the classroom. Communication provides the key to establishing a community of learners who appreciate each other's unique personalities, voices, and talents as a natural support for mutual learning experiences. L istening and SPEAKING play mutually reinforcing roles in a literate classroom community of learners. Children and teachers who talk to each other about literature, writing, presenta- tions, research, or performances are also likely to listen to each other as they share plans, emotions, ideas, and information. As a learning community redefines the classroom setting, the role of LISTENING and SPEAKING expands beyond the traditional dominant voice of the teacher.

3 The voices of children SPEAKING and being listened to play a vital role in the learn- ing that takes place in a community setting. Talk goes on so implicitly in the classroom that its daily role and contribution to learning are often underestimated. Yet discourse supplies the language of teaching and learning that pervades the classroom (Cazden, 1988). The purpose of this chapter is to reawaken in teachers as well as students the value of talk in both formal language arts activities and in the natural social contexts of the classroom. The value of LISTENING and SPEAKING in a classroom community is grounded in several beliefs (Lundsteen, 1971). The word talk will be used in this chapter to imply the mu- tual relationship between LISTENING and SPEAKING : Talk is the vehicle that creates a safe learning environment conducive to taking risks, thus building a learning community in the classroom. Talk implies ownership as students participate in curriculum planning and make choices involving their own learning.

4 Talk is the vehicle for sharing language arts strategies that assist in learning, as- sessing, and revaluing the curriculum. Talk is the means through which students build on their ideas and the ideas of oth- ers, carrying students to higher level thinking and learning. Talk is the way students bring meaning to their world. This refreshing view of talk in the classroom holds high regard for the ability of children to learn not only from the teacher but from each other. Education, for the most part, has come a long way from the days of equating student talk with a lack of classroom discipline. Talk is now valued as a means for students to learn from each other, an opportunity to share ideas about reading and writing, and also a way to assess and evaluate each other's work. A community of learners requires support, negotiated guidelines, and clearly articulated expectations. If we want children to talk, we must give them something worthwhile to talk about.

5 Literature circles, research project groups, discussions following read-alouds, brain- storming sessions, and peer writing conferences represent means for talk to facilitate learn- ing in the classroom. Understanding the kinds of talk that are appropriate and constructive to learning is key to an effective learning community. Objectives To provide a framework for the five types of LISTENING and to introduces structured lis- tening activities. GRIDLINE SET IN 1ST-PP TO INDICATE SAFE AREA; TO BE REMOVED AFTER 1ST-PP. 04/06/2006 01:21 PM Page 159. FIRST PAGES. 159. To encourage read-alouds, interactive read-alouds, retellings, readers theatre, pup- petry, storytelling, choral reading, and oral presentations as the focus of formal, struc- tured LISTENING and SPEAKING lessons. To share informal structured talk configurations to explore the potential of talk in learning communities, both through formal structured LISTENING and SPEAKING activities and informally in structured conversational groups, and to foster an understanding of the cycles of meaning (Pierce & Gilles, 1993) that lead to authentic learning.

6 LISTENING : The Neglected Language Art Teacher LISTENING has long been referred to as the neglected language art (Landry, 1969). Prep Although teachers often assume LISTENING ability is in place when children come to school, they soon discover the art of LISTENING must be addressed through specific The Teacher Prep Web site will help you instruction and through an abundance of practical learning situations. Regard- become a better teacher by linking you to less of age or grade level, LISTENING skills must be developed, nurtured, and classroom videos, student artifacts, teach- ing strategies, lesson plans, relevant edu- practiced for a variety of receptive purposes. Because we spend 53% of our cation leadership articles, and practical time in school, in the workplace, and at leisure in the act of LISTENING (Hun- information on licensing, creating a portfo- sacker, 1989), it seems critical that more attention should be given to this neg- lio, implementing standards, and being lected language art.

7 Because LISTENING is an integral part of instruction in all successful in field experiences. Visit this re- content areas, it seldom has a specific time or place in the classroom. Some- source at times a broad approach to incorporating LISTENING across the curriculum often undermines the fact that LISTENING is a learned skill that requires directed prac- tice within the context of all learning activities. Modeling good LISTENING , providing spe- cific LISTENING instruction, and creating opportunities to practice effective LISTENING appear critical to the acquisition and development of LISTENING strategies within and beyond class- room boundaries (Brent & Anderson, 1993). LISTENING for Different Purposes Just like reading and writing, LISTENING is a process that involves the use of cueing systems at three distinct levels: (a) the phonological level, (b) the syntactic level, and (c) the se- mantic level. The phonological level focuses on sound bundles, or phonemes.

8 Discrimi- nating between different sounds eventually turns individual sounds into words, words into sentences, and sentences into a total message. At the phonological level, the listener also focuses on the intonation patterns (high/low), the variations in stress (loud/soft), and the juncture between words and sentences. At the syntactic level, the listener must focus on the order, arrangement, and endings of words to detect meaning. At the semantic level the listener must understand how words relate to each other and the way ideas are con- nected in order to process meaningful thoughts. All three cueing systems contribute to the receiving, processing, and comprehending of a message. LISTENING can effectively be categorized by the purpose that the listener assigns to the LISTENING task (Wolvin & Coakley, 1996). Five purposes of LISTENING requiring skills acquired through ongoing practice have been identified: (a) discriminative LISTENING , (b) efferent LISTENING , (c) aesthetic LISTENING , (d) critical LISTENING , and (e) therapeutic LISTENING .

9 Prior knowledge and a purpose for LISTENING direct the task and focus the listener on the reason for LISTENING , the formality or informality of the message, and what the listener will do with the message once it is received, processed, and evaluated. Discriminative LISTENING is a process that distinguishes among sounds while noting the nonverbal cues of the speaker. Such discrimination may be an auditory process in GRIDLINE SET IN 1ST-PP TO INDICATE SAFE AREA; TO BE REMOVED AFTER 1ST-PP. 04/06/2006 01:21 PM Page 160. FIRST PAGES. 160 CHAPTER 6 LISTENING and SPEAKING which the listener recognizes sounds such as consonants, vowels, syllables, and rhyming words. The listener may also discriminate between the tone and pitch of the speaker in order to interpret the urgency and importance of the message. The listener also engages in visual discrimination, interpreting the body posture, eye contact, head movement, and facial expression of the speaker.

10 In the classroom setting, discriminative LISTENING is practiced in the primary grades through phonemic awareness activities and LISTENING to rhymed poetry. In the intermediate and middle level classroom, students learn about literary devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, similes, and metaphors to better understand the use of words in context. Stu- dents who are able to focus productively discriminate between the sounds, words, or im- ages conveyed. Efferent LISTENING involves LISTENING for information and comprehension. When fo- cusing on their work, students should be able to recall the main idea as well as details and even to make inferences from the information. Oral directions, direct instruction, class presentations, and the LISTENING that occurs in conjunction with audiotapes or videotapes re- quire efferent LISTENING . Lecture formats not always the most effective instruction often result in note-taking or filling in information on a graphic organizer in the intermediate- and middle-level classroom.