Comments on: Word of Mouth http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/ (bôr'dər-lănd') n. Located on or near a frontier. An indeterminate area or condition. Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:24:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Tracy http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-92413 Tracy Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:12:02 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-92413 Great activity idea, Doug! It sounds like a fun and creative way to practice public speaking. I still am a fan of show-and-tell, but for the older grades I think your suggestion is much better. Also, I checked out http://www.dedicatedteacher.com, George, and I've found it really helpful when developing my lessons. Thanks! Great activity idea, Doug! It sounds like a fun and creative way to practice public speaking. I still am a fan of show-and-tell, but for the older grades I think your suggestion is much better. Also, I checked out http://www.dedicatedteacher.com, George, and I’ve found it really helpful when developing my lessons. Thanks!

]]> By: Miss Snix http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-88704 Miss Snix Sat, 24 May 2008 12:19:28 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-88704 I tend to have the same problem, spending most of the time trying to get the noisy ones to be quiet and rarely having time to focus on bringing the quiet ones out of their shell and encouraging them to speak correctly for different situations. Great ideas have been shared here! I tend to have the same problem, spending most of the time trying to get the noisy ones to be quiet and rarely having time to focus on bringing the quiet ones out of their shell and encouraging them to speak correctly for different situations. Great ideas have been shared here!

]]> By: Elona Hartjes http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-85621 Elona Hartjes Thu, 01 May 2008 00:04:58 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-85621 Reading your post made me realize that I too have spent too little time on oral language development. I've been focusing on writing skills. thanks for making me realize this. Reading your post made me realize that I too have spent too little time on oral language development. I’ve been focusing on writing skills. thanks for making me realize this.

]]> By: Sarah Parker http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-84237 Sarah Parker Sun, 20 Apr 2008 13:09:14 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-84237 Writing is talk on paper is one of my fundamental focuses in my second grade classroom. I totally agree with you that there needs to be more of a focus on talking and oral language development. I feel so pressured as a model of oral language in my classroom. I try to choose my words so carefully and help children understand how this is reflected in my writing too. Writing is talk on paper is one of my fundamental focuses in my second grade classroom. I totally agree with you that there needs to be more of a focus on talking and oral language development. I feel so pressured as a model of oral language in my classroom. I try to choose my words so carefully and help children understand how this is reflected in my writing too.

]]> By: Clay Burell http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-84214 Clay Burell Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:46:53 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/04/09/word-of-mouth/#comment-84214 This has been on my mind with my high school students. They all give oral presentations in their classes, many are heavily involved in Speech and Debate Club, etc. But when I told them to try out for giving a presentation to a local corporation for sponsorship for Project Global Cooling, I was dismayed at how incapable they were of simply and directly informing their audience of the project's goals, methods, needs for sponsorship, and benefits returned if sponsorship was given. Over and over I told them, "Don't speechify. Don't ramble. Don't get preachy and don't try to impress. Just make your point to these busy businessmen quickly, so we can get through the presentation as quickly as possible and move into the discussion stage. Clear, direct, natural, fast. Simple." What I got instead was either memorized stuff or high-flown homework-sounding stuff. It was so bad I canceled the presentation (if this sounds harsh, realize it was our second appointment with this corporation after a dismal first showing). To me it really brought home how artificial speeches about canned subjects in front of a class are little to no preparation about talking to people naturally in a real-world setting. It's like the students are only good at "pretend speaking." Crazy. Maybe we need to drop the word "speech" and replace it with the good old, demotic "tell us what you want to say." I'm stumped, honestly. This has been on my mind with my high school students. They all give oral presentations in their classes, many are heavily involved in Speech and Debate Club, etc. But when I told them to try out for giving a presentation to a local corporation for sponsorship for Project Global Cooling, I was dismayed at how incapable they were of simply and directly informing their audience of the project’s goals, methods, needs for sponsorship, and benefits returned if sponsorship was given.

Over and over I told them, “Don’t speechify. Don’t ramble. Don’t get preachy and don’t try to impress. Just make your point to these busy businessmen quickly, so we can get through the presentation as quickly as possible and move into the discussion stage. Clear, direct, natural, fast. Simple.”

What I got instead was either memorized stuff or high-flown homework-sounding stuff. It was so bad I canceled the presentation (if this sounds harsh, realize it was our second appointment with this corporation after a dismal first showing).

To me it really brought home how artificial speeches about canned subjects in front of a class are little to no preparation about talking to people naturally in a real-world setting. It’s like the students are only good at “pretend speaking.” Crazy.

Maybe we need to drop the word “speech” and replace it with the good old, demotic “tell us what you want to say.” I’m stumped, honestly.

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