Multiple Intelligences in Communication

Faculty of Teacher Training – English Department

Course Title: Applied Communication Skills (Elective)

Instructor: Dr. Rod

Multiple Intelligences in Communication

Preparation: Go to the following web site and complete the assignment there. Print out YOUR individual Multiple Intelligence chart and bring to class: http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/questions.cfm

Above is the chart for Dr. Rod. What does it tell you about how he learns?

Note: This is an interactive worksheet which produces a Multiple Intelligences wheel based upon Gardner’s eight multiple intelligences. With thanks to Jean Maund from whom this idea originated and colleagues in the University of the First Age who helped develop the questionnaire.

To start the activity, sign in and fill in a little bit of information about yourself. You can then begin to answer the questions. When you have finished, click on the submit button. If you have not filled in all the questions you will get a warning sign telling you what questions need answering. You can print the intelligences wheel and the unique number printed on the sheet will allow you to re-visit your wheel at any time.

Now try this one:

http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html

Again, here are the results from Dr Rod.

Dr Rod’s top three intelligences:

Intelligence	Score (5.0 is highest)	Description
	4.86	Social: You like to develop ideas and learn from other people. You like to talk. You have good social skills. Effective techniques of enhancing your learning using your social intelligence include taking part in group discussions or discussing a topic one-to-one with another person. Find ways to build reading and writing exercises into your group activities, such as: Reading a dialogue or a play with other people Doing team learning/investigating projects Setting up interview questions and interviewing your family, and writing down the interview Writing notes to another instead of talking.
	4	Self: You have a very good sense of self. You like to spend time by yourself and think things over. You will often take in information from another person, mull it over by yourself, and come back to that person later to discuss it. You like working on projects on your own. You often prefer to learn by trial and error. Effective techniques to enhance your learning include keeping a journal and giving yourself time to reflect on new ideas and information. More ideas: Go on "guided imagery" tours. Set aside time to reflect on new ideas and information. Encourage journal writing. Work on the computer. Practice breathing for relaxation. Use brainstorming methods before reading. Listen to and read "how to" tapes and books. Read cookbooks.
	3.43	Language: You enjoy enjoy saying, hearing, and seeing words. You like telling stories. You are motivated by books, records, dramas, opportunities for writing. Effective techniques of enhancing your learning using your language intelligence include reading aloud, especially plays and poetry. Another idea is to write down reflections on what you’ve read. You may also enjoy exploring and developing your love of words, i.e., meanings of words, origin of words and idioms, names. Use different kinds of dictionaries. Other ideas: Keep a journal Use a tape recorder to tape stories and write them down Read together, i.e., choral reading Read a section, then explain what you’ve read Read a piece with different emotional tones or viewpoints — one angry, one happy, etc. Trade tall tales, attend story-telling events and workshops Research your name

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The scores for your other five intelligences:

3.29	3.14	3.14	2.86	1.57

Just because these five are not in your top three doesn’t mean you’re not strong in them. If your average score for any intelligence is above three, you’re probably using that intelligence quite often to help you learn.

OK, So now you know how I learn from two different online assessments. What are your strengths and weaknesses. For the next session you need to have completed the above two tests and print for me the results.

Look at the results and see if you have the same strengths on both charts, if not how would you explain the differences? (DO NOT retake the tests to manipulate your scores.)

Example 2: Alex (15 yrs Old)

Alex top three intelligences:

Intelligence	Score (5.0 is highest)	Description
	4.71	Body Movement: You like to move, dance, wiggle, walk, and swim. You are likely good at sports, and you have good fine motor skills. You may enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together. Incorporating body movement into your learning will help you process and retain information better. Here are some ideas. Trace letters and words on each other’s back. Use magnetic letters, letter blocks, or letters on index cards to spell words. Take a walk while discussing a story or gathering ideas for a story. Make pipe cleaner letters. Form letters out of bread dough. After you shape your letters, bake them and eat them! Use your whole arm (extend without bending your elbow) to write letters and words in the air. Change the place where you write and use different kinds of tools to write, ie., typewriter, computer, blackboard, or large pieces of paper. Write on a mirror with lipstick or soap. Take a walk and read all the words you find during the walk. Handle a Koosh ball or a worry stone during a study session. Take a break and do a cross-lateral walk.
	4.43	Spatial: You remember things visually, including exact sizes and shapes of objects. You like posters, charts, and graphics. You like any kind of visual clues. You enjoy drawing. Effective techniques of enhancing your learning using your spatial intelligence include creating and/or using pictures, maps, diagrams, and graphs as you learn things. Other suggestions: Write a language experience story and then illustrate it. Color code words so each syllable is a different color. Write a word on the blackboard with a wet finger. Visualize the word as it disappears. See if you can spell it afterwards. Take a survey. Put the information in a chart. Write words vertically. Cut out words from a magazine and use them in a letter. Visualize spelling words. Use colorful newspapers like USA Today. Use crossword puzzles.
	4.29	Social: You like to develop ideas and learn from other people. You like to talk. You have good social skills. Effective techniques of enhancing your learning using your social intelligence include taking part in group discussions or discussing a topic one-to-one with another person. Find ways to build reading and writing exercises into your group activities, such as: Reading a dialogue or a play with other people Doing team learning/investigating projects Setting up interview questions and interviewing your family, and writing down the interview Writing notes to another instead of talking.

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The scores for your other five intelligences:

4	3.57	3.43	3.29	3.14

Question:

How would you describe the differences between Alex and Dr Rod?

What would be the best learning environment for Alex?

How would you express that in a language arts situation?

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Introduction to the multiple intelligences

According to multiple intelligence theory, there are seven basic types of intelligence.

• Visual-spatial
• Verbal-linguistic
• Logical-mathematical
• Bodily-kinesthetic
• Musical-rhythmic
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal

Visual-spatial

This area deals with the ability to visualize with the mind’s eye, so to speak and spatial judgement. Careers which is suit those with this intelligence include, architects.

Verbal-linguistic

This area has to do with words, spoken or written. People with high verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words along with dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and discussion and debate. They are also frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and oration or persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure.

Careers that suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, philosophers, journalists, politicians, poets, and teachers.

Logical-mathematical

This area has to do with logic, abstractions, reasoning, and numbers. While it is often assumed that those with this intelligence naturally excel in mathematics, chess, computer programming and other logical or numerical activities, a more accurate definition places less emphasis on traditional mathematical ability and more reasoning capabilities, abstract patterns of recognition, scientific thinking and investigation, and the ability to perform complex calculations. It correlates strongly with traditional concepts of "intelligence" or IQ.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include scientists, mathematicians, engineers, doctors and economists.

Bodily-kinesthetic

In theory, people who have bodily-kinesthetic intelligence should learn better by involving muscular movement (e.g. getting up and moving around into the learning experience), and are generally good at physical activities such as sports or dance. They may enjoy acting or performing, and in general they are good at building and making things. They often learn best by doing something physically, rather than [by] reading or hearing about it. Those with strong bodily-kinesthetic intelligence seem to use what might be termed muscle memory – they remember things through their body such as verbal memory or images.

Careers that suit those with this intelligence include: athletes, dancers, musicians, actors, surgeons, doctors, builders, police officers, and soldiers. Although these careers can be duplicated through virtual simulation, they will not produce the actual physical learning that is needed in this intelligence

Musical-rhythmic

This area has to do with rhythm, music, and hearing. Those who have a high level of musical-rhythmic intelligence display greater sensitivity to sounds, rhythms, tones, and music. They normally have good pitch and may even have absolute pitch, and are able to sing, play musical instruments, and compose music. Since there is a strong auditory component to this intelligence, those who are strongest in it may learn best via lecture. Language skills are typically highly developed in those whose base intelligence is musical. In addition, they will sometimes use songs or rhythms to learn and memorize information.

Careers that suit those with this intelligence include instrumentalists, singers, conductors, disc-jockeys, orators, writers and composers.

Interpersonal

This area has to do with interaction with others. In theory, people who have a high interpersonal intelligence tend to be extroverts, characterized by their sensitivity to others’ moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations, and their ability to cooperate in order to work as part of a group. They communicate effectively and empathize easily with others, and may be either leaders or followers. They typically learn best by working with others and often enjoy discussion and debate.

Careers that suit those with this intelligence include sales, politicians, managers, teachers and social workers.

Intrapersonal

This area has to do with introspective and self-reflective capacities. People with intrapersonal intelligence are intuitive and typically introverted. They are skillful at deciphering their own feelings and motivations. This refers to having a deep understanding of the self; what are your strengths/ weaknesses, what makes you unique, can you predict your own reactions/ emotions.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include philosophers, psychologists, theologians, lawyers, and writers. People with intrapersonal intelligence also prefer to work alone.

Naturalistic

This area has to do with nature, nurturing and relating information to one’s natural surroundings. They learn best by collecting and analyzing.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include naturalists, farmers, and gardeners.

Existential

This area has do to with philosophical issues of life. The learn best by thinking analytical questions.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include readers, religious speakers.

Use in education

Traditionally, schools have emphasized the development of logical intelligence and linguistic intelligence (mainly reading and writing). In fact, IQ tests (given to about 1,000,000 students each year) focus mostly on logical and linguistic intelligence. While many students function well in this environment, there are those who do not. Gardner’s theory argues that students will be better served by a broader vision of education, wherein teachers use different methodologies, exercises and activities to reach all students, not just those who excel at linguistic and logical intelligence.

Many teachers see the theory as simple common sense. Some say that it validates what they already know: that students learn in different ways. On the other hand, James Traub’s article in The New Republic notes that Gardner’s system has not been accepted by most academics in intelligence or teaching.

George Miller, the esteemed psychologist credited with discovering the mechanisms by which short term memory operates, wrote in The New York Times Book Review that Gardner’s argument boiled down to "hunch and opinion" (p. 20). Gardner’s subsequent work has done very little to shift the balance of opinion. A recent issue of Psychology, Public Policy, and Law devoted to the study of intelligence contained virtually no reference to Gardner’s work. Most people who study intelligence view M.I. theory as rhetoric rather than science, and they’re divided on the virtues of the rhetoric.

The application of the theory of multiple intelligences varies widely. It runs the gamut from a teacher who, when confronted with a student having difficulties, uses a different approach to teach the material, to an entire school using MI as a framework. In general, those who subscribe to the theory strive to provide opportunities for their students to use and develop all the different intelligences, not just the few at which they naturally excel.

A Harvard-led study of 41 schools using the theory came to the conclusion that in these schools there was "a culture of hard work, respect, and caring; a faculty that collaborated and learned from each other; classrooms that engaged students through constrained but meaningful choices, and a sharp focus on enabling students to produce high-quality work.”

Of the schools implementing Gardner’s theory, the most well-known is “New City School”, in St. Louis, Missouri, which has been using the theory since 1988. The school’s teachers have produced two books for teachers, Celebrating Multiple Intelligences and Succeeding With Multiple Intelligences and the principal, Thomas Hoerr, has written Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School as well as many articles on the practical applications of the theory. The school has also hosted four conferences, each attracting over 200 educators from around the world and remains a valuable resource for teachers interested in implementing the theory in their own classrooms.

See also http://www.miinstitute.info/ Multiple Intelligence Institute. – The Multiple Intelligences (MI) Institute is committed to the understanding and application of Multiple Intelligences Theory in educational settings, from pre-school through adult education. Through our online course and support channels, face to face professional development, consulting services, and curriculum and resource development offerings, we support programs and educators seeking to tap into Multiple Intelligences and pedagogical framework to create and provide learner-centered, goal-driven applications of Multiple Intelligences Theory in any learning context.

Sources: http://www.miinstitute.info/ Multiple Intelligence Institute

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences Wikipedia – Theory of Multiple Intelligence

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/questions.cfm Birmingham Grid for Learning.

http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html – Literacy Works

English Forum – Additional Resource

Faculty of Teacher Training – English Department

Course Title: Advanced English Language IV

Instructor: Dr. Rod

Ardian in Year 2 – Advanced Skills IV class has created the forum listed below for discussion of events in class as well as various other topics. I encourage all my SEE University students to sign on and actively participate – you never know – it might get you extra credit!

http://enforum.justgoo.com/forum.htm

Importance of Soft skills development in education

Faculty of Teacher Training – English Department

Course Title: Applied Communication Skills (Elective)

Instructor: Dr. Rod

E-mail:  sjrod55@gmail.com

Importance of Soft Skills Development in Education

What are Soft Skills?

“Soft skills” can be said to incorporate all aspects of generic skills that include the cognitive elements associated with non-academic skills. Soft skills are identified to be the most critical skills in the current global job market especially in a fast moved era of technology. The reorientation of education which is one trust of education for sustainability also relates the importance of these so-called soft skills.

Vast research and expert opinions have been sought in the effort to determine the specific soft skills to be implemented and used in higher institutions of learning.  Based on the research findings obtained, seven soft skills have been identified and chosen to be implemented in all institutions of higher learning here. They are:

i. Communicative skills.

ii. Thinking skills and Problem solving skills.

iii. Team work force

iv.. Life-long learning and Information Management

v. Entrepreneur skill

vi.. Ethics, moral and professionalism

vii. Leadership skills

Each of the above soft skills comprised of several sub-skills. These sub-skills are divided into two categories of implementation. The first category delineates the soft skills that every individual must have and the second category represents soft skills that are good to have. Despite the emphasis being put on the soft skills that must be present (must have), it is also encouraged to inculcate the soft skills that are good to have. All elements of soft skills must be acquired by each individual student and evaluated effectively and comprehensively. Table 1 shows the seven soft skills and the two categories of sub-skills respectively.

The must have soft skills must be acquired by each and every individual in the institutions of higher learning without which, the student is regarded as incompetent in the above skill. The good to have soft skills can be regarded as the additional generic skills and a bonus to the student. If these skills are acquired by the students together with the must have soft skills. Table 1 gives a detail description of the different categories of implementation for each of the sub-skills for the respective seven soft skills.

It can be observed that education is an essential tool for achieving sustainability. We all realized that the current economic development trends are not sustainable and that ….

Table 1           the Must Have and Good To Have Elements of Soft Skills

No.	Soft Skills	Must Have Elements (Sub-Skills)	Good To Have Elements (Sub-Skills)
1.	Communicative Skills	Ability to deliver idea clearly, effectively and with confidence either orally or in writing Ability to practice active listening skill and respond. Ability to present clearly and confidently to the audience.	Ability to use technology during presentation. Ability to discuss and arrive at a consensus. Ability to communicate with individual from a different cultural background. Ability to expand one’s own communicative skill. Ability to use non-oral skills.
2.	Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills	Ability to identify and analyze problems in difficult situation and make justifiable evaluation. Ability to expand and improve thinking skills such as explanation, analysis and evaluate discussion. Ability to find ideas and look for alternative solutions.	Ability to think beyond.. Ability to make conclusion based on valid proof. Ability to withstand and give full responsibility. Ability to understand and accommodate oneself to the varied working environment.
3.	Team Work	Ability to build a good rapport , interact and work effectively with others. Ability to understand and play the role of a leader and follower alternatively. Ability to recognize and respect other’s attitude, behavior and beliefs.	Ability to give contribution to the planning and coordinate group work. Responsible towards group decision.
4.	Life-Long Learning & Information Management Skill	Ability to find and manage relevant information from various sources. Ability to receive new ideas performs autonomy learning.	Ability to develop an inquiry mind and seek knowledge.
5.	Entrepreneurship skill	Ability to identify job opportunities.	Ability to propose business opportunity. Ability to build, explore and seek business opportunities and job. Ability to be self-employed.
6.	Ethics, Moral & Professional	Ability to understand the economy crisis, environment and social cultural aspects professionally. Ability to analyze make problem solving decisions related to ethics.	Ability to practice ethical attitudes besides having the responsibility towards society.
7.	Leadership skill	Knowledge of the basic theories of leadership. Ability to lead a project.	Ability to understand and take turns as a leader and follower alternatively. Ability to supervise members of a group.

….public awareness, education and training are the key elements to move our society towards sustainability. Only a quality future human capital can envision development of its nation to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, the inculcation of soft skills among the students will be two prongs, to produce quality human capital and to develop their knowledge, understanding, values and skills as well. How the two skills blend together will be discussed here.

(1)        Communicative Skills

The communicative skills involve effective communication in both the national language and English language in different contexts and with different people. There are eight sub-skills under communicative skills of which three are the must have skills and five are the good to have skills. Communicative skills are an integral part of any education system either in higher education or lower education. As mentioned earlier, in many countries, basic education or primary education is mandatory and it focuses on reading, writing and ciphering. People learn to read books, write letters, figure accounts and develop skills necessary to fulfil their expected roles in their households and community. At this very level, emphasis has been given to develop the communicative skills of individual so that by the time they leave college, they are able to participate in public and community activities and decision making. What is found to be missing in the nation’s present human capital is the lack of communicative skills. The absence of good communicative skills somehow or rather has an influence on the poor presentation of their views and decisions made to gain others confidence and respect. Communicative skills have also been greatly emphasized in the reorientation of basic education for ESD (Education for Sustainable development) which is: the ability to communicate effectively (both orally and in writing). The communicative skill seemed to be one important component that lacks in the future human capital. The incompetence of the future graduates to master both languages will be a set-back to a lot of potential development and advancement of the country. Thus, this is a good time to reorientate the curriculum of higher institutions to embed communicative skills.

2.         Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

This skill includes the ability to think critically, creatively, innovatively and analytically. It also involves the ability to apply knowledge and understanding to new and different problems as well. For ESD to be successful, it must give people practical skills that will enable them to continue learning after they leave school, to have a sustainable livelihood and to live sustainable lives. The critical thinking skills, skills to organize and interpret data and information, skills to formulate questions and the ability to analyze issues that confront communities are greatly addressed in the reorientation of basic education in ESD. The following are some examples of skills that comply with ESD and some of these skills are similar to the soft skills being emphasized in the curriculum of higher education. The ability to think about systems (both natural and social sciences).

(i) The ability to think in time-to forecast, to think ahead, and to plan.

(ii) The ability to think critically about value issues.

(iii) The ability to separate number, quantity, quality and values.

All the above skills are important and ‘most’ students will require them as the grow into adults.

(iii)       The Skill of Team Work

The ability to work with people from different social and cultural backgrounds to achieve a common goal. Students are encouraged to play their role in the group and to respect opinions and attitudes of others in the group. They are also expected to contribute to the group’s plan and coordinate the group’s effort besides being responsible to the group’s decision. This skill is also part of ESD as stated in the reorientation of basic education: the ability to work cooperatively with other people. If the future human capital can attain these skills, we can be rest assure that the future generation will collaborate ideas and cooperate a taskforce towards the well-being of the nation.

(iv)       Life-Long Learning and Management of Information

This skill involves an effort to learn to be independent or self-regulated learning in acquiring skills and new knowledge. The ability to find and manage relevant information from various sources is also a criterion of this soft skill. Besides this, students are also expected to develop an inquiry mind and crave for knowledge. As mentioned earlier, these characteristics are equally important in ESD in order for an individual to be media literate and consumer knowledgeable. Life-long learning will enable individuals to accumulate as much knowledge and skills over the years.  The ability to manage information well will allow an individual to distinguish between good and bad, to adopt the best practices and to make sound decisions.

(v)        Entrepreneurship skill

The ability to seek business opportunity and develop risk awareness. It also involves being creative and innovative in activities related to business and tasks. To design and plan business propositions and the ability to be self employed.  This skill can in some ways contribute to the society if the training and practice is done for a good purpose.

(vi)       Ethics, Moral and Professional

The ability to practice a high moral standard in professional tasks and social interaction. This skill also includes the ability to analyze ethical problems and make problem solving decisions. Having a sense of responsibility towards society is another criterion of this soft skill.

(vii)      Leadership skill

The ability to lead in various activities and tasks. This is an important criterion in ESD for planning and implementing ideas in a group. This skill is also important to lead in discussion and make decision.

Model for implementing soft skills in higher education

A holistic approach is used to plan and implement the soft skills among students of higher education. This approach is based on the combination of several programs and main activities; formal teaching and learning activities (include all curricular and co-curricular elements); support programs (academic and non-academic focused) and the students? campus life (students? residences and the campus surroundings). Figure 1 shows the framework for implementing soft skills among students of higher institutions. In general, the development of soft skills among the students via the formal teaching and learning activities takes two models: (i) stand alone and (ii) embedded..

(i)         Stand Alone Subject Model

This model uses the approach of training and providing opportunities to students to develop soft skills through specific courses that are carefully planned for this purpose. Usually, these subjects are offered as university courses (such as English language, entrepreneurship, etc) and elective courses (such as public speaking, critical thinking, etc). The courses in this category are often a part of the overall requirements that make up the program. The number of courses and credits in this category depends on the curriculum design and the requirements of the program. The stand alone subject model can also be initiated by encouraging students to sign-up several additional courses which can be accumulated to be a minor course which is different from the initial program signed-up. For example, a student who is pursuing an engineering program is encouraged to take minor courses in management or mass communication. However, such an approach will require an increase in the number of credits and time spent for the particular program.

(ii)        Embedded Model

This model uses the approach of embedding the soft skills in the teaching and learning activities across the curriculum. It does not require the student to take special courses as in the stand alone subject model. Instead the students are trained to master the soft skills through various formal teaching and learning activities that are planned and carried out using specific strategies and methods. In this way, the content and learning outcomes to be achieved for the respective courses are maintained. The learning outcomes related to the soft skills will be integrated and be part of the learning outcomes of the respective courses. This is the suggested model to be implemented in all the courses for the different programs in institutions of higher learning. Each element of soft skills is spelled out in the learning outcomes and then translated into the instructional plan for the semester. This is followed by implementing several teaching and learning activities such as questioning, class discussion, brain storming, team work, presentation, role play and simulation, task/project, field work and site visits.

In general, the development of soft skills using the embedded model requires the expertise of the lecturers to use the various teaching strategies and methods that are entirely student-centered. It also involves active teaching and learning and students should participate actively in the activities. Some of the appropriate strategies and methods that are practical include (i) learning by questioning, (ii) cooperative learning, (iii) problem-based learning (PBL), (iv) e-learning.

(iii)       Combination of Stand Alone Subject Model and Embedded Model

Each of the respective models described above has its weaknesses and strengths. From the framework, planning, implementing and assessment, the stand alone model is definitely at an advantage. This is because the course or subject is specially developed to assist students to acquire the soft skills. However, this model lacked the opportunity for students to develop and acquire soft skills as integrated with other knowledge and skills in the major discipline studied. The existing number of credits for the respective program is also a constraint for students to sign-up for additional courses on soft skills.

On the contrary, the framework, planning, implementing and assessment of the embedded model are more challenging than the stand alone model. This model requires the lecturers to master specific teaching and learning skills and then apply these skills in teaching the respective core courses for the specific program. However, when carefully planned and used the appropriate teaching and learning strategies, this model is more effective in developing and acquiring the soft skills as integration with the other knowledge and skills in the program. In addition, this model does not require any additional courses to the already existing courses of the respective program.

Based on the weaknesses and strengths discussed, the higher education institutes are encouraged to use the embedded model as compared to the stand alone model. This is because the embedded model focus on student centered learning such experiential learning, problem-based learning and gives students the practical experience as well.

Development of soft skills through support programs

This involves programs and activities that are created, developed and used to support soft skills either directly or indirectly. In general, the program and activity can be divided into two: (i) academic support program and (ii) non-academic support program.

The academic support program is to help students acquire the soft skills that are associated with academic matters. Some of these programs include ‘Learning Skills’ and the English Language Support Program (ELSP).

As for the non-academic support program, it assists students to acquire the soft skills that are not related to academic matters but more of personality and professional development of the students. Most of the programs and activities are in the form of co-curriculum and extra co-curriculum.

The development of soft skills through Campus Life Activities.

Most university students spend half of their student life living in residences in the university campus. As such, institutions of higher learning should use this golden opportunity to develop their soft skills. This can be done through carefully crafted programs and carrying them out in the conducive campus grounds.

Conclusion

To live to the challenge of globalization which is in line with the era of information economy, the strength of a nation is strongly dependent on the ability of its citizen to be highly intellectual and skillful. The development of human capital is thus important and necessary since it drives the nation to the envision vision and mission. Without a quality human capital, a nation will be weak as there is no human factor that is capable to embark on new initiatives and perspectives. A quality human capital comes from a quality education process. A carefully designed and well planned education system is critical to developing such human capital. Thus, institution of higher learning plays a very important role to produce a human capital that is highly knowledgeable and skillful to meet the demand and expectations of many people. The teaching and learning processes in institutions of higher learning should be capable to provide such knowledge and skills to future graduates.

Teaching Strategies:

Faculty of Teacher Training

English Department

Course Title: Applied English Skills (Elective)

Instructor: Dr. Rod

E-mail: sjrod55@gmail.com

Teaching Strategies:

As a teacher working with students who are also not native English speakers you are likely to encounter many international students in your career. Their levels of English fluency will vary. Some may have spoken English in school from a young age, while others may be new to the language. English is relatively challenging to learn, and some students will have difficulty with it. I offer the following table as a teaching guide.

Teaching Strategies Chart

	EASIER STRATEGIES	MODERATE STRATEGIES	ADVANCED STRATEGIES
CRITERIA	Don’t assume lack of comprehension simply because a student’s spoken English is heavily accented, or assume high levels of comprehension simply because of oral fluency. Get to know the students.	Be aware of the difference between the student who makes a variety of grammatical or lexical errors and the one who makes the same kind of error often.	Point out the most prevalent error pattern and ask the student to concentrate on that pattern when editing.
LECTURE	Highlight key points and articulate them in more than one way. Write key terms on the board or overhead. Give students breathing room by illustrating key points anecdotally rather than packing too many ideas and factual support into your presentation.	Provide written handouts for key ideas and instructions. Vary presentation methods and forms of student-teacher interaction. Supplement oral presentations with visual material.	Build rhetorical and actual questions into lectures. Supplement visual with oral information and vice versa. Supplement exposition with interactive exchange of information.
READING	Check reading comprehension by giving short writing assignments – abstracts, brief summaries, and brief responses to text. Regularly read student writing and clarify concepts and facts for students who have repeated difficulty.	Help students understand how to use the dictionary strategically for field specific and frequently used academic terms. Provide study questions or lists of key terms. Ask students to identify terms or concepts they think are unclear.	Have students write about passages of text that don’t make sense or that seem contradictory to them. Illustrate how word form affects the meaning of key terms and concepts.
DISCUSSION	Periodically review and ask questions about main points. Be sensitive to the reluctance of students to speak voluntarily. Acknowledge the difficulty of some concepts.	Have students write and talk in small groups before asking them to articulate answers to interpretive and sophisticated questions in whole-class discussion.	Imagine the ways that students are likely to experience confusion and ask questions that will illustrate the potential for confusion in the material.
PAPERS	Encourage students to share rough drafts with you and focus first on content, not grammatical error or stylistic weakness.	Suggest ways to improve drafts by separating issues of organization and content from issues of language error. Encourage language improvement by noting one or two most pervasive errors at the word or sentence level.	Address key problems with comprehensibility, pointing out the elements that create confusion for you as a reader. Encourage self-editing with a focus on pervasive patterns of error.
STRUCTURE	Encourage students to come to office hours by bringing a sign-up sheet. When returning an assignment, issue a written invitation to see you.	Allow students to do oral presentations (at least the first one) in groups or pairs, and build in practice time. Offer review sessions before exams.	Offer a variety of group work opportunities. Let students select tasks that emphasize their strengths.
ASSESSMENT	When writing questions, express them in simple, clear language, avoiding confusing constructions such as double negatives. Emphasize the value of authentic work and redrafting or editing.	Assess students’ comprehension early in the quarter and frequently. Provide instructive comments on written assignments and invite those who are having trouble to make an appointment to see you.	Ask students to submit all drafts of work to you with editors’, tutors’, and your comments visible to assure work is their own.

7 Rules For a Successful Communication Approach With Non-native English Speakers

Faculty of Teacher Training

English Department

Course Title: Applied English Skills (Elective)

Instructor: Dr. Rod

E-mail: sjrod55@gmail.com

7 Rules For a Successful Communication Approach With Non-native English Speakers

Poor communication with non-native speakers may create feelings of alienation, hostility, and resistance due to the ineffective use of English. Those feelings could create an unfavorable working environment.

Here are 7 rules for a successful communication approach when you interact with non-native English speakers:

1. Never assume that non-native English speakers understand and speak English. Do not presume that they are capable of using English as fluently as native English speakers. Address differences in language and communication difficulties to create a communication-friendly environment.
2. Show non-native speakers that you are making an effort to speak their language. You do not have to be fluent in the language they speak. Try to learn important words and expressions to make a positive impression. If non-native speakers see that you are trying to speak their language, they will make an effort to speak your language.
3. Prepare differently. You cannot interact with a non-native speaker the same way you communicate with a native English speaker. Be aware of specific difficulties and prepare ahead of time. Before a conference call, meeting, or presentation, send a prepared written document to the non-native participants. Detail important items and action plans in clear and precise English.
4. Be creative. During a conference call, meeting, or presentation, it is important to improvise. Creativity is a key element in successful communication with non-native English speakers. Be attentive to their body language and non-verbal communication. Look for signs that they do not understand. If you sense that your message is not clear, be creative and use different words or sentence constructions. Do not hesitate to clarify by asking, "Is that clear?" and "What questions do you have?"
5. Use a thesaurus. A thesaurus is the most useful tool a native English speaker can use with a non-native speaker. One vital element of effective communication is the ability to systematically use different words if one word is not clear. If there is a word that a non-native speaker has difficulty with, replace it with a synonym.
6. Keep a journal. Communicating with non-native English speakers is a learning process. It takes time to see which methods and techniques work effectively. If you write down your interactions, you can see the techniques that work and the problems to avoid.
7. Smile! A smile is universal and communicates more than words. When you are sincere, a smile represents patience, warmth, kindness, and empathy. Those are important qualities you must have when you communicate with non-native English speakers.

Applied Communication Skills (Elective) Course Outline

Faculty of Teacher Training – English Department

Instructor: Dr. Rod

E-mail: sjrod55@gmail.com

Course description: 

Applied Communications Skills is designed to focus on those who are going to be teaching core and additional subjects IN English to NON Native English speakers – i.e. Teachers who use English as a Second Language teaching subjects others than English in English.  The focus of the course will be on identifying the challenges of teaching in this environment as well as the development of strategies that allow you to become an effective and successful teacher or presenter. We will be combining (integrating) the various skills in a flexible, creative manner so that students with varying needs can still meet their own academic, personal and professional objectives.  To this end, the methodological approach will be communicative with pedagogical emphasis on teaching in an ESL environment.

Attendance policy:

In accordance with the university’s attendance policy, students must attend 70% of the meetings in order to be able to pass the course.  If a student misses more than 30 % of the classes, the student will automatically fail the course, regardless of performance on the assignments.  The dismissal of excused absences (medical appointments, family emergencies, etc.) will be taken up on a case by case basis.

Assessment:

Attendance	10 %
Homework	10 %
Interview	10 %
Debate	10 %
Reading skill (reading for gist & reading for details)	10 %
Oral interaction (conversation & argument )	10 %
Listening activities	10 %
Writing assignments	20 %
Quizzes	10 %
Total	100 %

Assessment in this course will be continuous (ongoing).  Students therefore should be advised that each and every meeting is crucial to their success in the course.  The students will be assessed for these components:

Please be well aware that while there will not be formalized mid and final year examinations, the continuous assessments, in total, have the same effect and weigh equally.

Grading Rubric:

Grade Scale	Grade Description	Grade Points
95% – 100%	Excellent	10.0
86% – 94%	Very good	9.0
77% – 85%	Good	8.0
68% – 76%	Satisfactory	7.0
60% – 67%	Passing	6.0
59% – below	Failing	5.0
	Incomplete (IN)	0.0

Incomplete (IN): An incomplete grade may be assigned if a student has not finished all course requirements by the end of the semester, but has completed a substantial amount of the work. It is the student’s responsibility to bring pertinent information to the teacher and to reach an agreement on how the remaining course requirements will be satisfied. If requirements are not completed within one year, a failing grade is automatically assigned.

WEEK 1	Introduction to Applied Communication Skills – Overview, present situation and history of ESL teaching within an multi cultural, ethnic classroom
WEEK 2	The philosophy behind multi cultural classrooms and learning environments. What happens when you have 13 mother tongues in one room? How to establish the ground rules.
WEEK 3	Available resources and how to use them. Challenges of those resources and how to identify which resources best meet the needs of your audience
WEEK 4	Developing educational goals and outlines, establishing the expectations of: the student, the teacher/institution and client or parent
WEEK 5	Presentation in groups of 2 on the first 4 weeks work. Essay on ‘The challenges and advantages of multi lingual, cultural and ethnic teaching situations.
WEEK 6	Adapting available resources for an audience that cannot or does not culturally relate to the materials available vs. using available materials regardless of cultural understanding.
WEEK 7	Designing and adapting your presentation techniques using all available media to get across to your student/audience the main points you are presenting.
WEEK 8	Plan a sample 15 minute lesson on a topic of your choice and present it to a group of 6 students – (Three groups in the class) Rotate the teacher and topic.
WEEK 9	Working with less capable students. Consideration of the home and neighbourhood environment. Family conditions. Accounting for deficits in language acquisition.
WEEK 10	Presentation in groups of 2 on the second 3 weeks work. Mini project on adapting resources vs. creating resources.
WEEK 11	Design a course unit for a specific group of students (assigned by the professor) – describe the challenges of the course design as well as how you overcame them.
WEEK 12	Review of current educational methodologies and practical examples using videos of teachers/trainers in classroom situations – analysis by class.
WEEK 13	Presentation of 15 minute lessons to and using your fellow classmates.

All of the above is subject to change.

SEEU Advanced Skills IV and Applied Communications Skills Classes

Welcome SEEU students. There is a lot of information on this site and even more on the links that are here. Try out the vocabulary especially and work towards improving your skills. Also as we look at Lord of the Flies read through the notes and background information. I will be interested in your comments as potential English Teachers!

Dr. Rod