I’ve been thinking of the idea of students being uninvited guests in each others’ homes and I’m going to offer some thoughts on oral communication in online spaces, and how we interpret parts of the oral ELA strand in #onted. (1)

First, I value talk in my classroom in connection with all other strands - reading, writing & media. BUT, I’ve found I’ve been rethinking some aspects of interpersonal communication that aren’t specifically reflected in the ELA curriculum (from 2007). This is new for me. (2)

Now, I’m a GenXer (you may have heard of us recently from such hashtags as #GenXZeneca). If you know anything about our generation, we were some of the first users of communication tools like Microsoft Messenger, ICQ and online chat rooms in our late teens/early 20s. (3)

I can also tell you that, as a student, I rarely participated in discussions in HS or university. I simply could not collect my thoughts fast enough and the class had moved on before I was ready to make my points. (4)

I can tell you, that these tools changed the way I interacted with the world outside of school. My first bf became my first bf because I was suddenly able to communicate using text in ways that I simply would not do on a phone or face to face. (5)

While this was pretty radical to converse this way in 1998, it’s certainly not in 2021. I asked myself, in a time when everyone is forced to converse in a virtual classroom, do we value this type of conversation on a level playing field alongside oral speaking? (6)

There is no language to describe real time, written interpersonal communication in our ELA curriculum. It is not in the writing strand. In fact, there is research to show that communicating using written text is closer to speech than writing. (7) http://selfaccessgroup.blogspot.com/2010/02/texting-is-closer-to-speech-than.html?m=1

If our goals are that students share ideas, listen to others’ ideas, and learn to deepen their thinking based on their interactions, does it matter if it’s orally? Perhaps this “in between” form of communication needs a space, not in place of, but next to oral speaking. (8)

In fact, the only place that “oral” appears is in the strand title, not the expectations themselves (go ahead, take a look!). Obviously “speaking” refers to the spoken word, but can we then say that someone without the ability to speak is not able to use their voice? (9)

If you are thinking that you do give students opportunities to “talk” both orally and using the chat or another app while online, my question for you is, how have those different opportunities been reflected in your grading practices for these expectations? (10)

We know that we grade what we value. Is the communication of kids who who choose to share and listen without turning on their mic valued in their grades as much as those who are? How are we defining speaking and listening in our classrooms in 2021, during a pandemic? (11)

Also, how does changing this thinking make our practices more inclusive for those who don’t have the physical ability to speak or listen orally but do have the ability to share and listen in alternative ways? (12)

Yes, I realize that there will be times when kids need to be confident in speaking orally for different purposes. I am not saying that we should not encourage the development of oral speaking and listening. I confer in my classroom and students do turn on mics for that. (13)

But, perhaps, as with many other things, this pandemic can help us to reframe our definitions of what it means for kids to “speak” and use their voice. We can tell them that they are not choosing the lesser of communication forms. (14)

I paste my student conversations into a doc. Here is one conversation where students were discussing what they saw, what they wondered and what ideas or messages might be present in an image. Part of this learning was me modelling how to directly respond using names. (15)

Online environments can lend themselves to monologic talk where students only respond to the teacher. Students may need some guidance at first with responding to each other directly. (16)

I use the same “progression of talk” criteria to assess these skills as I would with an oral discussion. Some students do turn on their mics (or do so over time) and I record those contributions as well. But, I do not, however, place more value on those interactions. (17) https://twitter.com/gwenblumberg/status/1373275553390805005

I am more aware of the online variables that compound the challenges that oral talk brings many students: unknown audiences (parents, siblings), tech issues, not knowing someone’s physical response to what they say. (18)

When we get back to the building, we can get back to everyone building capacity for oral talk. In the meantime, in our virtual space, I want my students to develop the knowledge and skills of rich talk in ways that are familiar and work for them and know they are valued. (19)