Oral Communication in Ontario

Fundamental to the Development of Literacy Education 

This infographic that I designed represents the key messages related to the Oral Communication strand of the Language Arts curriculum. Oral Communication is fundamental to the development of literacy education (Language Arts Curriculum, 2006). Real purposeful talk provides students with opportunities to understand ideas, explore concepts, discuss problem solving strategies, make connections, clarify, and organize thoughts. The process of oral communication is a combination of listening and talking. This ongoing process is illustrated in the top right corner of the infographic. The instructional strategies for oral communication are listed in order of the amount of teacher support provided for each strategy. Teachers explicitly teach and model skills students need to become proficient in literacy. Students learn through shared and guided practice. The teacher provides an array of opportunities to practice independently and demonstrate their achievement of the learning expectations. Independent practice is the goal of instruction. The skyline of the city reflects the idea that oral communication “skills are essential for social interaction at home, at school and in the community” (Language Arts Curriculum, 2006, p.9). In addition, listening and speaking skills are vital tools to help students understand what they are learning in other subjects. Math, science, social studies, and the arts are highlighted in my infographic as subjects that require students to communicate what they have learned as well as what needs clarification. My infographic describes differentiated instruction in the bottom left hand corner. Differentiation depends on the individual student, their experiences, perspectives and background knowledge. Visual supports, providing additional time and technology are ways to accommodate to individual needs. There are three body figures, each a different shade of blue. This reflects the idea that the level of challenge depends on each individual student. All students are different and require different needs to be successful. The magnifying glass represents the teacher’s responsibility to discover what works best for each of their students. Assessment of oral communication is depicted in the bottom right hand corner of the infographic. I have highlighted assessment opportunities for, as and of learning illustrating how they differ and why each of them are necessary in the learning process. In conclusion, the purpose of my infographic is to visually illustrate the importance of the Oral Communication strand and how the development of listening and speaking skills are fundamental to education.