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Oral
Language: Domains of Oral Language: Speaking
Speaking
is a primary means that people use to communicate. Therefore, it
is important for students to be able to express themselves effectively
through oral language. To assist students in developing adequate
oral language, teachers should be aware of several issues:
- Although
many adults take speaking skills for granted, both students with
learning disabilities and their teachers may find this domain
challenging. Students may have difficulty with a variety of expressive
language skills ranging from vocabulary development to more complex
abilities, such as the development of appropriate uses of figurative
language, sarcasm, or humor.
- Effective
language skills instruction builds upon the skills the student
already brings to the learning environment. Effective teachers
present instruction in context and use intense practice to reinforce
what is being taught.
- Teachers
can collaborate with speech/language pathologists to help students
improve language skills.
- Children
who speak a nonstandard dialect may encounter challenges in transferring
their knowledge of spoken English into literacy skills. This is
because the sound-letter correspondence for certain dialects is
obscured by pronunciations that differ markedly from the way words
are written in standard English. It is important for teachers
to be aware of these differences, while avoiding negative stereotypes
or lowered expectations based on dialect. One way to handle this
is to teach students that it is natural for people to speak different
dialects. Suggest that students use the dialect they are most
comfortable with when speaking socially, and use the standard
dialect for schoolwork.
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