qlwg skills for life - · pdf filethe learner must decide whether formal or informal language...

QLWG Skills for Life

Acknowledgements Published by: Quebec Literacy Working Group:

Central Québec School Board: Patti L. Moore Eastern Shores School Board: Debrah Adams Eastern Townships School Board: Ilze Epners English Montreal School Board: Mario Pasteris and Mary Gouskos Kativik School Board: Carmelle Castonguay Lester B. Pearson School Board: Denise Llewellyn Littoral School Board: David Roberts New Frontiers School Board: Maria Gudzio Riverside School Board: Linda Martin Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board: Darlene Brown Western Québec School Board: Warren Halligan

Project Coordinator: Patti L. Moore Author: Vicki-Ann Huegli Project Supervisor: PROCEDE (Provincial Organization of Continuing Education Directors – English) Proofreading: Vérifikation Anglaise: Karen Ingalls Cover Design: Creative Solutions Créatives: Vilnis Epners Additional Expertise: Teachers, Tutors, Students and

Local Animators from the following groups who field-tested the units:

Central Québec School Board Chateauguay Valley Literacy Council Eastern Shores School Board Eastern Townships School Board English Montreal School Board Gaspesie Literacy Council Kativik School Board Laurentian Literacy Council The Learning Exchange Literacy in Action Literacy Unlimited

Littoral School Board Lester B. Pearson School Board New Frontiers School Board Quebec City Reading Council Riverside School Board Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board South Shore Reading Council Western Quebec Literacy Council Western Québec School Board Yamaska Literacy Council

ISBN Number: 978-0-9812349-0-8

© Copyright QLWG Skills for Life Series, 2008

QLWG Skills for Life Series Tutor Support: Communication Skills #10 of 30 units

Assessment of Student Comprehension and Progress

The Tutor Support Guide provides a sequential list of questions for you to review with the distance education learner. These questions will help you to monitor and guide learner progress. This document will help you to record progress as you review different sections of the QLWG’s Skills for Life units with the learner. Name of Student: _____________________________________________________________________

Unit Title: _____________________________________________________________________

Pages Reviewed: _____________________________________________________________________

Date: _____________________________________________________________________

Progress Indicator

The learner…

Competent

Needs to develop

competence

Observations/Comments

1. adequately responds to questions on the unit of study.

2. demonstrates a sufficient level of comfort with concepts presented in the unit.

3. demonstrates an ability to work independently to complete tasks.

4. provides evidence of task completion.

5. can use personal learning style and strategies to complete tasks.

6. can connect the theme to his or her own life.

General Observations: ______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Checking for Progress and Comprehension


Tutor Support: Communication Skills

Overview: The purpose of this unit is to help learners understand the value of communication. It targets important aspects of communication such as speaking, using body language, distinguishing between informal and formal language, forming an opinion and understanding the importance of listening, questioning and clarifying. In particular, learners are asked to observe and record aspects of communication that they experience in everyday life. Ideally, this process of observation and learning within the learner’s environment will become instinctual and, in turn, be applied to future learning situations. The Unit at a Glance:

• Analyze the effects of how one communicates (tone, expression, body language). • Learn about informal versus formal language (“yeah” versus “yes”). • Learn when formal language is important (example: a job interview). • Practice communicating. • Develop the skills to voice an opinion. • Develop an awareness of communication clarity (speaking and writing). • Keep a communication log. • Analyze different forms of communication. • Read an article on the effects of body language.

Checking for Comprehension You are provided with a list of questions for various sections of this unit of study. You can check for learner progress by asking questions on the section of the workbook that that your student has worked on (or is working on). Whenever possible, you are provided with the correct answers to questions (in green). For the most part, however, answers will vary. When the learner responds to a question, verify that he or she both understands key concepts and is progressing at an appropriate rate. As a distance education tutor, you should also check for the learner’s level of comfort and ability with the work. Always consider the following:

Does he/she understand? Can he/she do the activities? How is he/she doing with reading? How is he/she doing with writing?

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Discussion Questions to Monitor Progress, Comprehension and Task Completion

Pages 1-8 of the student workbook The first part of this unit introduces the concept of communication. It explains what communication is and provides examples of different forms of communication. Check for Comprehension:

1. What is communication? To communicate is to share and/or receive thoughts, ideas or feelings.

2. How does communication work? Communication takes place when someone sends a message that is received by another person.

3. How can the way a person communicates affect their message? Answers will vary. Check for general understanding (tone, body language, expressions, etc. affect the message).

4. Describe some different ways to communicate. Face-to-face communication Telephone communication Written communication Internet Listening Body language, tone and facial expression

5. Why is communication important?

Answers will vary. Check for general understanding: communication allows us to create good relationships with the people around us. The way we get along with friends, family, co-workers, bosses, teachers, and even strangers, largely depends on how we communicate.

6. How do you like to communicate best?

Answers will vary. Check for level of comfort with communication skills.

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Pages 9-12 of the student workbook This section discusses the forms and effects of media communication. Check for Comprehension:

1. What is media communication? Television, radio, the Internet, magazines, books or newspapers.

2. Why should you question messages from the media?

Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension and critical thinking abilities.

3. What media message did you analyze?

Answers will vary. Check for task completion. 4. What did you discover when you analyzed a message from the media?

Answers will vary. Check for task completion and critical thinking abilities. Pages 13-16 of the student workbook In this section, the learner is asked to consider “The Art of Communication” and complete a questionnaire on how to communicate best for different situations.

1. The learner is asked to complete a chart “How to Communicate Best” (Part 1). Review the responses for different communication situations (How to Communicate Best): NOTE: The learner will do this exercise again later in this unit to see if

their answers change. 1. Your best friend calls you. He/she is very upset about something. 2. You are at a job interview. You really want the job. Your potential employer

asks you about yourself. 3. You are walking to work and a stranger asks you for directions. 4 It’s Saturday night – you are out with your friends. You are talking about old

times. 5. You have a meeting with your boss to discuss your future with the company. 6. You are at lunch with an old friend. He asks for your advice on a serious

matter. 7. Your teacher reminds you about an exam. 8. The mother of a close friend dies and you want to send your condolences. 9. Your boss calls to see if you can fill in for a co-worker on your day off. 10. You are at a friend’s wedding. You are sitting next to a nice elderly couple.

They ask you how you know the bride and groom.

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Pages 17-27 of the student workbook This section examines different ways to communicate, placing particular emphasis on formal versus informal forms of communication. Check for Comprehension:

1. What is formal communication? When do you use it? Formal language is proper and professional. Use formal language when you write essays, apply for a job, talk to a boss or teacher, etc.

2. What is informal communication? When do you use it?

Informal is friendly/familiar language that is often used when talking or writing to family or friends.

3. What is slang? When should you use it?

Slang is colourful words or sayings (usually used in a certain region or by a certain group). It is okay to use with close friends and family.

4. What is a contraction? When should you use it? A contraction is when a word is shortened. For example: “She is” becomes “she’s”. Contractions are okay when speaking, but should only be used in informal writing.

5. How is a formal letter different than an informal letter? Answers will vary. Check for comprehension of concepts.

6. When are informal contractions and slang okay in email?

Only when writing to close friends.

7. The learner must decide whether formal or informal language is being used in different scenarios and then decide whether it is appropriate or not (page 24 of the student workbook). Check for comprehension and task completion:

Scenario Formal or Informal

Situation?

Is the language appropriate for the

situation? Bob greets a perspective employer by shaking

her hand and saying, “Hello, nice to meet you.” Formal Yes

Jill runs into an old friend and says, “Hey!

Wassup?”

Informal Yes

Jack asks a veteran, “What the heck was the war like?” at a Remembrance Day ceremony.

Informal No

Carol is at a restaurant. She says, “Could I have more ketchup please?” to her waitress.

Formal Yes

A stranger asks Sam for directions and he answers, “Dunno how to get there.”

Informal No

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8. Describe the difference between a formal and an informal letter. Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension.

9. What examples of informal writing did you underline in the letter on page 26?

Hey Greg, (informal greeting) How’s it going? (informal expression/contraction) It was great seeing you last weekend. I had a blast! (informal word choice) You’re (contraction) such a prankster. (informal word choice) I loved the joke you played on my sister. Don’t (contraction) worry though, she wasn’t (contraction) angry with you. I really wanted to thank you for the awesome (informal word choice) gift. A crib board was a great idea! We’ll have to get together and have a game sometime soon. Take care buddy! Talk to ya soon. (informal word choice/informal contraction “ya”) Dave (no formal closing/no last name)

Page 28 of the student workbook The learner is asked to reflect on his/her learning and progress with this unit. Verify progress, comprehension and task completion.

1. Have you completed all activities? 2. What was easy and why? 3. What was difficult and why? Pages 29-35 of the student workbook Check for Comprehension: This section deals with general tips for impressive communication (such as telephone etiquette and RSVPs).

1. What are some important tips that your learned for telephone communication? Answers will vary. Check for general understanding/ability to identify some telephone tips (i.e. Present yourself when you call someone, check messages, use friendly tone, etc.)

2. What did you learn about body language?

Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension: Body language says a lot about you. Firmly shaking someone’s hand, standing tall, and looking someone in the eye when they speak send the message that you are confident. You should think about the message that your body language is sending.

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3. When should you RSVP someone? When an invitation requests an “RSVP”.

4. What should you do when someone is talking to you?

Listen and show interest.

5. What should you do before you say something? Think about what you want to say and then say it.

Pages 36-38 of the student workbook In this section, the learner is asked to re-do the chart “How to Communicate Best” and see if his/her answers have changed. Check for Comprehension and Task Completion:

1. Did your answers on how to communicate best change? How so? (Review the responses for different communication situations.) NOTE: The learner has already done this exercise. See if answers have

changed and verify why. 1. Your best friend calls you. He/she is very upset about something. 2. You are at a job interview. You really want the job. Your potential employer

asks you about yourself. 3. You are walking to work and a stranger asks you for directions. 4. It’s Saturday night – you are out with your friends. You are talking about old

times. 5. You have a meeting with your boss to discuss your future with the company. 6. You are at lunch with an old friend. He asks for your advice on a serious matter. 7. Your teacher reminds you about an exam. 8. The mother of a close friend dies and you want to send your condolences. 9. Your boss calls to see if you can fill in for a co-worker on your day off. 10. You are at a friend’s wedding. You are sitting next to a nice elderly couple.

They ask you how you know the bride and groom.

Pages 39-41 of the student workbook The learner is asked to read an article about body language. Check for Comprehension: 1. What is this article about?

The importance of body language and expressions when we communicate (“studies have shown that 65% to 90% of a message’s meaning is expressed by non-verbal clues”).

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2. What did you learn from this article? Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension.

3. What five new or difficult words did you encounter? Answers will vary. Check for task completion. 4. How did you handle these words? Answers will vary. Check for ability (and strategies) for handling new words.

Pages 42-50 of the student workbook The learner is asked to keep a Communication Log for one week in which they must take note of communication that you send and receive. Check for Comprehension and Task Completion:

1. Did you observe many different kinds of communication? What were they? Answers will vary. Check for task completion. 2. Provide some examples of different forms of communication and what you observed. Answers will vary. Check for task completion. 3. What was the best form of communication that you observed? Explain why. Answers will vary. Check for task completion. Page 51 of the student workbook The learner is asked to think about what they have learned in this unit. Check for Comprehension:

1. What did you know before you started this unit? Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension.

2. What do you know now?

Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension. 3. What else would you like to know?

Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension.

Pages 53-54 of the student workbook The learner is asked to complete a Learning Checklist. You may wish to go over this list together. See pages 12 and 13 of this guide for a copy of this list.

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Checkpoint – Communication Skills

ANSWER KEY Please note that many of the answers to these questions will vary according to individual learners. Check for understanding and an ability to articulate valid responses.

1. Explain how communication happens.

Communication takes place when someone sends a message that is received by another person. (Sender Message Receiver)

2. Why do we need communication skills? Answers will vary. Check for comprehension and task completion. 3. What are some different ways that we communicate?

Face-to-face communication Telephone communication Written communication Internet Listening Body language, tone and facial expression

4. Is communication the same in all situations? Explain. Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension. 5. What kind of communication is appropriate at an interview? Be specific. What should you do? Answers will vary. Check for overall comprehension of concepts: Formal communication is

appropriate. This means you should not use slang or informal contractions (like “ya” or “wassup”).

6. What kind of communication is used when you are with your close friends? Explain. Answers will vary. Check for overall comprehension of concepts: Informal communication is

used with friends. Slang and informal contractions (like “ya” or “wassup”) are acceptable. 7. What should you do if you take an important telephone message for a friend? Be specific. If you take a message for someone else, get all the details and make sure the person gets the message. 8. What should you do when you leave a telephone message? Be specific. When you leave a message, say who you are, why you are calling and explain how you can be

reached. 9. Why are communication skills important? Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension. 10. What is body language? Is it important? Explain. Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension: Body language says a lot about you.

Firmly shaking someone’s hand, standing tall and looking someone in the eye when they speak send the message that you are confident. You should think about the message that your body language is sending.

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11. What is the difference between formal and informal language? Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension: formal language should be used in

professional situations and with strangers / informal should only be used with close friends and family.

12. When is it okay to use English contractions? It is okay to use contractions when speaking, but you should not use informal contractions

with strangers. 13. List five different ways to be polite with communication. Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension and task completion. 14. Provide three details of communication that you noted in your communication log. Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension and task completion. 15. Explain why these communication situations were interesting or important. Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension and task completion. 16. How does communication affect your everyday life? Be specific. Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension. 17. How will you use what you have learned in the future? Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension and task completion. 18. How was writing in your Learner’s Journal? What did you write about? Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension and task completion.

IIMMPPOORRTTAANNTT!!

The student must send you a good copy of a formal and an informal letter with this Checkpoint. Check for the following:

The letters demonstrate that the learner can…

Achieved

In Progress 1. distinguish between formal and informal writing. 2. correctly use informal language. 3. correctly use formal language. 4. write an informal letter. 5. write a formal letter. 6. grasp concepts of communicating well. 7. follow directions (write two letters – formal and

informal).

8. use different strategies to write well (generally correct spelling, grammar and sentence structure).

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Communication Skills: Learning Checklist (Learner’s checklist found on pages 53-54 of the student workbook.)

At the end of this unit, the learner is asked to complete a checklist to see what he/she has learned. The following list matches the one that the learner is asked to complete. Use the Checkpoint questionnaire and your observations to determine if the following skills have been achieved.

COMPETENCIES

The learner can…

IN

PROGRESS

ACHIEVED

1. say what communication is.

2. explain how a message is sent.

3. explain how body language and tone affect how a message is received.

4. describe different ways that communication is used in his/her life.

5. say why communication is important.

6. describe different ways to communicate.

7. use different forms of communication.

8. use communication that is right for the situation.

9. say when to use different forms of communication.

10. analyze media communication.

11. describe formal language.

12. describe informal language.

13. say when to use informal and formal language.

14. say what a contraction is.

15. say when to use a contraction.

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COMPETENCIES

The learner can…

IN

PROGRESS

ACHIEVED

16. write a formal letter.

17. write an informal letter.

18. say how to be polite on the phone.

19. reflect on how to use communication in different ways.

20. say when to use formal and informal emails.

21. say what RSVP means.

22. keep a one-week communication log.

23. analyze his/her log.

24. reflect on what he/she learns.

25. say how communication affects his/her everyday life.

26. scan an article for key words.

27. predict by scanning for key words.

28. apply what he/she learns to everyday life.

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Independent Learning Observation Grid

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” ~ Chinese Proverb

Learner’s name: ________________________________________________________ Unit of study: __________________________________________________________ Date started: ___________________________________________________________ Date ended: ____________________________________________________________

Legend:

A - Autonomously B - With some support C - With a lot of support D - Not at all

Assess the learner’s level of independence in the following areas:

The learner… Level of autonomy

actively works on material.

complies with instructions.

demonstrates an understanding of key words.

asks questions.

uses different strategies.

completes tasks.

Comments:

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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Supplementary Activities

Activity 1: Communication on Television

Material: Three different television programs (suggestions: news, family sitcom and police/detective program). Activity:

1. Ask the learner(s) to watch three different types of television programs. 2. Ask the learner(s) to make a list of the ways people communicate in each

program. 3. Compare the forms of communication in each program. Make observations of the

following: a. Find examples of formal and informal communication. b. How does communication change from show to show? Why? c. How does body language and tone affect the messages in these programs?

Writing Catalyst: Write a paragraph on how the way a person communicates affects the message. Use examples from the programs that you watched.

Activity 2: Communication Role-Play

Note: This activity is designed for tutors who are able to work one-on-one with their students.

Warm-Up (Optional):

Make a list of slang words Make a list of formal expressions (that you might use with an employer)

Part 1:

1. In pairs or in groups, have a conversation in which you use slang words. All participants should try to use the vocabulary.

2. Discuss how slang would affect the receiver of a message. 3. Discuss when this language is appropriate/inappropriate.

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Part 2:

4. In pairs or in groups, have a conversation in which you use formal language. All participants should try to use the vocabulary.

5. Discuss how formal language would affect the receiver of a message. 6. Discuss when the use of use formal language is appropriate/inappropriate.

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