For those who don’t have to write frequently as part of their job, sitting down to write anything can seem like an intimidating task. This is especially true of students. It’s worth the effort for teachers to learn all they can about improving the writing and communication skills of their students. There are professional development courses in language arts, such as those offered through Fresno Pacific University, that can give teachers additional skills and knowledge on how to accomplish that goal.
Why are writing and communication skills more important than ever in a technology-driven age? Read on for a few reasons.
Writing is Now Public
Not so long ago, people wrote letters to each other. Now they send texts, post on social media or write responses in a chat room. Everything is public and eternal. The chances of being misunderstood or miscommunicating information are greater than ever.
This impacts students personally, but also with school work. Many projects are now done with students creating Google chat rooms or something similar to exchange information. The ability to write clearly and concisely makes interactions with other students less likely to go wrong.
A key element of school is the relationships students create with each other. Now more than ever, teens work out emotional issues online. The ability to write well can make these efforts go much smoother and make conveying subtle emotions or humor less difficult (and less likely to hurt someone’s feelings).
An important part of communication is the ability to listen well. This requires patience to listen to someone thoroughly explain themselves and the focus to remember what they are saying. This proves especially critical when working on group projects, but also comes into play in day-to-day interactions.
The Power of Reading
Everyone knows reading is an important part of a student's development. Reading skills go hand in hand with excellent communication skills. Whether it’s a long novel, a detailed piece of journalism or a three-minute read on the internet, reading improves students’ minds. For example:
Children’s books expose readers to 50 percent more words than primetime television
- Those who read regularly score higher on general intelligence tests
- Reading news reports can keep students up-to-date on current events
- Reading regularly increases vocabulary substantially
All this leads to improved communication skills.
Body Language, Tone
Effective communication skills also help students master the subtleties of in-person communication. Body language and tone of voice are as important to communication as the actual words spoken. So are the skills required for public speaking, which help with everything from debates to presenting papers in class.
While technology has impacted almost every aspect of life, it hasn’t changed the fact that having good writing and communication skills remains of great importance. In many cases, it’s more important than ever.
Educators who learn the latest skills in teaching in these areas are doing their students a service that will benefit them for a lifetime.