Category Archives: Speaking

Shortchanging Speaking

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Erik Palmer

A student turns in this paper: many people think that we should not have ginetticly modifyed foods we could be having health problems in the future if we eat them, Some studys say that they cause cancer. we should pass … Continue reading →

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Never make a slide like this.

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Erik Palmer

Conference season. Lots of great educators will be sharing great ideas with attendees. Almost all of the presenters will be using dreadful slides copying the style of the horrible slides they have seen for the last 4o years or so. … Continue reading →

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Student Voice! You don’t have it if you don’t speak well.

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Erik Palmer

voice The sound produced in a person’s larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/voice Student voice. What a hot topic! I’ve seen educational conferences with themes such as “Raising Student Voice” (NCTE) and “Speak Up! Finding … Continue reading →

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Why Student Presentations Bore Classmates

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Erik Palmer

“In New Jersey v. TLO, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to consider the appropriateness of the application of the exclusionary rule.  The Court overturned the lower court ruling in a 7-2 decision and held that the search did not violate … Continue reading →

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Don’t hit record yet! Don’t make that podcast! Don’t turn on the Zoom mic! Do this first…

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Erik Palmer

Fourth graders are learning about the Reconstruction. The teacher wants to test out his new green screen tools. He has students speak and posts the video on YouTube. A huge problem: he is so focused on the tech tool that … Continue reading →

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Mind the Gap: How We Make Kids Hate Speaking

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Erik Palmer

“How do you teach speaking?” I ask that questions when I do workshops about the #1 language art. Inevitably, teachers respond by telling me about an assignment they give. We do biography presentations. Students spend three weeks reading about some … Continue reading →

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But what about the introverts?

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Erik Palmer

I get this question a lot when I do workshops. In my presentations, I point out that speaking well will benefit all students for their entire lives; I share a framework that makes the complex art of oral communication simple … Continue reading →

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Listening skills: Way More Than “What’s the main idea?”

Posted on June 21, 2024 by Erik Palmer

I sometimes get emails from an organization about improving student listening skills. They point out that speaking and listening are not being addressed in schools and claim that listening is a key piece of the “literacy puzzle.” Kudos to educators who … Continue reading →

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Teaching Speaking, the Forgotten Language Art

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Erik Palmer

What are the skills involved in effective oral communication? Nobody exactly knows. This is what I find out when I ask teachers the question. We all have some ideas, but no one knows for sure what is really involved. It’s … Continue reading →

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100 English Teachers Walk Into a Bar

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Erik Palmer

Originally published in California English          One hundred English teachers walk into a bar. One by one, the bartender asks them why they became English teachers. The first one says, “I love poetry! I write poetry and … Continue reading →

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