Category Archives: Speaking

Blame the messenger–Why Communication Fails and How to Fix It.

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Erik Palmer

You’ve heard the phrase before. Someone brings you some bad news, and, as you begin to get upset, he says, “Hey, don’t blame the messenger!” In a school I worked at, our team leader said it often. He went to … Continue reading →

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Listen to the Rough Draft of the Talk. Yes, LISTEN…

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Erik Palmer

Do you ever ask to hear the rough draft? Yes, you read that correctly. I want to hear my students’ rough drafts. Every day, students are speaking in class. Often, teachers assign some talks with higher stakes than the daily … Continue reading →

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What the Oscars can tell us about speaking

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Erik Palmer

Are you going to watch the Oscars this year? In the Before Times,  I attended an Oscar party. As the guests came into the party, we were given an Oscar “ballot.”  Each of us marked off our predicted winner for … Continue reading →

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Speaking Well Does Not Mean Speaking White

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Erik Palmer

I didn’t think I would have to clarify that. But I had an interesting experience over a tweet I wrote. My tweet: An irate response to that tweet: “How dare you tell students that you must speak a certain way! … Continue reading →

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Evaluating Speaking

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Erik Palmer

Look around your building. You will see students speaking, sometimes informally, sometimes formally. Sometimes teachers grade those speaking assignments. Now look closely at the rubrics and score sheets that are being used. Each one is unique. No two teachers have … Continue reading →

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Four Ways to Prepare Students for the Future

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Erik Palmer

To make students’ futures better, we need to consider what skills they will need—and teach them. If we really want to prepare students for life beyond school, we could begin by asking ourselves what pieces of our own education we are using now as … Continue reading →

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Media Literacy & Speaking (from Channel One Blog)

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Erik Palmer

(See the original post here.) After two decades teaching, Erik Palmer has coached countless students through the basic steps of forming a good argument. Drawn to debate in high school, his fascination with spirited discourse propelled him from the debate … Continue reading →

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Understand the audience!

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Erik Palmer

What do these three articles have in common? Amy Dinning (dinning@arris.com) wrote about networking. She said that if you want to be a successful networker, you should do something before attending an event: find out who will be there and … Continue reading →

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Evaluating speaking (reprint from Middle Level Insider)

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Erik Palmer

March 2012 Evaluating Students’ Speaking Skills Erik Palmer No two people have the same perspective about what constitutes an effective speaker. So, how can teachers fairly assess student speaking skills as they prepare for the Common Core State Standards? As … Continue reading →

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Speaking & Listening Article from MiddleWeb

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Erik Palmer

middleweb.com Speaking & Listening Are Core Skills Today by MiddleWeb · 11/03/2015 By Erik Palmer Pop quiz! Please fill in the blanks: The primary responsibility of English and/or language arts teachers is to teach _____________ and _____________. Did you think … Continue reading →

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