Learning-to-Speak (LTS)
vs. Speaking-to-Learn (STL)
erin mcclellan, Department of Communication, Boise State University
Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC) involves both “learning-to-speak”
(LTS) and “speaking-to-learn” (STL). This distinction (much like the LTW and
WTL emphases in WAC) affects how we teach classes, promote emphases, and
assign and facilitate learning activities. The distinction can help instructors refine
goals and purposes for assignments as well as focus feedback on student speaking,
both formally and informally. It can also help instructors think about the role of
speaking in their classes beyond the goal of meeting a CID requirement. Learning a
new repertoire of assignments and wider range of responses to student speaking is
the goal. We see this as a collaborative endeavor and hope that you will continue to
reflect upon your own experiences in the classroom and add to this initial guide in
ways that can continue to help us all grow as both teachers and learners.
The table below summarizes the basic differences between LTS and STL, although
we should, in some sense, see them as mutually beneficial, not mutually exclusive.
Learning-to-Speak
Speaking-to-Learn
Takes place in speaking-intensive
courses—undergraduate and graduate—
that focus on improving oral
competency and practicing the art of
speaking
Takes place in any course—
undergraduate and graduate—that
utilizes the “speech” as a way to
primarily display knowledge or
understanding rather than as a process of
invention, organization, and presentation
Emphasis is on displaying mastery of
disciplinary course material and
information presentation
Emphasis is on mastery of delivery and
successful adaptation techniques,
strategies, and skills that help to
accomplish “goals” of public speaking
Instructor teaches formal conventions of
public speaking as a process and a
product (topical invention,
organizational pattern, extemporaneous
delivery, audience adaptation strategies)
Instructor evaluates knowledge of
disciplinary course material via
students’ ability to formally present
ideas to the class
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Students practice speaking for various
reasons, situations, and audiences
Instructor assesses student speaking as
both an art and a skill (or science)
Instructor provides students with
extensive feedback—often including
peer evaluation (as part of audience)
Corrections include attention to clarity
of purpose and topical organization,
language choice, persuasive use of
support, and ability to engage a live
audience
A “process approach” is often used,
asking students to take into account
feedback from early speaking
assignments and incorporate them into
successive speaking assignments
Impromptu speaking is integrated as part
of the course requirements, providing
opportunity for low-stakes, immediate
feedback about speaker tendencies, peer
collaboration for improvement, and
opportunity to ask questions as they
arise
Students attempt to summarize, inform,
cite, and synthesize disciplinary material
Instructor assesses student speaking for
its ability to succinctly and coherently
present understanding of course material
Instructor provides students with
feedback about “accuracy” or
“correctness” of course material
Feedback and evaluative measures do
not typically address a presentation’s
ability to engage its audience, use
compelling language, or be successfully
persuasive
Often includes a single, and final
presentation, with no ability to
incorporate feedback into another
speaking assignment in that course
If impromptu speaking is required, it is
most often in the interest of “practicing”
for the end of semester formal
presentation (i.e., “the group practice”
speech to get out jitters or practice
organizing thoughts into a speaking
outline)
This distinction between LTS and STL opens the door to many kinds of speaking
activities in STL classes. For example, instructors can:
1. Individual reports. Students are assigned a topic (or they select one that meets
the instructor’s guidelines). They prepare and present their reports individually.
2. Group reports. Students are assigned to or form small groups on their own.
Each group researches the topic, prepares a report, and then presents it to the
class.
3. Videopaper. In lieu of a written paper, students may submit to the instructor a
videotaped oral presentation of their research, along with a bibliography of
sources they consulted.
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4. Convention panels. A group of students is assigned (or selects) a broad topic
relating to the course’s content. Each student writes a paper focusing on a
specific aspect of that topic. Students orally summarize their research in class,
as if at a professional convention.
5. Oral exams. The instructor prepares a list of questions which students use as a
study guide for an upcoming exam. The instructor prepares slips of paper, with
one of these questions on each slip, and places them in a hat. On the day of the
exam, students draw from a hat one or more slips of paper. The student is given
a brief moment to collect his/her thoughts, and then answers the question(s).
The instructor may ask follow-up questions or may involve other students in
asking questions.
6. Advocacy presentations. A nursing processor, for example, could have
students identify community health concerns. Students then prepare and present
arguments designed to secure financial support from a mythical funding agency.
7. Mock Parent-teacher conferences. An education professor solicited actual
scenarios for parent-teacher conferences from K-12 teachers, and then
distributed these situations to her students. One student role-played the teacher,
and another student assumed the role of the parent.
8. Mock Employee appraisal conferences. Students play the roles of supervisor
and subordinate in employee evaluation meetings.
9. “Talk Shows”. A group of students presents their information as if their
classmates were audience members at a talk show (such as Oprah). One
member of the group is the moderator/questioner, and the other members play
the roles of topic experts. The moderator involves the audience (the rest of the
class) by encouraging them to ask questions of the panel of experts.
10. Role-playing. Students role play situations individually or in groups. For
example, students may play roles of defendant, victim, police officer, and juror
to illustrate different perspectives and issues in criminal justice.
11. Team debate. Instructors may assign students to debate ethical, legal, and/or
policy issues related to course content. Instructors have been innovative in
adapting debate formats to their classes. Teams typically range from two or four
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in number. In a media studies course, for example, one could even include a
media expert on each team.
12. Group-assisted team debate. A class can be divided into groups of ten. Each
group is assigned a different “side” of a topic. Although only a few members of
the group may actually debate, all members research the topic and prepare
possible arguments. Following the opening speeches, the debaters meet with
their group to plan their next speeches. A member of the group can volunteer to
trade places with one of the debaters.
13. Moderating case studies. Instructors have students read and be prepared to
discuss specific cases. A different student is assigned to moderate each
discussion. The moderator prepares a list of questions that highlight the key and
controversial points of the case, and conducts the discussion.
14. Interviews. Students schedule outside-of-class interviews with experts on
course-related topics. Often, they record these interviews on audio or video
tape. They transcribe quotations for use in their papers, or they play excerpts
from the tapes for their in-class oral reports.
15. Listening: Breaking up long lectures. After lecturing for twenty minutes, the
instructor asks students to discuss with a person seated next to them the key
points presented. The instructor may want to use an overhead projector to
display a list of questions students should answer in their discussion. After five
minutes have elapsed, the instructor proceeds with the lecture, interspersing
occasional discussion to allow students to digest and reinforce key points.
16. Listening: Using student summaries. Instructors begin each class by calling
on a student to present a five-minute summary of the material covered in the
previous class period. This random selection encourages all students to take
careful notes before the next class period.
List Adapted from: http://personal.denison.edu/~arthos/Oralcc/OralCompetence/HOME.html
When students engage in creating and delivering speeches in response to such a
wide range of speaking prompts, instructors have more options for giving feedback
to students. Since speaking-to-learn activities are fundamentally different from
learning-to-speak assignments, they often require fundamentally different ways of
providing feedback. These can range from little formal feedback (or even no
formal feedback at all – only self-reflection or informal peer review) to more
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rubric-oriented evaluation that mirrors a final presentation form of feedback. The
table below illustrates a range of responses to STL activities.
minimal (or no)
response
Check off “speaking
activity completed” in
gradebook
Use speaking activity as
“practice” for upcoming
formal speech or
presentation
Use speaking activity to
“practice” one particular
aspect (organization,
adaptation, vocalics, etc)
Have students choose
from list of “topics” to
use in impromptu
speaking
Immediate Feedback
Formal Evaluation
Provide informal advice
“off the cuff” – both
positive and to improve
next time
Ask other students to
write one strength and one
area for improvement for
each of their peers and
collect after each speaker
– give to speaker without
reading them
Take notes during
Use a rubric distributed
speaking activity
prior to speaking activity
presentation and provide
to organize brief
one positive reflection
comments around
and one focused comment common speaking
on area for improvement measures of success
Give students opportunity Provide formal feedback
to sketch ideas into
on both outline and
outline form and use as
delivery (organization,
speaking notes
main point, support, leave
on a note of impact)
Grade for ability to
Provide formal feedback
organize thoughts,
response to the entire
demonstrate engaged
class about trends of
delivery, or imagine
success and areas for
appropriate types of
improvement
support
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