Welcome all!
I’m back from maternity leave and ready to put our project into motion!
Although I’ve been away for a few months, Dr. Simkins and I have continued to meet in order to further discuss the actual assignment that our classes will be assigned. I think one of the aspects I am most interested in with this project is the integration of knowledge between our two sets of students. I am curious to observe how the students will: 1) share their respective knowledge about language and identity, 2) use aural pedagogy to discover new information about themselves, and 3) use aural pedagogy to enhance their own understanding of the material.
As Dr. Simkins has stated before, in the fall, I will be teaching an introductory course on communication disorders with approximately 80 students. Students will mostly learn about the different kinds of disorders that may impact a person’s oral communication abilities. While other forms of communication (e.g., reading, writing) are also an aspect that may be impacted by a communication disorder, for the purposes of this project, we will be focusing on oral communication.
Let’s look at my first area of interest: how will the students share their respective knowledge about language and identity?
Identity is such an interesting concept to me. It involves so much about how we think and feel about ourselves, how we think and feel about others, how we are perceived in the world around us, and how all of those relationships work. When it comes to the way we communicate, many people may not automatically associate that attribute with identity.
But they should.
When students who have been learning about how to write in an academic manner meet students who have been learning about people’s desire to simply communicate effectively, what insights will they develop together?
Perhaps the students will be able to determine through their conversation with each other and reflection of their own communication, ‘What does it mean to communicate effectively?’ Or perhaps ‘Why do we consider certain forms of communication “proper” while others are considered “improper?”’
Through this assignment, I want my students to be able to reflect on their own communication and the identity that comes with that. I also would like them to gain deeper insight into the communication of others and its impact on others’ identity. For this to happen, it will be crucial to develop a set of interview questions that fully encompass these constructs.
I think we can do it