Skilled Communication

Skilled Communication Summary

Skilled communication in the 21st century learning dimensions refers to the ability of individuals to communicate clearly using oral, written, and non-verbal means.

Learners must therefore be able to communicate clearly and persuasively for a variety of audiences in the academic realm as well as society.

The 21st century learning design (21CLD) skilled communication rubric examines whether learners produce extended or multimodal communication. At a deeper level, it explores whether learners substantiate their communication with a logical explanation, examples, or evidence that supports a central thesis. At its deepest level, learners must craft their communication for a particular audience.

This 21CLD dimension requires learners to practice their communication skills. 21st century skilled communication takes many different forms.  Learners can articulate their ideas in a permanent form such as a(n):

• Presentation
• Podcast
• Written document
• Email
• Performance
• Skit
• Debate

The skilled communication rubric evaluates the requirements of the product or outcomes of the learners’ work and asks:

Is the communication

• Extended?
• Multimodal?
• Substantiated?
• Designed with a particular audience in mind?

Extended communication is when learners must produce communication that represents a set of connected ideas rather than a single simple thought. In written work, extended communication is the equivalent of one or more complete paragraphs. In an electronic or visual media work, extended communication may be:

• A sequence of video
• A podcast
• A slide of a presentation that connects or illustrates several ideas

However, a single text message or a tweet isn’t extended communication. Electronic communication qualifies as extended only if it produces an outcome that requires learners to connect the ideas they have discussed.

The following scenarios don’t require extended communication:

• Learners participating in a webinar where they listen to presentations by peers from a sister city and asking follow-up questions
• Learners solving a geometry problem but not writing a proof
• Learners posting a one-sentence comment in response to a recent news article of their choice
• Learners holding a video call with peers from another school to talk about a novel they’ve read

The following scenarios require extended communication:

• Learners hosting a webinar to present on different topics about their city to peers in a sister city and answering follow-up questions
• Learners writing an extended proof to demonstrate the solution to a geometry problem
• Learners writing a letter to the editor in response to a recent news article of their choice
• Learners holding a video call with peers from another school to create a plan for a joint performance on a novel they’ve just read

Multimodal communication includes more than one type of communication mode or tool used to communicate a coherent message. For example, learners might create a presentation that integrates video and text or embed a photograph into a blog post. However, the communication qualifies as multimodal only if the elements work together to produce a stronger message than any one element alone.

The following scenarios are not multimodal communications:

• Learners creating a radio advertisement for their invention. The learning activity doesn’t offer learners any choice regarding the type of media.
• Learners writing lab reports about their science lab on density of matter using only narrative text.
• Learners producing a podcast on a hurricane for their journalism class by writing a script with which to record the audio podcast. The story is the same whether written out (in the script) or spoken (in the podcast).

The following scenarios are multimodal communications:

• Learners creating a print, radio, or television advertisement for their invention. The educator designed the activity to allow learners choose what type of media they wish to use.
• Learners writing lab reports about their science lab on density of matter, including narrative text and visual evidence of what the learners saw in their experiment (such as drawings or screenshots of real time data displays). The activity requires multiple modes of media that work together for a more complete description of the experiment.
• Learners producing blog posts on a hurricane for their journalism class, including a written description of the conditions and additional audio or visual media. The activity requires multiple modes of media to add depth to the learners’ descriptions.

Does the communication provide sufficient supporting evidence?

Communication requires supporting evidence when learners must explain their ideas or support their thesis with facts or examples. The evidence must be sufficient to support the claim that the learner is making. In this instance, a thesis is a claim, hypothesis, or conclusion. Learners must have a thesis when they:

• State a point of view
• Make a prediction
• Draw a conclusion from a set of facts or a chain of logic

The following scenarios don’t require supporting evidence:

• Learners writing an essay about global warming. They may complete this activity with a set of facts. They don’t have to state and support a claim, hypothesis, or conclusion.
• Learners deriving a mathematical equation and computing the equation without explaining their logic.
• Learners writing a blog post listing the main themes in Alice in Wonderland.
• Learners writing a journal entry from the perspective of a slave. They must describe their day with historical accuracy, but they don’t state or support a perspective about their imagined life.
• Learners using Flipgrid to video themselves solving a mathematical problem and stating the steps they took. They don’t narrate their reasoning process.

The following scenarios do require supporting evidence:

• Learners writing an essay about why global warming is a problem. They must state and defend a claim about global warming.
• Learners describing their derivation of a mathematical equation and explain the logic that brought them to this conclusion.
• Learners writing a blog post about the main themes from Alice in Wonderlandwith examples from the story to illustrate their point.
• Learners writing a journal entry from the perspective of a slave. They must state a perspective or a point of view about their imagined life and describe their day with historical accuracy to support that perspective.
• Learners using Flipgrid to video themselves solving a mathematical problem, including both the steps they took and their reasoning.

Is the communication designed appropriately for a particular audience?

At its deepest level, skilled communication requires learners to ensure their communication is appropriate to the specific readers, listeners, viewers, or those with whom they’re communicating. It’s not enough for learners to communicate to a general audience such as the Internet. They must have a specific group with specific needs in mind to shape their communication appropriately. When they communicate with a particular audience, learners must select the tools, content, or style they will use to reach that specific audience. They must consider:

• What tools the audience has access to or use on a regular basis
• The relevant information they need to present for their audience to understand their thesis
• The formality or informality of the language appropriate for the specific audience

To qualify for this level of skilled communication, the learning activity may specify a particular audience, or learners may select their own audience.

Many educators find it useful to specify an audience of a different age or background than the learners themselves. This highlights the need to think about:

• The audience they’re communicating with
• What they will and won’t understand
• What they might find interesting

The following scenarios are not designed for a particular audience:

• Learners creating a video about their school using appropriate imagery and evidence, but with no specified audience
• Learners writing an essay about their ideas for improving a particular product
• Learners completing a “rocks and minerals” science project. The learning activity requires them to communicate a central finding, include rock and mineral samples, narrative text and/or audio information, but the educator is the only one who will see it.

The following scenarios are designed for a particular audience:

• Learners creating a video about their school, using appropriate imagery and evidence, to welcome incoming learners
• Learners writing a letter to a company suggesting improvements to a product, considering the arguments and perspectives that will be most compelling to that company
• Learners designing a “rock and minerals” exhibit for the town library. The learning activity requires them to communicate a message through the exhibit, which must include samples, different media to capture visitor interest, and take-home pamphlets for visitors

Encourage skilled communication with Microsoft tools

Microsoft Teams allows learners to connect with experts and partners outside their class. Learners may use OneNote Class Notebook to produce a summary of what they’ve learned through the call.

Additionally, learners have a variety of Microsoft tools to choose from when delivering their communication.

• Microsoft Wordallows learners to write extended responses that include supporting evidence. Learners may also use Word to create a blog post with images and even embed a video in the document, making the communication multi-modal. Additionally, Word’s Dictate tool helps learners express their ideas, and the Editor tool serves as learners’ virtual writing assistant.
• Microsoft PowerPointis a fabulous tool creating and sharing live presentations.
• Microsoft Sway allows learners to create attractive multimedia presentations for the web. With a dynamic, interactive canvas, learners the ability to build a presentation with text, images, videos, embedded Office files, and/or even a Microsoft Form to collect data.
• Microsoft Video Editorallows learners to create documentaries, public service announcements, or other video products for specific audiences.
• Microsoft VoiceRecorder helps learners to create podcasts.