Oral Expression

The acquisition of language and the ability to understand and utilize that language in its printed and written forms is a hierarchical process. Students first must comprehend and produce language in oral forms before they can successfully acquire and use language in its written forms. Therefore, Oral Expression is a critical part of the White Oak School curriculum. For the language learning disabled student, word retrieval, auditory discrimination, language processing and the semantic organization needed to produce coherent oral language all are issues which frequently pose difficulty. At the most basic levels of the Oral Expression curriculum, issues of auditory discrimination, syllabication, vocabulary development, sequencing, and comprehension of auditorily presented materials are addressed. In this first level students also begin to learn basic skills for oral presentation, producing simple PowerPoint presentations to introduce them to the use of this technology, a tool that is used with expanding complexity at each level of the Oral Expression curriculum.

The second level of the curriculum continues to work in the above-mentioned areas at an increasingly complex level, but also addresses areas of notetaking from auditorily presented materials and comprehension and expression of directions. It is at this second level as well that the curriculum begins to address the use of language in the social context, an area of oral language usage that can sometimes be challenging for language learning disabled students. Social language usage continues to be an important part of the curriculum from the second level onward, as the focus of the curriculum exercises begins to shift toward a greater emphasis on classroom and work-place scenarios for which the student needs rehearsed strategies which will afford him/her the confidence necessary to survive in the world beyond White Oak. Thus, the third level of Oral Expression addresses speech preparation and delivery skills, social introduction and conversation skills, and the comprehension of proxemics and the use of contextual clues in various conversational settings.

In the final level of the curriculum, conversational skills, proxemics, and abstract language usage are all addressed using the context of a video production class. In this class students are expected to arrange interviews focused on selected topics, conduct and film these interviews, and use computer technology to edit the finished work. Additionally, and most critically, students are expected to learn to define and describe their learning differences and the impact those differences have upon their lives so that they may be viable self-advocates in the academic community, the work place, or within social contexts in their adult lives. Facing the world of adulthood with a previously outlined and rehearsed scripts to follow for “what to say” in certain predictable situations (i.e. job interviews, requests for modifications from college professors or supervisors in the workplace, meeting strangers in social settings) can afford students the confidence to express themselves in a manner that will allow them to display their true levels of competence and intellect and thus succeed in a society which might otherwise judge them to be “lazy, and disorganized”.

White Oak School has partnered with agencies under the umbrella of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission to incorporate the Next Steps program for students beginning in 9th grade. The Pre-Employment Transition Program focuses on getting students ready for post-high school training and employment.

High School Oral Expression Courses

Grade 9: Introduction to Self-Advocacy and Awareness

The theme units covered include exploring learning styles, soft skills (respect, responsibility/accountability), What is an IEP?, Internet Safety, Formal vs Informal Language, Conflict Resolution, Career Interest Inventories and Exploration, giving and receiving constructive criticism, active listening, and self-respect and respect for others. The themes are covered through addressing a variety of important oral language and social pragmatics skills. These include: syntax, vocabulary development, identifying and responding to situational cues, speech preparation, preparing and presenting oral presentations, conversational skills, and semantic expression. An anti-bullying curriculum is also incorporated, including what is considered bullying, a student’s role and responsibility, cyber-bullying and the legal consequences.

As available, students are part of the Next Steps Program (Pre-Employment Transition Program) getting students ready for post-high school training and employment which is presented by Riverside Industries through MassAbility. The topics that are being addressed in class are: Workplace Readiness including Hygiene, Appearance, Punctuality, Time management, Manners/Etiquette, Listening skills, Managing emotions, Problem solving/decision making, Accountability, Task Completion, Responsibility; Wants Vs Needs; Self-Advocacy including What is a disability?, Their Strengths, Rights and Responsibilities, What is an IEP?, and Interacting in the community; and Job and Career Exploration including identifying Jobs that are well-matched to Personal Strengths.

Grade 10: Social Pragmatics

The theme units include interpersonal relationships (friends, work, relationships), healthy vs unhealthy relationships, and conflict resolution; Positive values and ethics; and Active listening Students also complete a job unit which entails filling out applications, interviewing skills, dressing for the workplace, non-verbal messages within the workplace, giving and receiving constructive criticism, creating a PowerPoint presentation on a specific career, job conflict resolutions, and completing mock interviews. A unit encompassing basic budgeting is presented. The themes are covered through addressing a variety of important oral language and social pragmatics skills. These include: syntax, vocabulary development, identifying and responding to situational cues, speech preparation, preparing and presenting oral presentations, conversational skills, and semantic expression. The anti-bullying curriculum covers the themes of bystander roles and consequences and empathy.

Grade 11: Transition Explorations

In this course, students focus on post-high school planning, including: 2 year college vs 4 year college vs career training/technical school; college vs high school expectations and work loads; workplace soft skills of ambition, cultural awareness, motivation, and stress resistance; Internships and Volunteering; Ways to communicate in the workplace: networking and effective communication; the 6 attributes of success for students with Learning Disabilities; Attitude at the workplace and workplace etiquette; and problem solving and decision making at the workplace. The skills students focus on in this class are communication and oral language pragmatics, group cooperation skills, time management and organization, and executive functioning skills.

The students are part of the Next Steps Program (Pre-Employment Transition Program) getting students ready for post-high school training and employment which is presented by Riverside Industries through MassAbility. The topics that are being addressed in class are: Workplace Readiness including Appropriate workplace behavior, Soft Skills, Hard Skills, Informal Interviews; Self-Advocacy including Goal Setting How To, and Rights and Responsibilities; Job Exploration including Careers and Jobs based off of interests and Strengths; and Work-based Learning including Internships if Ready and Possible. The anti-bullying curriculum addresses diversity and tolerance; stereotypes, respecting difference, understanding cliques, and inclusion of protected people.

Grade 12: Career Pragmatics

Topics addressed in this class include; Career terminology, safety in the workplace, How to avoid termination, accepting criticism in the workplace, conflict resolution, sexual harassment, self-advocacy, being proactive vs reactive, and rights in the workplace.

The students are part of the Next Steps (Pre-Employment Transition Program) getting students ready for post-high school training and employment which is presented by Riverside Industries through MassAbility. The topics that are being addressed in class are: Workplace Readiness including Appropriate Workplace behavior, Soft skills, Hard Skills; Self-Advocacy Including disability disclosure, Rights and Responsibilities, and support systems; Post Secondary training Including Preparing for College, Independence during and after College, Scholarships; Job Exploration including Careers and Jobs based off of interests and Strengths; and Work-based Learning (Internships if Ready and Possible).