Students can gain oral communication and presentation skills by presenting the portfolio to

Oral Communication

Reflection - The reflection is another vital part of your webfolio.  It allows prospective employers, scholarship benefactors, and colleges to learn about your strengths, skills, talents, and beliefs related to common job skills.  The idea, therefore, is for you to present your growing strengths rather than to expose your weaknesses.  So you will reflect on your strengths, skills, talents, and beliefs in a way that will highlight and promote yourself in the same way you would in an interview.  The questions presented on each page in the template will help you reflect on what your strengths, skills, and talents are in each of the job skills and how they will benefit you in the work world and life in general.

General questions to consider when reflecting on oral communication skills and how presenting your skills and knowledge about oral communication can promote you to a prospective employer, college, or scholarship benefactor:

  • How does oral communication affect a person's life?
  • In what life situations will oral communication be necessary? 
  • What skills does a person use when speaking?
  • What does a person gain from honing their speaking skills?
  • How do oral communication skills affect other communication skills (what is the connection between speaking, reading, writing, viewing & thinking)?
  • What knowledge do you have about oral communications?
  • What skills do you have or have you strengthened because of using and practicing oral communications?
  • What is your attitude about public speaking?
  • What are your strengths in public speaking?
  • What is your attitude about speaking in a small group?
  • What are your strengths in speaking in a small group?
  • What is your attitude about speaking one to one?
  • What are your strengths in speaking one to one?
  • How do you approach a challenging or awkward speaking situation?
  • What is the importance in being prepared in discussion situations?
  • In what ways do strong oral communication skills make you a good employer/employee and productive citizen?

College and Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standards to consider when reflecting on oral communications and how presenting your skills and knowledge about oral communication can promote you to a prospective employer, college, or scholarship benefactor:

1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Rationale - The rationale paragraph is an extremely important element to your webfolio.  The purpose of the rationale is to inform the reader why each artifact/visual was selected and how it relates to the corresponding job skill. This rationale paragraph for each artifact begins with a description or summary of the artifact, provides an analysis of the specific job skills demonstrated in the artifact, and then provides a justification as to how the artifact demonstrates proficiency, strengths, and talents in the corresponding job skill.  

When you write your rationale paragraph for each artifact, answer the following questions:

*What is the artifact? (Describe or summarize the artifact/assignment.)

*What are the key elements that made you select this artifact? (Describe the specific job skills demonstrated in the artifact.)

*What is your argument for the artifact being used for that job skill? (Draw on your academic and personal, practical knowledge.)

*What is (or are) the connection(s) to the specific job skill?

Artifacts - Choose high quality artifacts that highlight the job skill represented on each page.  Make sure they are clear, visible, and big enough to read/view.

Some ideas for possible artifacts you can include in your semester 1 oral communication page include the following:

  • "Song of Solomon" Socratic discussion video
  • "Song of Solomon" Socratic discussion sheet
  • Oedipus Rex "Little Eddy" video
  • I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced Socratic discussion video
  • I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced Socratic discussion sheet
  • videos of any presentations from prior years
  • In cold Blood news report
  • In Cold Blood literary discussion logs with HOT discussion
  • In cold Blood jury deliberation
  • Harlem Renaissance instruction lesson plan 
  • Harlem Renaissance instruction video
  • Shakespeare/Julius Caesar Senate Hearing Socratic discussion

What is the purpose of a portfolio for a student?

A portfolio is a systematic collection of student work that represents student activities, accomplishments, and achievements over a specific period of time in one or more areas of the curriculum.

How would you use the portfolio in instruction and communication?

Applied as a teaching tool, a portfolio can be considered as a collection of learning outcomes (i.e. texts, learning journals, diaries, narratives and videos) presented for a teaching and learning purpose and associated with students' intellectual engagement (mostly reflection).

What is the main purpose of portfolio?

Portfolios are used by working professionals, companies and students to highlight their best work and display accomplishments, skills and potential. They visually showcase examples of work, while a resume only provides bullet points.

What should a student portfolio include?

Portfolios can be a physical collection of student work that includes materials such as written assignments, journal entries, completed tests, artwork, lab reports, physical projects (such as dioramas or models), and other material evidence of learning progress and academic accomplishment, including awards, honors, ...