COMMUNICATION STUDIES

MODULE ONE: GATHERING AND PROCESSING INFORMATION
GENERAL TOPICS
RESEARCH
NOTETAKING
SUMMARY

MODULE ONE: GATHERING AND PROCESSING INFORMATION
SPECIFIC TOPICS WITHIN THE GENERAL TOPICS
*Methods of data collection or data collection methods
*Strengths and weaknesses of each method
*Contexts for choosing each method or tool or instrument
*Definition of terms; Primary and Secondary Sources, reliability, validity, authority, fact, opinion, bias, data collection method vs data collection instrument, data vs information
*How and why there is a need for verification or authenticity
*What makes a piece or person authentic
*Writer’s main point or purpose
*Strategies and language techniques employed/used by the writer
*Types of writing: expository, descriptive, argumentative, narrative
*Study and summary skills
*Commenting on the reliability of information and evaluation of sources making mention to dates, writer’s qualification/experience, where the information was first published etc.

NB: BEGIN PREPARING FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO AT THIS POINT!!!!

CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC

MODULE 2: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNITY
GENERAL TOPICS
*LANGUAGE
*CREOLE; DIALECT
*REGISTERS
*TECHNOLOGY

MODULE 2: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNITY
SPECIFIC TOPICS WITHIN THE GENERAL TOPICS
* Define and Differentiate between a language and language
* Describe the characteristics of language
* Purpose of language
* Functions or roles of language in society re Identity marker, political role, social, ethical and psychological
* Define dialect
* Concept of Creole history in the West Indian context (influence of colonisers)
* Characteristics or features of Creole languages
* Differences between Creole and Standard English
* Challenges faced by Creole speakers to learn Std English
* Points on the Creole Continuum ( Define and explain Acrolect, Mesolect and Basilect)
* Registers re what are the factors responsible for a person’s choice of register, dialect?
* Attitudes to language and impact of these attitudes eg for regional integration, create sense of marginalization and alienation
* Technological advances and its impact on communication re computer, internet, cell phones, communication gadgets

MODULE 3: SPEAKING AND WRITING
GENERAL TOPICS
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION CONTEXTS
TYPES OF WRITING
SPEECH
COMMUNICATION AIDS

MODULE 3: SPEAKING AND WRITING
SPECIFIC TOPICS FROM THE GENERAL TOPICS
* Define and describe the process of communication
* Contexts of communication (intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, mass communication etc)
* Forms of communication (verbal, non-verbal)
* Types of writing and speaking (narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, argumentative
* Audio Visuals
* Elements of speech


On completing your syllabus you should be able to give detailed information on the following:
· Contexts of communication
· Register
· Dialect
· Creole Continuum
· Standard languages
· Interactive settings
· Lexicon
· Characteristics of language
· Features of Creole (any territory)
· Languages of the Caribbean today
· Dialectal Variations
· Attitudes to language re Creoles and Standard
· How these influence language in an interactive setting: audience, message, purpose, occasion, gender and age
· Data and information, investigation and research
· Features of Verbal and non-verbal communication
· Facilitators and barriers to communication
· Speech and speech delivery
· Correlation between author/ speaker, context , text and reliability and validity of sources
· Suitability of data collection methods
· Choosing your medium and channel
· Technology and its impact (positive/negative) on communication

SUMMARY OF MODULES 1 & 3 COMMUNICATION STUDIES

WHAT’S IN MODULES ONE AND THREE

WEEK -TOPIC -OBJECTIVES -ASSIGNMENT

MODULE ONE

Research

The Aim and Purpose of research
Define such terms as: sources ie Primary and Secondary, reliability vs validity, credibility, authority, fact, opinion, bias, method, instrument, data vs information,
Identify the many types of Data Collection Methods
Identify the Strengths and Weaknesses of these methods
Factors to consider when choosing a method or methods
How do you document your source/sources
Read and make copious notes in your assigned groups

Presentations of Group Assignments will take place in Week 2

Choice or formats: PowerPoint, White board, Bristol board
NB whatever your choice please prepare Handouts of the main points for everyone

MODULE ONE

Note -taking
Define note-taking
Identify the objectives/goals/aims/purpose of note-taking
Types of Reading re Skimming, Scanning, Critical Reading
The importance of developing listening skills
Identifying effective listening
Tips to improve listening skills
Role playing to get the message across.
Can be done in Groups, pairs, solo

MODULE ONE
Summary
Define summary
Identify what are the Objectives/Purpose
The importance of Sequencing your ideas
How to Identify Main point/idea, writer’s purpose, writer’s intention
Looking at practice questions

MODULE ONE

Language
Identifying the language techniques/strategies/devices that writers use
Evaluating these strategies/techniques (How effective were they?)
Essay writing skills re how to organize an essay
Practice Questions

MODULE THREE

Communication
Define communication
Describe the communication model and process
Identify types and forms of communications (verbal. Non-verbal, written, computerized etc)

Identify and describe Contexts/situations in which communication takes place
Types of Non-verbal Communication
Functions/Purpose of NV comm.
Barriers to communication
How to communicate effectively

EXAMPLES OF PAPER 3

Portfolio Preparation
Identification of a Topic…Remember to check pages 28-29 in Comm Std Syllabus
or check my Blog entry titled "Topics for Communication Studies Portfolio"

PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT EXERCISE FOR MODULE ONE COMM'N STUDIES

MODULE ONE PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT EXERCISE


1. In your own words, explain what is research?
2. In order to conduct a successful research there must be a process that one should follow. In your own words describe the sequence of this process.
3. Explain the term ‘source’. How is source linked to research?
4. Distinguish between Primary data and Secondary data.
5. Give 4 examples of each of type of sources.
6. Choose two data collection methods and write a short scenario each to show how you will use them
7. Explain why you should follow certain considerations when choosing Data Collection method(s)?

Sources Exercise

For each of the following, indicate whether it is primary (P) or secondary (S), not a source used in history at all (N) or either, depending on its use (E):


21. _____ A World War Soldier’s coat button

22. _____An article in The Trinidad Express commemorating an important historical event

23. _____Prime Minister Eric Williams’ memoirs

24. _____Your history textbook

25. _____A colonial coin

26. _____ A 1962 copy of the Trinidad Guardian describing the Water riot in Port of Spain

27. _____ A farming machine from the 1890s

28. _____A letter from a schoolteacher describing the school curriculum

29. _____A photograph taken on the University of The West Indies campus during a 1970 demonstration

30 ____Your Great Grandmother’s wedding ring

31. _____The report of the Commission of Inquiry investigating the Airport scandal.

A GLIMPSE OF MODULE ONE

PLEASE NOTE! This is just a glimpse at what you need to know in module one. For more information see the book Communication Studies: Preparing Students for CAPE.


COMMUNICATION STUDIES
WHAT’S IN MODULE ONE
· Methods of data collection/ data collection methods

· Strengths and weaknesses of data collection methods

· Sources from whom you willl gather data ( must be seen in context)

· Verifying, validifying credibility of data/information

· What are barriers/weaknesses to verifying/validifying credibility of data/information

· What is the writer’s main point/idea?

· What are the strategies/language techniques (literary devices/figures of speech) used by the writer?

· Identify the type of writing (expository, narrative,

· Descriptive, argumentative)

· Comment on the reliability of the information in the piece ( look at dates given, is the person an authority or not, where the information was published)

WHAT IS RESEARCH?
Research is exploration combined with learning…

PRIMARY SOURCE
Is a document that was created at or near to the time of the event being…

EXAMPLES OF PRIMARY SOURCES

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters….

WHAT IS A SECONDARY SOURCE? A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one…

Examples of secondary sources include:
A journal/magazine article which…

ADVANTAGES OF USING SECONDARY DATA
Secondary data may be available which is entirely appropriate and wholly adequate to draw conclusions and answer the question or solve the problem. Sometimes primary data collection simply is not necessary...

RELIABILITY, VALIDITY AND CREDIBILITY
Perhaps the two most common technical concepts in measurement are reliability and validity. Any kind of assessment...

RELIABILITY: DEFINITION
... how stable, dependable

B. VALIDITY DEFINITION
The degree to which they accomplish ...

CREDIBILITY
When you assess a source's credibility, you try to determine how believable it is. First, you should look...
RATIONALE
Informs the readers as to why your topic is...

AUTHORITY is any accepted source or....

DATA COLLECTION

Data collection is a term used to describe a process of preparing...

TYPES OF DATA COLLECTION
Data collection methods vary greatly in the amount of time and

FACTORS WHICH DETERMINE WHAT DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT TO USE:
kind of issue you need to resolve …
ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES OF DATA COLLECTION METHODS
OBSERVATIONS (a): (Advantages) Provide direct information about behavior of individuals and…
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CHOOSING A DATA COLLECTION STRATEGY
In each data collection strategy, students are gathering information for the purposes of exploring an area of interest…

Taken from my text book Communication Studies: Preparing students for CAPE which is available online from all the major book sellers e.g Amazon, Alibris and Barnes and Noble, the bookstores inTrinidad and Tobago and R. Laws and Sons in St Kitts.

CAPE COMMUNICATION TEXTBOOK

Hey guys...for those who did not know I wrote a textbook for my favorite subject...yeah couldn't let my favorite people suffer from panic attacks because there was no specific text that catered for CAPE Communication Studies. It's out and available from Ishmael Khan, Metropolitan Bookstore, The Source, UWI Booshop, Nelson's Bookshop in Tobago and for those who just love to shop via the 'net it's available at Amazon.com...just Google and voila!!!. So far those who have used the book have had great many things to say about it but the most common thought was ...IT'S SOOOO STUDENT FRIENDLY!!" Well I am blushing but seriously I aimed to please and I am really pleased that you my favorite 'ppls' are pleased.!!!!!
Feel free to post a comment.

SAMPLE ESSAY FOR SELVON'S LONELY LONDONERS

SAMPLE ESSAY FOR MODULE TWO QUESTION
Response to Samuel Selvon’s Lonely Londoners (Excerpt pp. 76 – 77)

Word length should be approximately 500 words!!!!

In the extract from Samuel Selvon’s “The Lonely Londoners” I will be analysing the dialectal variation, the attitudes to language, communicative behaviours and registers all of which were either utilized or exhibited by the characters.
In nearly all instances a person’s choice of dialectal variation is influenced by certain factors such as first language, language that he/she is comfortable with, the audience involved and sometimes the content of the message. In the excerpt there exist two dialectal variations namely the Creole and the Standard English. Galahad, to all evidence was a West Indian and spoke the Creole throughout the excerpt as seen in these examples of his speech, “Where I living.” The Creole feature present here is the absence of the verb and in the next instance, “You like it? Where the Creole feature is the absence of the verb “Do” and instead the only indication that this was meant to be a question would be the inflection in his voice at the end. Daisy, on the other hand spoke Standard English as seen in her examples of speech, “Is this your room?” The presence of the verb at the beginning of the sentence indicates the interrogative/question type.
A person’s can exhibit either positive or negative attitudes towards the language choice of another person because of what they perceive to be the better language. Attitudes are influenced by factors such as their perception of superior as against inferior language, their perception of Creole as the language of the slaves, the uneducated, and the lower class. Subsequently, the same person may believe that Standard English when chosen is superior and better shows that the speaker is educated, in a high income range and recognises that Standard English can indicate the speaker’s goal for upward mobility. In the excerpt we see two distinct attitudes to language; Daisy’s criticism of Galahad’s language choice as seen in her, “You know it will take me some time to understand everything you say.” and Galahad’s defensive attitude as seen in his, “What wrong with it?...Is English we speaking.” Galahad’s response shows that he is quite proud of using Creole as he considers not only a language but English language!
Daisy’s quiet behaviour, Galahad apparent stalling, Daisy’s shifting about and walking hand in hand are all examples of communicative behaviours. These behaviours send messages to the other person involved and usually accompany the spoken words. In the case of Daisy’s quiet behaviour a reader can surmise that she was anxious and nervous about what was going to happen in Galahad’s room as for Galahad’s stalling we can take this as him feeling ashamed and not wanting Daisy to see the low conditions that she was living in. Normally when a person shifts about restlessly he is sending a message that she is very uncomfortable with the situation and in this case Daisy’s discomfort came across in her shifting about restlessly. Walking hand in hand is a sign of intimacy as apparent in this scenario.
The choice of register is dependent on the audience, the context or situation and the content. Registers also relate to the communicative behaviours and in this case Galahad and Daisy are very close friends, “Come and go in the yard.” ... who were on the verge of taking the relationship to the intimate level as seen in Galahad taking off his good clothes in front of Daisy and putting them away. The context here was certainly intimate.

In conclusion, it is duly noted that the writer has successfully engaged all four elements that we were required to analyse , thus rendering the passage quite appropriate for analysis.

THE BENEFITS OF GOALS SETTING


INTRODUCTION

Setting goals with students is an important process that can, unfortunately, become lost in the day-to-day mechanics of program and classroom management. By understanding the importance of goal setting; however, both students and teachers can make this process a valuable educational experience to facilitate teachers’ understanding of their students as well as the students’ understanding of themselves.


HOW DOES GOAL SETTING BENEFIT OUR STUDENTS?

Goal setting serves to establish a partnership with the students. The goal setting process:

Ø Promotes learner ownership by establishing the student as an agent in learning.
Ø Helps students become aware of the differences between short-term and long-term needs.
Ø Provides students with opportunities for success.
Ø Helps students set realistic expectations as they realize that everything they set to accomplish will not happen overnight but rather in a more realistic time frame.
Ø Helps low self-esteem students gradually develop into new, rekindled, high self-esteem learners.
Ø Helps students become self-motivated and persistent in the pursuit of life-long learning.
Ø Allows students to learn that goals can and do change.
Ø Helps students learn to reflect of their progress or lack of progress toward goals and modify and set new goals, as needed.



WHAT IS THE TEACHER’S ROLE IN STUDENT GOAL SETTING?


Student goal setting allows teachers to specifically target their classroom instructions. When the instruction comes directly from the learners’ goals, instructors give the students exactly what is needed to promote their success. As a result:

Ø Authentic goal setting should inform curriculum development.
Ø As students begin to “own” their learning the teacher becomes a facilitator.
Ø This ownership and progress encourages students to learn outside the classroom.
Ø Both students and teacher measure progress as it relates to the achievement of short-term and long-term goals.
Ø Students are equipped with a skill that enables them to learn and grow beyond the classroom.