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Full-Text Articles in Education

Extraordinary Everyday Stories: Audio Resources For The Communication Instructor, David E. Engen Nov 2015

Extraordinary Everyday Stories: Audio Resources For The Communication Instructor, David E. Engen

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Communication instructors often supplement course texts with artistic works such as feature films, short stories, and memoirs. A less common form of supplementary material is the audio documentary/story. The discussion below introduces several audio resources likely to help students deepen their understanding of communication in general and interpersonal and intercultural communication in particular. I also offer a few ideas to those instructors wishing to help students create their own small-scale audio productions.


Are You "Wanted" For Poor Listening Habits?, Nanette Johnson-Curiskis Nov 2015

Are You "Wanted" For Poor Listening Habits?, Nanette Johnson-Curiskis

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

In order to begin a semester or unit on effective listening with some basic theory and knowledge and to serve as an icebreaker, students are asked to design and share a “Wanted Poster” describing their poor listening habits. The significance of this assignment was guided by the ubiquitous nature of listening. Research verifies listening as the most utilized form of communication.


Discovering Culture And Communication On The World Wide Web, Jin Xu Nov 2015

Discovering Culture And Communication On The World Wide Web, Jin Xu

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Discussions of intercultural communication mostly center round the interaction of culture and communication concerning differences in values, beliefs, norms and communication styles. However, cultural differences also stem from different cognitive styles, which impact intercultural communication. This article describes an activity that introduces students to cultural cognition theory. Combining research on the Internet, small group interaction, and class discussion, this exercise encourages students to apply theory to practice, to explore cultural differences on the Internet, and to develop their critical thinking skills. It also develops their awareness and skills needed to be mindful of the nuances of cultural differences. The exercise …


Gaining Knowledge: Creating Activities For Students By Students, Annie M. Clement Nov 2015

Gaining Knowledge: Creating Activities For Students By Students, Annie M. Clement

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

This article describes an activity suitable for high school and college/university communication courses. Combining outside research with in-class discussions and class interaction give students the opportunity to become more knowledgeable about interviewing in the ‘real world.’ Students research interviewing topics, find articles to support their topic, then create an activity and present this to the class. This allows more in-depth analysis of common topics discussed in an interviewing class allowing students to take control for their learning, deepening the learning process for themselves and others while decreasing common interviewing pitfalls.


Effective Listening Project: A Constructivist Activity, Nanette Johnson-Curiskis Nov 2015

Effective Listening Project: A Constructivist Activity, Nanette Johnson-Curiskis

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Constructivist learning allows learners to synthesize and understand new ideas and concepts based on their own current and past knowledge and experiences. This paper describes the constructivist philosophy of learning. The constructivist teaching and learning model is applied to a unit used in an effective listening course or a class with a unit in listening. Students construct a listening campaign demonstrating the importance of effective listening for a target audience.


Infusing Critical Thinking Into Communication Courses, James P. Dimock, Kristen P. Treinen, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Robert S. Jersak Nov 2015

Infusing Critical Thinking Into Communication Courses, James P. Dimock, Kristen P. Treinen, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Robert S. Jersak

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The importance of critical thinking is generally recognized by educators and during the past 20 years numerous initiatives have been taken to improve critical thinking. Although research demonstrates courses in communication study can have a positive impact on critical thinking skills, we argue that instruction in critical thinking can be more explicitly covered in basic communication courses. This article details our efforts to infuse critical thinking into an entrylevel communication course and outlines a guide to help communication teachers integrate critical thinking into their courses.


Developing A Senior Capstone And Portfolio Course, Nanette Johnson-Curiskis, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Warren Sandmann Nov 2015

Developing A Senior Capstone And Portfolio Course, Nanette Johnson-Curiskis, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Warren Sandmann

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Our purpose in this essay is to explain how the Speech Communication Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato developed a senior capstone and portfolio course. We describe how this course helped the department improve its curriculum and teaching, and helped its students enhance their learning of the discipline.