By Jaclyn Quan
Staff Writer
In class, many students dread the moment when their teacher calls on them to speak in front of the class to answer a question or go up for a presentation. Although the majority of students at school would petition to remove speaking from grading practices, this skill is essential for their everyday lives and future, and it should remain apart of the school curriculum.
Class discussions and participation in public speaking enable students to engage more in the learning material. As a result, students are more inclined to understand the materials they are learning when they ask questions for clarifications or come across new ideas.
According to Maryellen Weimer, professor of teaching and learning at Penn State Berks University, group discussions engage students when “a good question […] piques their interest and motivates them to make connections [with the content they are learning].”
When students are able to communicate with each other, it allows them to exchange their ideas and gives clarity to the topic that they are discussing.
“I think class discussions are important for students to form their own opinions on the subject [they are learning], so they can form a judgment and share them with their peers,” English teacher Justin Doring stated.
Additionally, class discussions and presentations also promote preparation and responsible habits for students. For example, if an English teacher goes over a reading assignment and poses a question for a student to answer, then it would remind them of their responsibility to prepare the night before.
Most importantly, speaking in class helps students improve their speaking skills, especially in public speaking. This trait would be essential in the future when they are applying for a job interview or work in an occupation where communication necessary for the workplace.
According to Carmine Gallo, columnist for Forbes magazine, “[the ability to communicate, inspire, collaborate and motivate] becomes more important as the forces of globalization, automation and artificial intelligence combine to disrupt every career and to eliminate millions of jobs.”
When students present or speak often in class, they are able to gain more confidence in their speaking and develop presentational skills because they can receive feedback from their teachers and peers that is important for improvement.
Because many students feel discomfort and anxiety from speaking in class, teachers can make their classroom more open for improvement and clarification instead of penalizing students for providing an incorrect response or failing to provide a response to their questions.
Listening and speaking are some of the core skills that students need to work on, and schools are responsible for helping them develop and foster those skills.
In the end, removing speaking from the school curriculum would only cause students to avoid facing this fear instead of addressing it and working on ways to overcome and improve it.
