Boston Online Home Education

Communication Skills

Literacy

The functional definition of literacy is the ability to read and write.
This definition, however, can be considered too simplistic in the complex world in which we live.

In order to engage fully, people need to read and interpret visual and digital stimuli and read printed material with comprehension and discernment.

Read and write

Just being able to read and write does not automatically mean that a person is socially engaged.

To be a socially engaged person means having the ability to keep abreast of current events, communicate intentionally and effectively, and understand the complexities of our world.

Why this course

The English Literacy Skills course has been developed to enhance skills beyond mere reading and writing of words.

To be able to read with insight, people need to make assessments of newspapers, novels, comics, magazines, films, reference material, and even websites.

Having the ability of discernment means engaging with printed and digital material at both an intellectual and an emotional level – evaluating and appraising the information that is being presented. To be able to engage fully, printed and digital material needs to be understood completely.

Engage socially and emotionally

When a person is fully engaged both socially and emotionally, it means the person understands the material that is being presented, can make connections between ideas, and can evaluate effectively and with discernment.

This translates into self-confidence and a heightened sense of self-esteem and self-worth.

The person can contribute meaningfully to discussions, can write with purpose, and can sift through information to identify what is valid and what is invalid.

This is an enormous contribution to social and emotional literacy.

Enroll in one or all our Master Classes today and acquire the skills to stand out in any crowd!

Boston Online Home Education

Reading Programme

Reading speed and comprehension

Reading rate is the number of words a person can read accurately in a minute. It is important for people to be able to read correctly and at a consistent rate as this improves their reading fluency. If people are unable to read fluently, their progress will be compromised.

Learning to read starts with the sounds of different letters (decoding words). A fluent reader has moved beyond the sounds in each individual word to recognition and the meaning of each word.

This then extends to the understanding of sentences. If people are still decoding words, they may reach the end of the sentence and have no recollection of what they read at the beginning of the sentence. Clearly, this compromises progress.

The reading rate assessment has been designed to improve people’s reading skills and fluency. There are several reading extracts, each having been written in an accessible and academic style to give people practice in reading beyond decoding to word recognition and meaning.

The extracts are followed by questions to test the recall of facts that have been read. This is to encourage focused reading for meaning as opposed to merely decoding words.

It is anticipated that people will start at a relatively slower reading pace, but this will improve with practice. People are able to monitor their own reading rate as the reading of the extract will be timed.

Following this, they will be required to answer the questions from memory without access to the extract. This will allow the people to assess themselves in terms of reading for meaning which translates into comprehending what they read.

Boston Online Home Education

Vocabulary games

Literacy improvement

It is very important for people to develop their vocabulary in order to understand information and communicate with accuracy. For this reason, we have included vocabulary games to stimulate all participants in the course. Learning should also be fun!

Boston Online Home Education

Communication in different contexts

Communication

BOHE developed Communication in different contexts with the expanded definition of literacy in mind.
In order to succeed, it is necessary for people to build cross-cultural connections using a variety of communication media to ensure an understanding of meaning and intent.

This has the potential for people to solve problems collectively but also strengthen individual independent thinking.

All communication has a purpose and a medium. The use of genres within specific contexts conveys intent, for example, a formal letter or email suggests a business or elevated interaction instead of a casual, relaxed context.

People are continuously surrounded by stimuli, both visual and auditory. Consider the various advertisements both in print and digital media. Skills are needed to decipher messages from the media but also to respond effectively and fluently, and with insight.

Content

When designing the programme, various topics were considered in terms of their relevance and contribution to advanced literacy.

People need to make sense of news stories, editorials, and investigative journalism to understand the dynamics of their societies, and indeed, the world.

Within these genres, the writing could be objective or subjective, designed to manipulate people’s thoughts, thus it is essential for citizens of the 21st century to be able to identify truth and emotive persuasion.

Understanding humour in the media is also a vital skill. Satire is often used by both writers and cartoonists to provoke thought in readers. This skill is presented in lessons on visual media and blog writing.

Benefits to organisations

Communication in different contexts brings the following advantages:

Literate employees are empowered because of enhanced self-esteem and confidence.

Understanding various communication media in a business context will allow employees to adapt to the expectations of different tasks.

With improved literacy skills, employees have the capacity to collaborate in teams and offer meaningful and valid contributions.

The ability to manage and understand multiple streams of information will enhance the performance and output of employees.

Enhancing the literacy skills of employees engenders the idea that learning is a life-long process, thus employees are constantly developing and refining their skills.

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