The teacher workshop program at Penn state

Abstract

This article is concerned with the influential role of the non‐speech classroom teacher in shaping students’ development of speech communication competencies. A description is provided of the course offerings and operations of the Speech Communication Teacher Workshop Program at Penn State. This program, based upon a preceding E.S.E.A. Title III Grant, offers graduate level credit courses to non‐speech teachers which are designed to improve their teaching effectiveness and skill in the understanding and application of oral communication activities in the classroom. The program has enrolled 3500 teachers in two years of operation, demonstrating that typical classroom teachers are concerned with communication and that they respond productively to training in it.