TPC 12 - Reading, Viewing, and Listening (Comprehension)

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• paraphrase spoken technical and professional communications
• read and summarize written technical and professional materials
• consistently apply reading strategies when reading technical and professional materials
• interpret technical and professional information conveyed in graphic and other non-verbal ways
• distinguish between implicit and explicit "messages" in technical and professional communications
• respond effectively to complex instructions

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Have students role-play conflict situations in which the antagonistic viewpoint is summarized as part of the resolution process (verbal paraphrase). Note that conflict resolution styles may vary with gender.
• Ask students to use articles or current textbooks to:
  • identify a set number of key words or phrases for each paragraph
  • select those that might be used to create an index
  • identify words that link one paragraph to the next
  • produce outlines, working backward from final products
  Relate this exercise to reading strategies such as previewing (scanning), predicting, reviewing, reflecting. Discuss with the class how the format of technical and professional materials facilitates the use of these strategies. Ask students to use these strategies using timed challenges. (e.g., "Note the five most important points in this article within two minutes"; "Who can be first to locate a specified piece of information in this resource?")
• Provide current and authentic samples of graphs (e.g., pie charts, bar graphs, line graphs) with limited textual information (captions). Have students each produce two paragraphs or a one-minute verbal presentation describing information presented on each graphic.
• Gather messages from various sources (e.g., want ads, phone messages, report card comments, letters of reference). Set up a Gallery Walk and have students try to identify information not stated explicitly in the messages. Ask:
  • How did you get this message from the example?
  • Do you think this was intended by the writer?
  Emphasize that the degree of implicitness appropriate in a message depends on purpose and audience.
• Challenge students to follow instructions using activities such as:
  • orienteering
  • setting a programmable watch, VCR, or microwave
  • following verbal directions (students in pairs)

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• To assess students' summarizing abilities, have them each write a précis of an oral or written report for a specified audience and purpose. Check for evidence that the information they provide:
  • focusses on main ideas
  • incorporates specific, accurate, and relevant detail in terms of the purpose
  • is concise, containing no redundancy or unnecessary detail
  • makes logical connections among the key ideas
  • addresses all important aspects in terms of the purpose
  • interprets subtleties or implicit features where appropriate
• Before students work on documents or groups of documents, provide a brief preview and have them generate five key questions each to guide their work. After they have read, viewed, or listened to the material, ask students to use their questions to guide oral or written summaries. Have them consider how their questions affected the way they dealt with the selections. Look for evidence that they can:
  • draw on previous knowledge about topics to anticipate new material
  • use preview information, including knowledge of form and format, to create logical questions
  • develop questions that potentially focus on the purpose, summarizing key aspects of a work
  • use information they acquire to answer their own questions
  • explain how questioning focusses their attention and helps make connections between previous and new experiences
• To check on students' comprehension of complex technical or professional communications, have students work in small groups to each prepare three to five questions (along with an answer key) that will check their classmates' understanding about a specific aspect of the selection (e.g., graphics, implicit messages, explicit information, quantitative information, intended audience and purpose). Use the questions for a quiz.

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

• Canadian Writer's Companion
• The Communications Handbook
• Effective Technical Communication
• Guidelines for Report Writing
• Impact
• Information Systems
• Multimedia Literacy
• Speaking Our Minds
• Technical Communication
• Technical Writing: Principles, Strategies, and Readings
• Technical Writing: Situations and Strategies
• Technically-Write!

• Computer Integrated Manufacturing
• Extraordinary Answers to Common Interview Questions
• More Bloody Meetings
• Virtual Reality
• Visions of Heaven and Hell

• Making Movies on Your PC
• Technical Writing, Sixth Edition

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