Teaching and learning: a new frontier for K-12 and higher education

Abstract

For nearly four decades, numerous studies have argued for the importance and examination of communication curriculum in K-12 (Book, 1989; Hunt et al., 2014; Rudick & Dannels, 2020; Wright, 2020). More recent trends have shown that while higher education communication educators have been successful in advocating for the importance of K-12 communication instruction, the creation of training programs and opportunities for K-12 educators to learn how to effectively teach communication skills has not been as readily supported (Hunt n, 2014). Jennings (2010) noted that many current K-12 instructors tasked with trying to implement communication education in their schools received their undergraduate training in English rather than communication and therefore do not have the formal training often necessary. In most public K-12 institutions, the content and the curriculum will not change, but approaches and pedagogies can. Actively promoting collaborations between K-12 and higher education communication institutions, and other educational programs offered by organizations, can help ensure communication standards are taught and assessed thoroughly. Through these collaborations, K-12 teachers can develop a deeper method and practice of teaching communication standards and provide K-12 students with a deeper foundation, and understanding, of the communication skills demanded in higher education and the workforce. To continue to develop richer K-12 communication pedagogy for teachers, we argue that more collaborative and out-service experiences between K-12 and educational organizations should be created and available for communication to be effectively interwoven into existing K-12 curriculum. George Mason University’s Communication Center collaboration with James Madison High School is a partnership example of a higher education communication program and a K-12 institution. Undergraduate communication center consultants assisted English 10 students with their first formal public speaking presentation. The consultants provided students with helpful strategies for how to organize a presentation, feedback on the effectiveness of their speech, and guidelines for high-quality presentations. This collaboration exemplifies the dual benefits for both teachers and students. In this collaboration, the K-12 teacher learned directly from the Communication Center consultants to further develop their practice of teaching communication standards and provided the students with a stronger understanding of the demand for communication skills in higher education.