George Lucas Educational Foundation

Communication Skills

Prepare students for academic and life success by helping them develop their listening, speaking, writing, and digital media skills.

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  • 3 Ways to Help Students Master Academic Language

    To get kids wielding academic and discipline-specific vocabulary, they need to observe words in context as they read, talk, and write about topics and concepts—and receive explicit instruction.
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    1
    547
  • Encouraging Collaboration With a Scientists Circle

    This routine creates an equitable structure for sharing out ideas, questions, or evidence in science class—and helps ensure every student takes part.
  • Teacher works with young children to take apart a computer.

    How Learning Happens

    In this video series, we explore how educators can guide all students, regardless of their developmental starting points, to become productive and engaged learners.
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  • 3 Ways to Get Students to Write About Math

    Teachers can use simple, effective methods to guide young students to demonstrate their understanding of math concepts.
    2
    174
  • 3 Great Discussion Models for High School English

    These models move beyond Socratic seminars to provide students with authentic, engaging class discussions.
    500
  • Using Hand Signals for More Equitable Discussions

    Whether your class discussions are online or off, hand signals enable students to engage in multiple ways.
    31.7k
  • What to Say Instead of ‘I’m Proud of You’

    A few phrases middle and high school teachers can use to cultivate conversation while celebrating student achievements.
    17.5k
  • 3 Strategies to Get All Students Participating

    In upper elementary and middle school, students may be hesitant to speak up, so strategies that encourage full participation come in handy.
    2.1k
  • Strategies for Supporting Students’ Speaking and Listening Skills

    Many students struggle with these skills, which are tied to academic success. Here are a few ways to teach them explicitly.
    2.7k
  • 5 Strategies to Improve Students’ Listening Skills

    Middle and high school students not listening is a common complaint, but listening is a skill like any other—it can be improved with practice.
    5.7k
  • Promoting Literacy and SEL Through Letter Writing

    While having students write letters has an obvious connection to literacy, it can also help with developing their social and emotional skills.
    317
  • Using Socratic Seminars to Build Social and Emotional Learning Competencies

    Good SEL skills are essential for students to be able to converse thoughtfully about a text.
    2k
  • The Power of Short Writing Assignments

    Brief writing prompts and responses help students in any discipline.
    13.7k
  • 4 Strategies for Sparking Critical Thinking in Young Students

    Fostering investigative conversation in grades K–2 isn’t easy, but it can be a great vehicle to promote critical thinking.
    1.2k
  • 60-Second Strategy: 7-Minute Writes

    Looking for a simple way to get your students writing? Try a low-stakes timed exercise.
    23.4k

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
Edutopia® and Lucas Education Research™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Lucas Educational Foundation in the U.S. and other countries.