What experiences have you had that you can say with a level of certainty to your clients, “you will need this skill in the real world.”

Communication is the foundation for education. In order for us to learn we need to be able to understand and to be understood. Communication effects every aspect of our lives, whether it is written, gestural, or verbal. In order to effectively communicate with eachother we need to know all the processes involved. It is important to know the rules of our language system. If a person does not know proper grammar, others will not understand the message that is being conveyed and they may be perceived as being unintelligent. Another aspect of communication that is important is being able to produce the sounds of a language correctly. For example, if a person is substituting a T for the K it is difficult to understand what is being said. Is the person saying can or tan? Mis-communications that occur because of a lack of language structure or inability to produce the proper sounds can lead to a lot of frustration, for all parties involved in the conversation. I believe that as my students grow older they will gain an understanding and have a desire to correct their speech and language skills.