Expressive Communication and Conversational Skills

Asking a Question About a Topic
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Arturo's Classroom Story
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VOISS Connection

During VOISS lessons, Arturo learned to listen to others without interrupting. He also learned to look toward the speaker, wait until the speaker finished speaking, and ask a question about the topic.

Ms. Jones decided that listening without interrupting was important, but it was equally important that Arturo participate in the conversation by responding after he listened. Asking a question about a topic would allow Arturo the ability to better participate in conversations and express interest in the ideas of others.

Ms. Jones created a lesson to help Arturo practice the skills of listening without interrupting (Expressive Communication and Conversational Skill 7) and asking a question about a topic (Expressive Communication and Conversational Skill 5).

VOISS Advisor Lesson Plan Outline

Expressive Communication and Conversational Skill 7: Listens Without Interrupting Expressive Communication and Conversational Skill 5: Asks a Question about a Topic

Define the social skill to be demonstrated in observable and measurable terms. This should be the skill you want the student to use when the situation / opportunity naturally occurs.

When participating in a conversation in a group of 1-3 peers and a peer is talking, Arturo will wait until the peer is finished talking and ask the peer a question about the conversational topic on 9/10 opportunities.

Generalization Emphasis

Setting Generalization

Instructional Setting

Small Group Instruction

Instructional Method

Role Play

Generalization Tactic

Recruit Reinforcement

Support Strategy

Prompting (Visual), Reinforcement

Generalizing the Skills

Ms. Jones decided to focus her lessons on setting generalization. Specifically, she wanted Arturo to demonstrate these skills at lunch and during small group work in social studies class. In these settings, Arturo was most likely to engage in conversations and had often interrupted peers to talk about his special interests.

Ms. Jones operationally defined one outcome that indicated her generalization lessons were effective:

 

  • When participating in a conversation in a group of 1-3 peers and a peer is talking, Arturo will wait until the peer is finished talking and ask the peer a question about the conversational topic on 9/10 opportunities.

    Choosing an Instructional Setting and Method

    Ms. Jones then considered an instructional method and setting. Ms. Jones and Arturo’s speech-language pathologist, Ms. Forbes, co-taught a weekly social skills curriculum for Arturo and two other peers. Ms. Jones decided that this small group setting would be ideal for practicing the targeted skills and would benefit the other students as well. Ms. Jones had recently learned that role play was effective for teaching social skills. She worked with Ms. Forbes to prepare scripts for various role play scenarios.

     

    Choosing a Generalization Tactic and Support Strategy

    Ms. Jones knew it would be difficult for Arturo to listen without interrupting and ask questions about topics outside of his interests, and that he was apt to talk over people or leave the conversation. However, Arturo had a self-monitoring system he used for task completion. Arturo had already learned to self-monitor his behavior accurately, and he earned rewards for completing a percentage of tasks each day. Ms. Jones decided she would expand this system for monitoring the targeted skills.

    At the end of the day, Arturo would report how well he did and request reinforcement. She expected Arturo would need some help to generate appropriate questions in conversations. She created picture cards with generic question prompts. One set went inside Arturo’s social studies binder and another inside his lunchbox. These visual prompts paired well with the generalization tactic.

     

      Lesson Implementation

      Ms. Jones’ Lesson on “Listening Without Interrupting and Asking Questions About a Topic”

       

      Developing Role Play Scripts

      Ms. Jones recalled that role play requires specific roles for players, situations, and scripts for players to follow, much like a short play. Ms. Jones and Ms. Forbes observed conversations of peers during lunch and during small group instruction and wrote scenarios mirroring real-life interactions. They developed 10 brief scenarios depicting varied conversations related to academic and social skills. Each scenario included a player who asked a question about a given topic.

      Modeling and Practicing the Role Play

      During small group instruction, Ms. Jones began the lesson by explaining how to participate in the role play. She explained that when others are speaking, it’s important to listen attentively and to wait until the person finishes speaking. Then, it’s appropriate to ask the speaker a question about the conversational topic. Ms. Jones and Ms. Forbes modeled a role play scenario that illustrated how this is done.

      Initially, Arturo played the role of the individual asking questions in each scenario. However, because the scenarios were very brief, each student had the chance to play all roles in each scenario, allowing practice in being both the speaker and the listener.

      Practicing Asking Questions

      After practicing these 10 scenarios, Ms. Jones had the students role play scenarios in which there was no scripted question. They had to come up with the question on their own. She prompted them as needed and gave explicit, immediate feedback on their questions.

      To extend this lesson, Ms. Jones asked the students to think of other conversational topics that they regularly heard. She talked about each topic and the students brainstormed questions they could ask to extend the conversation about the topic.

      Following the lesson, Ms. Jones met with Arturo individually. She reminded him to use the question cards to help him think of appropriate questions. Together, they practiced forming questions about academic and social topics.

      Extending Arturo’s Self-Monitoring System

      She also introduced Arturo’s self-monitoring system, in which Arturo would note his progress in a small notebook. She reminded Arturo, that like his other self-monitoring system, it was important that he was honest. Arturo would write the conversational topic and setting following an interaction. He would check a box if he waited for the peer to respond before talking and if he asked a question. Then, he would note the question he asked the peer. Ms. Jones encouraged Arturo to use his visual prompts if he wasn’t sure what to ask. She then told Arturo to bring this notebook to her at the end of each day. If he listened without interrupting and asked a question about the topic for at least four of five opportunities that day, he would choose an item from his reinforcer menu.

      NATIONAL AND STATE STANDARDS BENCHMARKS AND INDICATORS

      ECC.7 LISTENS WITHOUT INTERRUPTING
      COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (CASEL) STANDARDS
      • Relationship Skills
      KANSAS SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (KSECD) STANDARDS

      Social Development

      • Interpersonal Skills
        • C. Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and resolve interpersonal conflicts.
          • 6-8 (11-13) 3. Practice greater active listening and respectful communication skills.

      Character Development

      • Core Principles
        • C. Create a caring community. 2. Demonstrate mutual respect and utilize strategies to build a safe and supportive culture.
          • 6-8 (11-13) b. Practice effective listening skills to understand values, attitudes, and intentions.
          • c. Model respectful ways to respond to others’ points of views.
      ECC.5 ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT A TOPIC
      COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (CASEL) STANDARDS
      • Relationship Skills
      KANSAS SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (KSECD) STANDARDS

      Personal Development

      • Self-Management
        • A. Understand and practice strategies for managing and regulating thoughts and behaviors.
          • 6-8 (11-13) 7. Practice effective communication (for example, listening, reflecting, and responding).