CAR: Lesson - Collaborative Interactions: Reading and Writing

Image: a student writes notes while another student reads a book off camera.Collaborative Interactions, Part 2

For many people, speaking and listening are the only things that comes to mind when thinking about communication. However, there are two more major ways in which we communicate. Reading and writing are viewed as cornerstones of business skills essentials. Mastering the skills of non-verbal communications can create opportunities or open doors of opportunity. Poor reading and writing can potentially close those doors! It is imperative that we take advantage of opportunities to strengthen these skills often.

Communications: Writing

As babies, most of us learn to listen and speak as our first forms of communication. In general, most people think that being able to speak and listen is the first step in learning to read and write. Let's focus on writing first.

Writing is the ability to take what you would say (or what you did say) and create a record of it. This can then be shared, even without you being around! Being able to successfully write means that you can share your thoughts or keep a record of events.

Communications: Reading

Reading is the ability to understand text printed on a page. As the opposite of writing, it allows us to receive information from someone else, even when they are not there. Being able to read means that you can understand someone else's thoughts or follow an external record of events.

Connections and Comparisons

For many of us, it is through reading and writing that we give others a first impression of who we are and our values and beliefs. Whether we are writing a journal entry, completing a job application, composing a resume, or preparing a business plan, the ability to communicate intelligently in a non-verbal manner to convey a message and gain/give understanding directly impacts our success. While reading and writing are often mentioned together as a single topic, there are differences between the two. Review the graphic organizer below that differentiates the benefits and unique traits of reading and writing:

Reading and Writing Comparison
Reading Writing
  • activates phonological awareness skills (how letters and sounds correspond)
  • recognizes how the sounds blend together to form words
  • decodes the words printed on the page
  • realizes word recognition
  • attaches meaning to those words
  • uses mechanics: handwriting
  • phonology: speech sounds that make up words (e.g., bit = b + i + t)
  • semantics: word meanings and concepts
  • morphology: meaningful parts of words (roots, affixes, and inflections such as -ed verb endings that indicate past action)

Food for thought: What are ways in which you have personally benefited from your ability to read and write?

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