Sir, – Patrick Murphy notes (March 24th) that Junior Cycle English students "will be marked, by their teachers, in front of their classmates on the oral presentation they will give to the class". He rightly points out that no provision has been made for "that very natural teenage condition, the dread of public performance".
He notes that oral presentations are to be substituted for essay writing.
I have been working in the area of oral communication all my professional life – over 30 years! Time and time again, I have been made acutely conscious of the sheer terror most teenagers have with the idea of voicing their views publicly, especially in front of their fellow students. Public speaking is a skill and, like all skills, it has to be taught and practised. At present, few of our secondary schools have debating societies and even fewer have the facility of regular training in oral communication.
The gift of the gab, call it what you will, needs to be taught to our students. To ask untrained Junior Cycle students to “talk the talk” publicly, instead of penning their views, will crush their self-image. Life is hard enough for teenagers! – Yours, etc,
BRENDA MORGAN,
Howth, Co Dublin.