[lbo-talk] Literacies and Modern Barbarism

[Wojtek S]

Carrol: "learning to write well (not just to write business memos
or fill out a form) has been a central 'aim' of American 'education,' and
now working people are going to be fired if some tests don't show that their
students indeed have learned to "write well."

[WS:] If this is indeed the aim, it failed miserably.  Many college
graduates have rather poor communicative skills in general, and poor
writing skills in particular.

Another point - oral communication skills require more than just
"speaking well" - they also require what is called 'emotional
intelligence' to a much greater degree than written communication.
Many people experience difficulty in oral communication because of
'emotional' issues - such as not being able to pick up non-verbal
cues, being afraid to speak in the presence of others etc. The same
people can be very good at written communication.  I know someone with
autism who is an excellent writer but cannot communicate orally to
save his life.

Wojtek