Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Communication & language in the early years (Nancy Stewart) - Coggle…
Communication & language in the early years (Nancy Stewart)
Crucial elements of language development have already taken place by the time a child enters nursery or school.
E.g. a newborn baby recognises the voices of its parents following months of hearing the sounds of speech in the womb.
However, babies might be primed to develop language, but not all children receive the opportunities in rich communication environments that enable them to learn crucial skills.
DfE (2011) - research confirms not only the differences in children's early communication & language experiences, but also the impact on their later learning.
The quality of a child's communication environment was found to predict a child's expressive vocabulary at age 2 - which is seen to be an important factor for success in primary school.
The importance of early communication & language.
Many learning opportunities involve talk - so communicating effectively underpins success at school.
Has an impact on the child's literacy skills - of children have a limited vocabulary or difficulty in comprehending complex sentences, they will struggle to obtain meaning from what they read.
Language supports children's social development & interacting with others is a central plan of how we learn.
Children need to be able to communicate to make friends.
Roben (2012) - children who have well-developed language are better able to emotionally regulate.
Across all areas of learning, children benefit from a rich vocabulary - it allows them to be good thinkers & problem solvers.
From communicating, to using language
.
We communicate in many ways & only some of these involve language.
E.g. facial expressions, gestures & sounds are all forms of communication.
Communication involves transmitting something from one mind to another - so the receiver of the message must also be able to make a meaning in their own mind.
Language is a sophisticated, symbolic way of communicating.
It rests on the understanding that we can have an exchange with others - the more experience children have of different forms of communication the more readily they will add language to their repertoire.
Early 'chat' with babies is an important precursor to developing language - the baby might not understand what you are saying, but they will be picking up the rhythms of social turn-taking in a call-&-response fashion.
Rich language experience needs to be available to children early in life.
Babies & young children need to hear frequent models of talk - e.g. narrating everyday activities to them or singing nursery rhymes.
The developing brain is particularly sensitive to language sounds in the first years of life - we are born able to become fluent speakers in any language, but lose this over time.
Children need to develop the ability to notice individual/combinations of sounds & to produce speech sounds.
This requires practice & most speech sounds aren't fully mastered until a child is five or six years old.
It is important not to confuse the clarity of speech with the children's language development - children can be made self-conscious & reluctant to speak if adults focus on the sounds instead of what children are saying to us.
It takes two.
We can only understand words once we begin to recognise that someone else is using the language code to mean particular things, so we will be able to understand each other.
Studies find that children who spend more time in episodes of joint attention develop larger vocabularies & are more successful in their later learning.
It is important for language learning to have an adult who interacts with the child, stimulating their attention, providing the words & responding to their signals.
The dimension that an adult brings to a child's experience can either enhance or limit how well the child progresses.
Language develops in the context of interaction - the adult's skill in using strategies which support talking together is crucial.
Adults need to be expert listeners, in order to support children to become effective speakers.
Understanding the foundations of language & providing the conditions for each element to develop is necessary in order to support all children.
Listening & attention.
In order to take part in communicative exchanges & learn language, children need to focus their attention & listen.
To support children's listening & attention, reduce unnecessary visual & sound distractions.
Adults should also interact in ways which support listening & attention:
Establishing contact for communication is key - adults need to be face to face with their child & on their level.
For children who are not able to focus their attention easily, use the child's name to gain their attention before speaking to them.
Using a lively voice, gesture & facial expressions also supports children to listen.
Children learn through imitating, so it is important for adults to model being a good listener.
Activities can be arranged to support listening & attention:
Working one-to-one or in small groups support listening more than large group sessions.
Specific activities give practice in listening & attention - e.g. games like Simon says & activities like listening walks.
Understanding.
Children's receptive vocabulary (the set of words they understand) develops before they begin to use words to talk.
Words help children to understand categories & to think carefully about what does & does not define belonging.
Language comprehension also requires the ability to make sense of the way words are put together in phrases & sentences.
The order of words makes a difference to the meaning.
Techniques to support children's understanding:
Hearing a rich vocabulary & different kinds of talk is crucial for children to continue to develop their understanding of words & sentences.
Adults can describe what children are doing & showing an interest in which helps them to link objects & actions to words.
The meaning of new words becomes clear to children when the word occurs repeatedly.
Expressive communication.
Adults should consider the child as a message-giver rather than a message-receiver - this area covers all aspects of a child's expressive communication & not just speech.
Language becomes a powerful tool for children through talking aloud to themselves.
Narrating their own activities is an important way that children begin to become aware of their own thoughts & regulate their own behaviour.
They ask questions to seek information or explanations, they recount an experience or create a narrative which helps them to make sense of their experiences.
The physical space of the learning environment that supports children to talk will have features of good early provision - open spaces, accessible resources, comfortable light & limited noises.
Communication partner.
Expert communication partners are aware that almost everything is a communication & language opportunity
Talking with children in ways which support their language development begins with being a good listener.
This means being responsive & making an effort to understand the child rather than jumping to conclusions & steering the conversation.
It is essential to give the child time to think as it can take children several seconds for the child to process what's been said.
Closed questions with limited choice of response clearly mean the adult is leading, but even open questions can put the adult in charge of the agenda.