Developing Pre-school Communication and Language

Chris Dukes, Maggie Smith

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2007
• ISBN:
  9781446226483
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Early Childhood Education

Includes CD-Rom

`This book is highly recommended for all practitioners interested in improving their practice in developing young children?s communication and language. The ability to print material form the CD-Rom enables the information to be accessed by practitioners working with children of different ages in different rooms in a setting? - Early Years Update

`A very clear and easy to read style of text...This book has a common sense approach to good practice. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone wishing to develop this area of childminding work? - National Childminding Association

`An excellent resource for all those working with young children...the ideas are tried and tested, user-friendly and research-based, and can be trusted and implemented with ease? - Early Years Educator

`This book will be an invaluable support: a treasure-chest of superb resources, materials, ideas and suggestions for the busy early years practitioner who is keen to develop the language of the children in their care. The CD-ROM will save some of that precious time we all strive to expand, and the practical strategies offered will be a boon to practice in the setting? - Collette Drifte

Looking for advice on how to develop communication and language skills in the pre-school?

Packed with helpful advice on supporting and developing the crucial language and communication skills of the children in your early years setting, this book provides clear guidance on appropriate expectations for each age group between birth to five.

The book includes:

-advice on how to support language development in all children, including those with special educational needs

-practical ideas and strategies for practitioners and parents

-guidance on when to seek advice and working with other professionals

- activities and case studies

-a CD Rom with useful photocopiable resources.

This book is ideal for all those working with the 0 to 5 age range, such as pre-school practitioners, nursery managers, advisory teachers, SENCOs, Inclusion Officers and Child Care and Education students and tutors.

Chris Dukes and Maggie Smith are both Area SENCOs who work closely with pre-school SENCOs and Managers on a daily basis.

CHAPTER ONE
	Getting started: people, places, play and planning

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The aim of this chapter is to show how all aspects of the pre-school environment are relevant to the successful development of children’s language and communication. It outlines how to use people, places, play and planning for the benefit of all children in your setting.

The chapter outlines

People – the role of the practitioner, 10 key strategies, golden questions and adapting adult-speak

Places – creating an environment to support language and communication

Play – the Early Years Foundation Stage and language-rich activities

Planning – sample pro-forma

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People

The role of the practitioner

The ability to communicate well with each other is the most important skill that children will learn. In the pre-school the most important resource is the people. It is vital therefore that they are equipped with the skills and know-how to carry out their role effectively.

The adults, be they practitioner or parent, should be aware of how the quality of their language and experiences offered influence a young child’s language.

On the following pages and throughout the book there are strategies to support practitioners in recognising and fostering their role as model, sympathetic listener and facilitator of a young child’s developing communication and language skills.

Below there is an outline and explanation of ‘10 Key Strategies for Practitioners’, a list of open-ended ‘golden questions’ and tips on how adults can adjust their language to best meet the needs of all of the children in their care. Through regular use these ideas will become embedded and will improve the early years’ practice of those working with babies and young children.

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The 10 Key Strategies for Practitioners

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The 10 Key Strategies Explained

1. Modelling

This means that the practitioner says the word or phrases that the child wants or needs. In doing so the practitioner ‘models’ the correct version.

2. Commenting

This means that the practitioner talks about what she or the child is doing as they are doing it, something like a running commentary. This allows the child to hear vocabulary and language in the context of a real situation.

3. Expanding or extending

This is, as it suggests, taking something that the child has said and expanding upon it. So a single word ‘Drink’ becomes ‘You want a drink?’ In this way language is modelled and extended to encourage the child to move on to the next step.

4. Repeating back

This means that the practitioner listens to what a child says and then repeats it back to the child, making any necessary corrections without drawing the child’s attention to them. This allows the practitioner to check that they have understood what the child has said and also gives the child the satisfaction of hearing their own language acknowledged.

5. Asking open questions

Generally, questioning is best kept to a minimum. When questions are used they should be as open as possible – which is harder than you think! Open-ended questions or golden questions have many possible answers and can lead to interesting conversations with young children. (Twenty examples of ‘golden questions’ to use in your pre-school are given on page 5)

6. Playing with words

This means singing songs and saying rhymes but also using spontaneous opportunities to play with words. Children appreciate the sound of words that rhyme, tongue twisters, alliteration or silly sentences, even if they don’t fully understand every word.

7. Turn-taking and waiting time

A pause also indicates that you may be waiting for a response and helps to establish the idea of turn-taking which is essential in developing conversation and social skills. Practitioners should try not to rush in when a child hesitates. Many use the three-second rule – when asking a question or seeking a response from a child wait for three seconds before speaking again yourself. This gives the child time to think and compose a response.

8. Using verbal prompts and giving choices

If a child is finding it hard to remember a word or phrase practitioners can prompt them with the first sound of the word o...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Contents of the CD-Rom
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Getting started: people, places, play and planning
• 2 Babies: 0–11 months
• 3 Babies and toddlers: 8–20 months
• 4 Toddlers: 16–26 months
• 5 Toddlers and children: 22–36 months
• 6 Children: 30–50 months
• 7 Children: 40–60 months
• 8 Working with young bilingual learners
• 9 Creating language opportunities in the pre-school
• 10 Meeting individual needs (with case studies)
• Appendix A Useful contacts
• Appendix B Crossword solution
• References
• Index