Insitute Content: Language Development, Including English Language Learners

Language Development, Including English Language Learners

Jerlean Daniel, School of Social Work,
University of Pittsburgh

Jerlean Daniel is an Associate Professor in the Program of Child Development and Child Care at the School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh. She is also a Center Associate at the Learning Research and Development Center, working on the Early Literacy Project. Daniel was director of a child care center for 18 years. During that period, she served at various times as a board member, secretary, and president of the Pennsylvania Association of Child Care Agencies; President of the Pittsburgh AEYC; and a governing board member of NAEYC. She is also past president of the NAEYC. For her local community, Daniel is part of the leadership team of the Allegheny County Early Childhood Initiative, a neighborhood by neighborhood expansion of high-quality early childhood services. Daniel has written a series of articles on transitions for infants, toddlers, and children with special needs in child care. She has also written about African-American child-rearing practices and children’s names. Her current research interests include literacy and child care policy.

"Language integrates social, emotional, cognitive, and motor development."

— Jerlean Daniel

Presentation Highlights

The cognitive and social-emotional energy that young children put into developing language skills is foundational to learning to read and write. This presentation explains that speaking and listening are basic and essential parts of early literacy and offers examples of strategies to promote children’s language development.

Start Early

The adult role in children’s language development from birth onward is critical. Research has shown that the synapses in a child’s brain are stimulated by social contact with primary caregivers and others. Language development begins at birth.

Encourage Talking

Children must have many opportunities to talk.

One-on-One Time

The adult must give children ample "ear time"–time when a child has undivided attention to talk in depth and at length about a topic.
Toward the end of their preschool years, children should be able to stay on a topic, initiate new topics, and communicate ideas back and forth through four or more exchanges.

Small Group Interaction

Snack time is a typical component of many early childhood classrooms–it is a time when children can be given the opportunity to talk at length and to various ends.
Story or circle time is another opportunity to put together small groups of children where open-ended questions can be asked.

Provide Time

As adults, we need to be careful not to rush children in the communication process. Children need time to think about what we’ve asked, how they want to answer, and to recall the words that they need to answer.

Ways to Promote a Child’s Language Development

Some effective ways for early childhood professionals to promote language development include:

Demonstrating that you value what children are saying;
Giving children plenty of things to talk about by providing rich experiences in the learning environment;
Giving children a variety of ways to experience language;
Providing opportunities to converse at length and in depth;
Asking open-ended questions; and
Giving children a chance to talk every day (either in small groups or one-on-one).

Presentation Handout

Print version of Jerlean Daniel's 3-page Handout

Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh

Promoting Language Development in Young Children
for Early Childhood Educators

SHOW CHILDREN THEIR TALK IS VALUED

Show them with your body:

Be available for conversation by making time to sit quietly and to be approachable by a child with something to say (avoid spending too much time on classroom chores or chatting with other adults).
Talk with children at their eye level so they can see your interest.

Show them with your words:

Avoid using too many words–adults show respect for children's language by doing more listening than talking.
Be direct with children–tell them, "1 like to hear your ideas," "I want to know what you're thinking," "It's good to ask questions," "You have a lot of interesting things to tell us," "You're telling us something important."
Ask open-ended questions to encourage children to extend and elaborate their thinking and talking: "That's so interesting. Tell me more about caterpillars turning into butterflies." "How did you feel when she said that?" "I'd like to know how to do that. Can you teach me how to do it?" "What happened next?"

Show them with your actions:

Write down things children say–written talk is important talk (be sure to ask the child's permission before writing on a painting or drawing; the writing also can be on a post-it note that is then attached to the painting or drawing).
Record on tape things children say–not only will it seem important, but they and others (other children, parents, teachers) can enjoy it again and again.
Encourage children to put their talk into a performance for others (puppet show, play).

Show them with your time:

Meaningful talk can't be hurried–children need extended opportunities to express themselves at length, not in short snippets.

GIVE CHILDREN THINGS TO TALK ABOUT.

Provide a stimulating classroom environment:

With intriguing objects contributed regularly by both the children and the teacher (acorns, feathers, seed pods, rocks, shells, pinecones, leaves, insects)
By rotating props for dramatic play (post office, restaurant, airport, doctor/dentist office, library, grocery store)
With a variety of art and woodworking materials and tools
With high quality children's literature in every play area

Provide first-hand experiences outside the classroom:

Take a walk in the neighborhood to listen for sounds.
Visit a nature center to talk to the people who work there about caring for the environment.
Learn names of animals and fish at the zoo and aquarium.
Find out how people do their work at the post office, grocery, library.
Compare smells and tastes at the ice cream shop and the bakery.

Bring interesting people into the classroom:

Musicians, storytellers, puppeteers, mimes, authors, artists, chefs can talk about how they do their work and give a short demonstration.
Community neighbors can tell their stories and give information: fire fighters and police can talk about staying safe; merchants can explain interesting products or services; immigrants, veterans, members of ethnic groups can tell their stories.

GIVE CHILDREN OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK IN A VARIETY OF WAYS TO EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF LANGUAGE.

Encourage children to tell stories:

Children love to tell about things that have happened in their lives as well as upcoming events in their families.
They also love to use their vivid imaginations to tell wild fantasies (they often need help distinguishing pretend from real).

Encourage children to learn new things:

Children are curious about everything - encourage them ask "what?", and "when?", and "how?", and especially "why?"

Encourage children to teach things to others:

Even if you already know the words to the song, the lines of the poem, the way to play the game, let the child teach you and the other children; it's good for a child to be the one giving information as well as the one getting information.

Encourage children to solve problems together:

"Use your words" should mean more than don't hit the other person; children need genuine practice using words to accomplish their goals in a peaceful way.

GIVE CHILDREN MANY TIMES DURING THEIR DAY FOR TALK.

Encourage other adults to come to the class to be good one-on-one listeners for the children's talk: senior citizens, college students, parents, custodian, secretary, director, neighborhood volunteers.

Provide large blocks of child-initiated play time in which they are chatting together informally about their play ideas, indoors and outdoors.

Structure large and small group times to allow leisurely conversation among the children:

Have several small groups for circle time, rather than one large group, to permit more children to talk more often.
Make sure the conversation goes from child to child to child, rather than only back and forth between a child and the teacher.
Facilitate the conversation among all children in the group, not just the few most verbal children.
Limit the agenda for circle time to one or two topics that can be discussed by the children in depth, rather than hurrying them along through many items.
Encourage leisurely snack and meal times during which friendly conversation is the focus.

Create special times to help all children feel comfortable talking:

The child who has a lot to say may need some individual times for extended talking that otherwise would dominate a group conversation.
The shy, timid child may need some private time to practice talking to another person before risking conversation in a group.

Teach children to talk to each other with respect about meaningful topics:

To listen attentively to another child's words
To say "I agree," "I disagree," "I have another idea about that," or "I'd like to add something to what s/he said"
To ask another child for help or suggestions, to use each other as resources
To tell an interesting story to a classmate

GIVE CHILDREN WORDS TO USE IN THEIR TALK.

Read, read, read many books every day to children, information books as well as story books

In the usual story time group, books to give them the joy of high-quality literature and beautiful illustrations
To small groups at play, books that can extend their play ideas
To individual children with a special request for a favorite book on your lap
Stopping and talking about all books as you read them: how do the characters feel, what might happen next, letting the children supply the next word in a familiar text, how the pictures help tell the story

Help children develop an interest in words:

By singing silly songs
By clapping to rhythmic rhymes
By alerting them to amazing alliteration
By inventing nonsense words
By encouraging children to bring in interesting words from home, just as they bring in interesting objects and books, to deposit in the "interesting words" bank
By playing word games from Phonemic Awareness in Young Children, by Adams & Foorman

Teachers model an interesting vocabulary by using a large variety of words:

Use real words for things, not "baby" words - "injury" or "wound" not "boo-boo."
Tell the children about new words you are learning and have them listen for them in your talk.

Give children new words for things they are learning:

Give children many words for their feelings beyond the usual "happy, mad, and sad" - excited, disappointed, thrilled, nervous, frustrated, eager, furious, ecstatic!
Give them words for new foods you introduce, new games to play, new songs to sing, new toys to use.

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