Let's Talk About It......

At its most basic level, oral language is about communicating with other people.

It involves a process of utilizing thinking, knowledge and skills in order to speak
and listen effectively, which is central to our lives. The development of oral
language is important in the literacy development for all age levels.The visual
created by Dr. Adria Klein demonstrates the integrated process between all
aspects of literacy:

       

Conversing with children can be an effective way to help them build vocabulary. 
Strategies teachers use while reading with and to children can also build their
word banks and overall literacy development.  What are some ways to accomplish this?
Here are just a few ideas to naturally implement within and across your day:

Ask open ended questions (no right or wrong answer) This helps
teachers assess children’s comprehension but also helps children learn
more vocabulary words.

A very important consideration in using any questioning technique

is the “wait time” given to children as they formulate their response.

In addition to giving children ample time to formulate answers,

how teachers respond at that point can encourage or discourage

future participation in discussions.  Attentive body language, expanding

children’s responses, asking clarifying questions, and using reflective

listening techniques are ways to support children’s continued participation

in current and future dialogues (Owens, 2011). 

The obvious partner to participate in talk, is the ability to listen. Conversation

is a two way communication experience. Although children’s oral, or expressive,

language often gets emphasized, receptive language, or listening, is equally

important.

Teachers can model good listening and speaking techniques themselves.

Following are some things teachers can do to increase children’s listening

and speaking skills: 


When children are speaking, get down to their eye level. It is difficult to

keep up a conversation with someone when you must keep looking up. 

Treat children as if they are skilled at conversation. Give them your full

attention and focus on what they say. Ask open-ended questions to

follow up on what they share.  

Speak to all children, even those who may have language delays or

who are English language learners.  Ask children questions about

things to which you do not know the answer. Questions that ask children

to reflect on a topic or to formulate opinions and explain them not only

show children that you value their ideas but also encourage them to

think about their own feelings and ideas. 

Help children learn to listen to one another. When adults value listening

to children and to each other, children will notice this. Adults must also,

however, be intentional in giving children skills to listen to one another.

Limit group time and small group discussions to a reasonable time based

on the age of your students. When attention is wandering, it is best to

bring closure to the activity and transition to something else. 

Value all the home languages of the children in the class, including

sign language for the hearing impaired. For the benefit of English

language learners and everyone else, learn some of the key words and

phrases in the languages represented in the group, record them,

create word/picture cards.  This way, children can learn some

important words in another language and support the speaker of

that language. (Jalongo, 2008).  

It is important that the classroom environment is supportive and nurturing where a
variety of communication styles are valued, accepted and accommodated. Teachers
will also support students by helping them to develop strategies to use when speaking
and listening for different contexts. By providing authentic purposes and audiences for
speaking and listening, all children can become confident and enthusiastic communicators. 

Please join me in a Twitter Chat on Tuesday March 24th at 9:00.  #LearnBPSChat
These questions originally came from Dr. Adria Klein, Reading Recovery Trainer
at St. Mary’s College in California and national literacy consultant. Thank you
Dr. Klein for your willingness to let us learn from each other with these valuable
questions about oral language!

Q1: What have you noticed about students’ oral language in your own classroom?

Q2: Literacy researcher Marie Clay suggested that oral language and literacy development
need to progress together. What are your thoughts about the connections between
oral language and reading and writing?

Q3: What ways to develop students’ oral language have you found to be helpful? 
What types of activities do you use to foster student talk? 

Q4:  How could you build on students’ home languages to support their reading and
writing development?  

Q5:  In a Twitter chat we often reply to questions asked by the leader.  It is helpful to foster
talk by providing an opportunity to ask a question.  So, what is another question
you have about oral language development?

References:

Jalongo, M.R. and Sobolak, M.J. Supporting Young Children’s Vocabulary Growth:
The Challenges, the Benefits, and Evidence-Based Strategies. Early Childhood Education
Journal, 38:421–429, 2011

Owens, R.E. Language Development: An Introduction. New York, Pearson, 2011

Klein, A.  Interpretive and Language Acquisition Graphic 1978.