Transcript OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Increasing Children’s Language and Vocabulary through Conversations
Barbara A. Wasik. Ph.D.
Temple University
Presentation at the Syddansk Universitet Conference January 22, 2012
Outline
• Role language and vocabulary development play in reading • Current problems faced in the poorest US schools, specifically Head Start • ExCELL intervention – Training – Challenges • Next steps in our research
The Role Language and Vocabulary Development Play in Reading
Importance of Developing Oral Language and Vocabulary • Predictor of success in learning to read • Predictor in overall success in school • Poorly developed language skills are highly related to poverty
Phonological Sensitivity
What Children Need to Learn to Read
Oral Language, including Vocabulary & syntax Alphabet Knowledge Learning to Read Print Awareness
How Children Develop Oral Language & Vocabulary • Conversations with linguistically competent adults • Opportunities to use language in meaningful ways • Opportunities to talk and get feedback on what they say
To Develop Vocabulary, Children Need…
• Multiple, meaningful exposures to words • Opportunities to use words in meaningful contexts • Exposure to a variety of words
Video Example
• A good conversation with some book vocabulary
Oral Language & Vocabulary in Reading
• For children to become good readers, children need well-developed vocabularies.
• So when they read a word, they don’t have to spend cognitive energy on knowing the meaning of the word.
•Ball •Mitten •Badger
Examples
Research Findings
• Children who do not have well developed oral language skills entering kindergarten and first grade are at risk for reading failure (Beck & McKeown, 2007).
• Studies show that children in poverty enter preschool and kindergarten with language and vocabulary skills nearly a full standard deviation below the national average, placing them at a high risk for academic difficulty or even failure (ACF, 2011; Lee & Burkam, 2002).
Current Problems Faced in the Poorest US Schools & Head Start
Head Start Children US Children in High Poverty • 58% are single family homes • Family income with 2 children is under $15,000 • 40% white; 29% AA • 36% ELLs • Low vocabulary and language skills
Research on Classroom Oral Language
• 93% of all talk in classrooms is teacher talk • Talk was directive and managerial • • Of children’s talk, less than 2% was children expressing ideas Dickinson & Colleagues (2007)
Research on Classroom Vocabulary Development
• Vocabulary instruction that included “strategies that introduce young children to new words and entice them to engage in meaningful contexts through semantically related activities” was virtually non-existent in early childhood curricula. Neuman & Dwyer, 2009
Head Start Classrooms
• Teachers typically don’t make the time to talk with children • Talking is not “built into” the curriculum • Vocabulary development, which is key to reading success, does not occur • Quiet classroom = “good” classroom 16
Closing the Achievement Gap • Focus on improving the quality of classrooms • Focus on increasing the quality of teacher – child language interactions, specifically scaffolding language through conversations and book reading experiences • Focus on increasing children’s vocabulary development
ExCELL
Exceptional Coaching for Early Language and Literacy
ExCELL
E xceptional C oaching for E arly L anguage and L iteracy • Professional Development Model • Designed to train teachers to implement strategies to increase children’s oral language and vocabulary
Professional Development Models • Well-researched, intensive PD interventions focused on developing language and pre literacy ( Dickinson, Justice, Landry, Pianta, Powell, Wasik) • Outcomes show improvements in pre-literacy skills such as phonological sensitivity & alphabet knowledge but vocabulary and oral language skills are difficult to change
ExCELL
• One example of an effective PD intervention • Focused on scaffolding teachers’ language interactions to provide more opportunities for children to talk and use language • Book reading plays a critical part in language development
ExCELL Components • Intensive, comprehensive language and literacy professional development (PD) intervention • Coaching- 1-3 hours weekly sessions • Monthly group trainings • Books, materials, and lesson plans that support the development of children’s language and literacy, and • Progress monitoring of children
Characteristics of ExCELL
• Master’s degrees
Coaches
• Knowledge of ECE and literacy • Fidelity training measure • Co-coaching • Weekly mentoring meetings
ExCELL
trains teachers to…
• Scaffold children’s oral language through purposeful and strategic conversations • Explicitly teach and use vocabulary in conversations
Purposeful and Strategic Conversations
• Teachers are trained to… – Ask “open-ended” questions that provide children with opportunities to talk – Actively listen to children’s responses – Provide meaningful feedback – Encourage children’s responses
Explicitly Teach Vocabulary
• Teachers use targeted vocabulary words in conversations (modeling) • Teachers create opportunities for children to use words
Video Examples
• Maybe a clip of Lori during Circle time?
Book Reading
• Key to ExCELL • Target vocabulary comes from books • Books provide the context
Beyond the Pages of the Book • Purposeful Conversations throughout the day • Use book vocabulary throughout the day
The Mitten by Jan Brett • Identify key vocabulary • Develop open-ended questions for book reading • Use vocabulary in other activities such as Morning Message, Center activities, and Circle time.
Weaving Vocabulary through Conversations
ExCELL
Research Findings
ExCELL Research
• Randomized Controlled study • Head Start Teachers and Children • In urban Baltimore City • 100% free lunch • 99% African American
Teacher Measures
• All teachers were administered: – CLASS (teacher quality) – ELLCO (literacy experiences) – Teacher belief measure – Teacher knowledge measure – Fidelity measures
Child Measures
• PPVT- III (Receptive language) • Alphabet • Phonemic awareness • All are predictors of success in reading
ELLCO- Literacy Environmental Checklist Subscale
Teacher CLASS Instructional Support Domain
Teacher Background
• Varying degrees of education • Education did not impact performance • Years of experience did not impact performance • All teachers can learn these strategies
Vocabulary
(PPVT-III)
Phonological Sensitivity
Teacher Behaviors Related to Increases in Child Vocabulary • Not the number of open-ended questions teachers asked but, • The amount of opportunities given to children to talk and use language • The more children used language in a meaningful context increases in vocabulary
What Do These Findings Suggest?
• Teachers’ use of language is critical in developing children’s language • Teachers can change the way they interact with targeted coaching & training • Teacher behaviors impact children’s achievement
Next Steps of Our Research
ExCELL-e
• Reduce the amount of face-to-face coaching • Provide training through web-based presentations and videos • Fidelity amount of coaching
How Much Face-to-Face Coaching is Needed to Achieve Positive Outcomes?
• Empirical question • Interaction effects – Quality of coach – Teacher factors – Difficulty of content – Delivery of content – Ease of implementation
Thank you!
Barbara A. Wasik PNC Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education [email protected]