Transcript Theories of communication and language development
1
Theories of communication and language development
EYFS Prime Area
2
Aim
Communication and language.
Theories on development.
EYFS Unique child, Positive relationships and enabling environments.
Initiatives promoting communication and language.
Every Child A Talker.
Inclusive Development Programme.
Communication
The exchange of information, ideas or feelings.
1 Includs non-verbal signals such as gestures, movements, facial expressions and tone of voice 1 .
The meeting point between people where we know that we have been heard 1 .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JmA2ClUvUY 3 1 Collins English Dictionary (2009). Harper Collins Publishers Glasgow
Language
…a system of symbols which we use to communicate with one another, consisting of sounds combined in various ways to make words each carrying their own meaning. Grammatical and social rules govern how these words are combined and used respectively 1 .
“The foundation of this complex system of communication are laid down well before a child utters his first words 2 ” 4 2 Gillibrand , R. Lam, V and O’Donnell, V. L (2011) Developmental Psychology. Pearson Education Ltd London
5
Prosody
Fetuses appear to be sensitive to PROSODY, the characteristic rhythm, tempo, intonational patterns, and so forth with which a language is spoken.
Variations in prosody are in large part responsible for why languages sound so different from one another, and why speakers of the same language can sound so distinctive.
6
Phonemic Perception
Infants are born with the ability to discriminate between speech sounds in any language This capacity primes them to start learning any language in the world Beginning at around 7 months, however, infants gradually begin to specialize, retaining sensitivity to sounds they hear and losing the capacity to discriminate among sounds to which they are not exposed By the end of the first year of life, infants’ speech perception is similar to that of their parents
7
Language and the Brain
Language processing involves a substantial degree of functional lateralisation in the brain.
The left hemisphere shows some specialization for language in infancy, although the degree of hemispheric specialization for language increases with age.
Studies of individuals with brain damage resulting in aphasia provide evidence of specialization for language within the left hemisphere.
8
Pierre Paul Broca 1961
Broca’s area Speech production Broca’s aphasia problems with expressive language…short sentences; speech very broken and sometimes distorted.
9
Carl Wernicke 1908
Wernicke’s area Comprehension of language (understanding)
Wernicke’s
aphasia- Speech has no real meaning although sounds and rhythms are normal. Difficulties understanding language.
10
Broca and Wernicke’s areas
Connected to each other and involved in the development of managing what is heard, understood and said.
Broca and Wernicke’s areas
1.Listening
2. Understand Wernicke’s 3. Mental speech -Broca’s 4.Motor cortex 11 5. Speech production
12
Learning theory
Another kind of behaviour (Skinner) Nurture- Shapes a child’s language development.
Sounds are shaped into word-like sounds and eventually become words associated with specific meaning.
13
Infant-Directed Talk (Child Directed Speech)
The distinctive type of speech that adults adopt when talking to babies and very young children It is common throughout the world Its characteristics include a warm and affectionate tone, high pitch, extreme intonation, and slower speech accompanied by exaggerated facial expressions.
14
The Pattern of Language Development
First Vocalizations Babies cry from birth and use it to communicate their needs and promote attention.
At around 6 to 8 weeks of age, infants begin producing drawn out vowel sounds.
As the repertoire of sounds they can produce expands, infants become increasingly aware that their vocalizations have an effect and they begin to engage in dialogues of reciprocal sounds with their parents/ carer.
The Pattern of Language Development
Babbling Sometime between 6 and 10 months comprising a consonant followed by a vowel.
of age, infants begin to babble by repeating strings of sounds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPGekZreJLc 15 A key component of the development of babbling is receiving feedback about the sounds one is producing.
As infants’ babbling becomes more varied, it conforms more to the sounds, rhythm, and intonation patterns of the language they hear daily.
The Pattern of Language Development
16 Most between infants Word production produce
10-15 months
of age their first words First words typically include names for people, objects, and events from everyday life The period of one-word utterances is referred to as the
holophrastic period
, because the child typically expresses a “whole phrase” with a single word. e.g.
Juice meaning ‘I want juice’ or ‘there’s my juice’
Prone to Overextension
, using a given word in a broader context than is appropriate, represents an effort to communicate despite a limited vocabulary
17
The Pattern of Language Development
Language achievement On average, children say their first word at around 13 months, experience a vocabulary spurt at around 19 months, and begin to produce simple sentences at around 24 months However, there is great variability in when different children achieve each of these milestones
The Pattern of Language Development
Vocabulary The
rate
of vocabulary development is influenced by the sheer amount of talk that children hear.
Caregivers play an important role in word learning by placing stress on new words and saying them in the final position in a sentence, by labelling objects, and by playing naming games.
Nouns used to a much greater extent (63%) than verbs (8.5%) 3 .
18 3 Boyd, D.G and Bee, H. L (2014). The Developing Child. Pearson's Education Ltd. USA
The Pattern of Language Development
12-18 months 5 -6 Years Learning new words 3.
30 words 2 Years 6 months 600 words 1,500 words There tends to be a vocabulary spurt once a child has acquired 50 words 19 3 Boyd, D.G and Bee, H. L (2014). The Developing Child. Pearson's Education Ltd. USA
The Pattern of Language Development
Creating sentences Most children begin to combine words into simple sentences by the end of their second year.
Children’s first sentences are two-word utterances that have been described as
telegraphic speech
because nonessential elements are missing 3 .
Once children are capable of producing four-word sentences, generally at around 2½ years of age, they begin to produce sentences containing more than one clause 3 .
20 3 Boyd, D.G and Bee, H. L (2014). The Developing Child. Pearson's Education Ltd. USA
21
Nativist Theory
Noam Chomsky
Suggested humans are born with innate potential to grasp language through a
language Acquisition
Device (LAD) Explains developmental milestones that children typically meet regardless of country, culture or language spoken
22
Nativist Theory
Hypothetical cognitive structure sensitive to rule-based regularities in everyday speech.
Explains the common grammatical mistakes that children can make as they try to master language.
E.g. ‘Mouses’ VS ‘Mice’ ‘Lik/ed’ VS ‘liked’ Disagrees with learning theory.
Interactions Theory
Interaction between innate and social theories of language development.
Recognise the IMPACT of the external world on innate abilities.
23 Piaget: At first children understand ideas by trying them out with their own bodies, engaging in here-and-now activities. Once children begin to use words, they have a powerful new tool for thinking and interacting with the world.
24
Interactions Theory
The case of Genie http://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=feral+child ren +genie&vid=0f63af4224da27fb7583fc22503a4f77&l=5%3A 55&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3 DV.4876756176799335%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2 F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYQNBSPY4QUc &tit=Genie%3A+Feral+Child&c=5&sigr=11a3i4gcc&ct=p&a ge=0&&tt=b
Required Competencies for Learning Language
25 Phonological development Semantics Syntax Pragmatic development
Phonological Development
26 The acquisition of knowledge about
phonemes,
the elementary units of sound that distinguish meaning A phoneme is a sound that a letter or letters make e.g. A-a; B-b; Sh (digraph) What is a trigraph?
A phoneme is different from a grapheme. This is a letter or letters that spell a sound.
27
Semantic development
The system for expressing meaning in a language, beginning with
morphemes,
the smallest unit of meaning in a language A morpheme cannot be broken up without losing meaning How many morphemes and what does each mean?
Unladylike Dogs technique
28
Pragmatic Development
The knowledge of how language is used, which includes understanding a variety of conversational
conventions.
Pragmatics goes beyond the spoken word.
You need to understand the context and intention of the speaker.
29
Syntax development
The rules for combining words How should the words in the following sentences be spoken to make sense?
Yesterday we shops went to the.
These happy boys are.
30
Communication and language: EYFS Prime area.
Listening and attention Understanding Speaking
EYFS
ELG- Listening and attention “Children listen attentively in a range of situations. They listen to stories, accurately anticipating key events and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.” 4 31 4 Development Matters in the EYFS (2012) DfE
32
EYFS
ELG- Understanding “Children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.” 4
33
EYFS
ELG: Speaking “Children awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop express their own themselves narratives effectively, and showing explanations by connecting ideas or events.” 4
A-typical language development
75% of a child’s brain growth has occurred by the age of 2 and by 22 months a child’s development can predict outcomes at the end of school 5 . Disadvantaged children are especially prone to language delay, some having only a third of the vocabulary of other children. The 2006 ICAN report, ‘The Cost to the Nation of Children’s Poor Communication’, indicated that in some areas more than 50% of children enter school with transient language or communication difficulties. If these children get the right support they are likely to catch up and their needs will not become permanent. 34 Feinstein, L. (2003). Inequality in the early cognitive development of British children in the 1970 cohort. Economica, 70(277), 73-97.
Possible causes of SAL delay
35 Ear infection Congenital Problems during pregnancy Infection in early years Lack of stimulation/ language- rich environment.
Every Child a Talker (ECAT)
Every Child a Talker (ECAT) National Strategies document published in 2008 6 with the aimed to: raise children’s achievement in early language improve practitioners’ skills and knowledge increase parental understanding and involvement in children’s language development Provide materials designed to support a lead practitioner and develop high quality language provision in children’s settings.
36 6 National Strategies - Every Child a Talker (2008) Department for children, schools and families
37
Every Child a Talker (ECAT)
Designed to help create a developmentally appropriate, supportive and stimulating environment in which children can enjoy experimenting with and learning language. Appropriate for Early Years settings, child minders or at home.
Encourages early language development right from the outset, extending children’s vocabulary and helping them build sentences so that before they start school, children are encouraged to be confident and skilled communicators.
Includes case studies describing successful practice.
38
Other initiatives
Inclusion Development Programme Supporting children with speech, language and communication needs.
Elizabeth Jarman- the Communication Friendly Spaces Approach.
ICAN –Early Language Development Programme: http://www.ican.org.uk
39
Enabling Environments
The environment in which children play and learn can increase the opportunities for communication, using and understanding language. Other aspects of the environment can discourage talking, for example if a CD is playing music loudly.
Activity In groups list some strategies to support young children’s speech, language and communication skills.
Strategies
40
Ensure close/ consistent partnership approach with parents/carers.
Model and promote good listening skills.
Give children time and space Provide the correct forms of words sensitively rather than correcting children directly.
‘recast’ when talking with children… i.e. repeating (with corrections) what children have said, and then extending it by adding one or two words. For example, the child might say ‘I rided my bike’, and the adult replies immediately ‘yes, you rode your bike down the track’.
41
Strategies
Ask open questions Value non-verbal communication. Use augmentative methods of communication e.g. signing / use of symbols Consider the needs of children learning English as an additional language – ensuring first language is valued/reflected in setting.
Consider how the setting environment supports and/or inhibits effective communication – LISTENING as well as speaking.