A big thanks to all the participants who attended Anna Branagan's webinar Developing spoken vocabulary within Early Years settings. Here are Ana's replies to the questions asked by the participants.
How do you assess whether an SEN child can use a
concept? They may understand but not use yet!
· It is firstly important to establish if a child
understands the concept. To do this we use real objects such as the collection
of items in a shoe box, as shown below. To assess knowledge put a range of
objects in front of the child and ask the child to identify ‘which one is
bendy/long etc'
· In an ideal world, practitioners would have lots of
time to take language samples and listen to children in free play. Early Years
practitioners rarely have that luxury, so instead it is about eliciting
responses. Use real objects that ideally show several examples of the same
concept. Play with the objects showing the concept and then use the start of a
phrase, but rather than using the concept word, just pause. Like this:
‘Wow, look at this rope it is really....’ (bendy)
‘Oh no, I’ve spilt the water! Now my jumper is all
….’ (wet)
‘Here comes the horse. He’s running and he’s
jumping …’ (over)
What is the most important area to focus on for a
child with specific word finding difficulties in SLT?
· Ideally each child should have a thorough
assessment of their individual language skills, as many children who are
labelled as having word finding difficulties also have word learning
difficulties. Working on word learning skills will impact also on word finding.
Does the child have adequate phonological awareness skills? Does the child have
semantic skills? Are they able to apply these skills to word learning?
Resources for this are provided in the ‘small
groups’ section of the original ‘Word Aware’ (primary aged) book. Working on
sorting and categorising words is a skill that is needed, but in my experience,
it seems to have limited direct impact on vocabulary development. Phonological
awareness, sorting and categorising can all be developed as part of teaching children
specific words.
When working with children who are bilingual, does
working on words in their first language carry over to English?
· Yes, ‘sinking’ is the same concept in English as it
is in Gujarati. The word just sounds different. If you work on a concept in the
first language the child is more able to fit the new word into their
understanding of the world. Later they will naturally pick up the English word.
A good foundation in the child’s first language
will support English language learning. The key is to work closely with parents
and enable them to support their children’s language learning at home. If you
can work in the home language at nursery or school, then that is advantageous but
hard to achieve.
Do you include Makaton signs on your symbols?
·
Symbols are included in the Word Aware book, but
not signs. We suggest staff use a sign or gesture, particularly when teaching
concepts. If you know the Makaton sign, then great. If not, then use a gesture,
but all adults need to be consistent.
What are whisper words?
·
‘Whisper words’ is a simple way to review words
that you have already taught and to encourage children to use in a specific
situation e.g. in the home corner or water play. Introduce ‘whisper words’ to
the whole class by saying ‘today I am going to walk around and whisper a word
you might like to use in your play.’ As you see an opportunity to use a
particular word, you whisper it to a child.
How many words would you teach at one time?
The million-dollar question! In Early Years we suggest that in each week you teach one topic word, one word selected from a book you read to the children and one concept. There are lots of words to learn, and so there is a pressure for pace but this must be counter-balanced by a need for depth.
Remember you don’t need to teach every word, but by combining all the elements of ‘Word Aware’ together you will expose children to enriched vocabulary, motivate them to learn words and teach them word learning skills.
The million-dollar question! In Early Years we suggest that in each week you teach one topic word, one word selected from a book you read to the children and one concept. There are lots of words to learn, and so there is a pressure for pace but this must be counter-balanced by a need for depth.
Remember you don’t need to teach every word, but by combining all the elements of ‘Word Aware’ together you will expose children to enriched vocabulary, motivate them to learn words and teach them word learning skills.
Do you have any advice on how to 'win over' Early
Years (teaching) staff and get them to see how important vocab is?
· ‘Do the children they work with needs support to
access the curriculum? Are they interested in developing their children’s
foundation skills?’ Let’s hope they answer in the affirmative to both of those.
The main barrier is likely to be time, so you need
to show that the activities are easy, effective and engaging. Start with some
of the songs. Or just search ‘Word Aware channel’ on YouTube. Then model some of the games
such as ‘what’s in the bag?’ or ‘treasure hunt’ and just watch the children
react.
The slides at the beginning of the webinar have
some of the background evidence about the importance of vocabulary. There is also
more in the book.
All of the ideas you talked about are applicable to
many populations, including deaf children. I am wondering though if you have
any specific ideas for this population outside of what was already mentioned.
Thanks.
·
We haven’t specifically worked with deaf children
and so are reluctant to reply in detail. ‘Word Aware’ is a multisensory
approach with lots of repetition which will suit deaf children. It may need a
specialist Speech and Language Therapist/teacher to identify more specific
adaptations.
Can you give some tips about teaching second
language children who have never been exposed to English and have no
reinforcement in the home.
· The whole class environment is important so spend
time providing word learning opportunities for all. This can be supplemented by
small group work as outlined in ‘Supporting children with higher needs’ section
in the book. This works well for children with very little English as well as
those with language learning difficulties. This suggests working on one noun,
one verb and a concept in each group session. There is guidance about choosing
the right words and games to play to reinforce the words.
For the whole class we also suggest having ‘Alan
the Alien’ and his box. Adults put objects in his box of things that ‘Alan’
might not know. Then all the children tell ‘Alan’ what the items are. Children
are encouraged to put items in his box as well. This means that children with
English as an additional language can find out labels for items in an easy way.
Working with parents is essential for developing a
strong foundation in the home language also.
How do we know that vocab at 5 is causal of
socio-economic outcomes later in life?
· It is not a causal link, there is an association.
Vocabulary is closely associated with reading comprehension and conceptual
understanding, both of which underpin academic success which in turn impacts on
socio-economic outcomes. Research (Law et al, 2009) indicates that children
with normal non-verbal skills but poor vocabulary at age 5 were 50% more likely
to have literacy or mental health difficulties at age 34 and twice as likely to
unemployed.
How would you use this approach with children with developmental
language disorder?
· ‘Word Aware’ supports vocabulary learning for all
children, including those with developmental language disorder. We have found
that by selecting the right words and using a multi-sensory approach with the
whole class children with DLD are much more able to access whole class
teaching. Children with DLD often just need more repetition and the whole class
work can be supplemented by small group work in order to provide extra opportunities
to hear the new words.
References: Law, J., Rush, R., Schoon, I., & Parsons, S. (2009) Modelling developmental language difficulties from school entry into adulthood: literacy, mental health, and employment outcomes. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 52(6), 1401.
