The Promotion Of Oral Language

Classrooms are different today from those of previous generations, they have become communities of learners where students assume more responsibility for learning. As opposed to a place where the teacher is in charge the modern class room there is often a hum of students, talking about books they are reading and working together in small groups using digital as well as print text. The students are more culturally and linguistically diverse, many have English as a second language (ESL). This Critical- reflective essay will explore using the four resource model developed by Luke and Freebody, focusing on; how young children learn to read, the four roles within the resources model are Code breaker, text user, text participant and text analyst. This essay will also articulate the understanding of the three phases of reading and writing development. Phase one, experimental reading and writing. Phase two, early reading and writing and phase three, transitional reading and writing. This understanding will then be applied to an early years setting including and application of strategies for cultural differences.

Learning provision for literacy development is important for pupils for several reasons. When pupils are developing their language skills they are learning to communicate with others in a variety of ways through speaking reading and writing. The three areas of language interact with each other to promote the child’s self expression and imagination. Children need to be given opportunity’s to use and extend their language in all subject areas so they can develop higher level thinking. [ Louise burnham, Brenda Baker,2010,pg206]

A foundational aspect of all children’s learning is oral language. Communication orally entails the ability to include four components of spoken language to incorporate, and build on, a child’s vocabulary and grammar. These four elements consist of the phonological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic components. Development of a child’s language skills should form together resulting in literacy success later in life. In order to master the teaching of oral language, three strategies are used. These include, the use of open –ended questions, talking about sophisticated words and incorporating sociodramatic play in to lessons, which in the end, enhance expressive and receptive oral language skills. Fellowes & Oakley and numerous other literature sources explore the significance of oral language in the child’s development.

Deborah Brandt’s “Sponsors of Literacy” attempts to understand literacy by delving into its history and factors that influence how human beings acquire literacy and practice it. She argues that the forces

“The more you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” This is how Dr. Seuss thought of reading, and I think of it in much the same way. Literacy is everywhere and influences us every day, therefore, it plays a major part in each of our lives. I believe that reading is an interactive activity in which learning happens, or as Clay (2001) defines it, “…a message-getting, problem-solving activity” (p. 1). Reading is the process through which one reads information and from doing so, constructs meaning about the material. The more exposure and practice one has with reading, the more knowledge one gains. In this paper, I will begin by discussing my own personal educational philosophy, then continue by stating and explaining four of my beliefs about the reading process and the research that is found to support each of them before sharing the remaining questions I have about literacy. I am an existentialist, and a strong supporter of a balanced literacy approach. My beliefs about literacy come from these foundations and perspectives that I embrace. For students to be successful in their literacy development, I believe that identity acceptance in the classroom is crucial, instruction for all students must be differentiated, direct and explicit instruction is at times necessary, and vocabulary is a significant component in the ‘Big Five’ of children’s literacy development.

Learning to read and write as a child is an experience that all can relate to. The average child learns to read and write at the early ages of three and four. Developing literacy at an early age is crucial to academic development as well as to performance in life. Early development can be just what a child needs to stimulate their minds, which in turn is assisting in the evolution of their future. The early and latter stages of development in a child’s literacy journey are the makings for their reading and writing skills. It also plays part in their analysis of obstacles as well as their developed or problematic literacy future. A child

Literacy plays a huge role in many people’s lives everyday, whether it is learning how to read and write for the first time or writing a five-page essay for the hundredth time. We experience literacy differently and have our very own unique stories on how it has impacted our lives and had made us who we are today. It is an essential aspect that I use in my everyday life, such as in relationships, daily interactions with others, and learning. It has become such a powerful aspect and human right in which it allows one to speak his/her mind and in some cases express their opinion to the world. My personal literacy history has shaped me into who I am today because without my experiences I would not have been able to gain the confidence and

Competence and confidence in literacy, including competence in the three major areas, reading, writing, speaking and listening, are essential for progress in all areas of the curriculum. To broaden and enhance children’s literacy skills, opportunities need to be given by providing them with a wide range of different contexts in which to use and practice there skills. With reference to the aims of the Primary Framework for Literacy ‘To support and

Reading: Locates, understands, and interprets written information in prose and documents--including manuals, graphs, and schedules--to perform tasks; learns from text by determining the main idea or essential message; identifies relevant details, facts and specifications; infers or locates the meaning of unknown or technical vocabulary; and judges the accuracy, appropriateness, style, and plausibility of reports, proposals, or theories of other writers.( 134 USDOL)

Storytelling and “talk and literacy” can be both considered to be two great activities that teachers and parents can include in everyday experiences. Sharing picture books, listening to a story aloud, drawing, coloring and early writing are all samples of literacy; however, reading aloud helps students gain experiences for later samples where students may transfer comprehension to writing. Listening also increases engaged conversation, while offering insight of comprehension of text (Early literacy development, 2006). When introduced properly oral language development should increase in areas such as inexpressive skills, receptive, and vocabulary usage.

Through this week learning resources, I have learned that there are evidences that demonstrate that when a child has limited experiences he or she is more likely to have difficult comprehending what is read. It is why early childhood professionals affirm that oral language is the foundation for literacy development. Everything that children learn about speaking and listening they use for writing and reading and what they learn from writing and reading they use in listening and speaking. In other words, oral language and literacy develop simultaneously. When parents provide rich language and literacy reinforcement at home, children do better in school than those who do not. It is also known for early childhood professionals that for a child with limited experiences is more difficult comprehending what is read. For example, a child who has being exposed to many environments like a farm or like a museum will have more mentally engagement in classrooms activities about things he or she already know that children who have not had experience in those environments. Many researches showed that children that have not have a literacy development or an oral language development years before formal schooling, are less likely to be successful beginning readers, opening an achievement lag that might last through the primary grades. Some of the reasons why parents are not actively involved into their children’s educations are their socioeconomic or legal status. For example, in an immigrant family sometimes both parents have to work and sometimes they have to work two shifts. I have known families where children are the whole day in school and with nannies. Those children do not develop any skills that help them to succeed at the time of attending forming school.

Children develop oral language at a very early age. Almost every sound a human being makes can be considered communication. As children grow up, they are constantly observing and practicing communication and oral language. What they know about oral language has an effect on the development of their literacy skills. "Students who had difficulty with early speech communication skills were believed to be at risk for reading…and consequently writing" (Montgomery, 1998). Therefore, the development of oral language has an effect on the ways in which emergent readers develop literacy.

Language is a powerful communication system that is unique to human species. Naturally, children start to develop language skills months after their birth (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). They first begin with oral language to understand others then they learn other language forms (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). The various forms of language enable children to communicate effectively, understand and create meaningful materials (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). This is achieved through mastering the key components and systems within language. However, the process of language development is greatly affected by children’s learning and social experiences (Green, 2006). Thus, education and community play a vital role in children’s language growth. Analysing language as object and recognising that it is a social process allow educators to create further opportunities for development in the classroom settings. Ultimately, equipping children with the essential language skills for success. Language is diverse in material forms and it is extremely important that education provide the adequate language skills for children’s lifelong learning. In the current society, children are surrounded with communication through various mediums of visual, audio, print materials and digital texts (Green, 2006). The primary form of language is oral language which is believed to be existed since the beginning of the human race (Gee & Hayes, 2011). It involves producing and understanding sounds, words, gestures, actions and interactions (Gee & Hayes, 2011). These abilities develop through children’s interactions with others on daily basis (Gee & Hayes, 2011). According to Gee, the basic set of oral language skill is known as vernacular variety which is the foundation for further language development (2004, as cited in Gee & Hayes, 2011). As children grow up and engage in more learning experiences, they acquire the knowledge of other language forms and use them for different purposes, such as speech, reading and writing (Gee & Hayes, 2011). Writing is great tool for self-expression and creating meanings (Cremin & Myhill, 2012). It is believed that written materials have brought a revolution to humanity equality as it allows individuals to express

“Forms of language and literacy develop supportively and interactively. Children build on oral language knowledge and practices as they learn to read and write’ they develop key understandings about reading through writing, and they extend their writing range through reading” (Braunger & Lewis, 2005). This illustrates how at even the most basic level, language and literacy are interconnected from the very beginning. Therefore, in order to dissect each to see how children learn each, one needs to have a full understanding of both

“I remember your son[’s] graduation / That's when I met your friends / And they was all havin' conversation / But they was sayin' stuff that I couldn't understand / Then all of a sudden it felt like, I understood something I missed my whole life / For the first time I was wearin' your shoes / For the first time I was hearin' your views / I never knew how complicated life is when you feel so isolated / And I know we don't speak much / Cause when talking got hard all I ever did was throw the peace up / My big sister Grace, I'm sorry I never learned to sign / And even though you were born deaf / I pray you forgive me for the years I lived blind”