The importance of speaking and listening

1. The importance of speaking and listening Wednesday 4th December 2013 St. David’s C of E Primary School

2. Communication is crucial • Language is the vehicle for learning. • It enables understanding and expression of thought. • It supports thinking, problem solving and reasoning. • It is critical for cognitive development. • It enables relationships to form. • It helps children feel confident. • Language development does not happen by accident. • Children need adults to support their language and communication development.

3. Why is speaking and listening so important? • RESEARCH & VIEWPOINTS • The link between poor literacy levels and poor behaviour is the oldest relationship in school. (Paul Dix) • 66 – 90% of young offenders have below average language skills. (Bryan, Freer & Furlong – 2007) • Speaking and listening underpins learning: you cannot learn unless you can express and explore what is in front of you. (Sue Palmer 2008) • Surveys show that the more young children are talked to the better they express themselves and the greater their achievements in later life. (Alison Stone 2010) • Julia Strong, director of the National Literacy Trust, believes that providing a child with oral skills directly affects his or her life chances. "Job interviewers notice those people who can present themselves well and coherently. It is very, very important we give our children these skills."

4. Why is speaking and listening so important? • A case study • Dr. Tony Woods • 120 children, Years 3 and 4, 6 schools. • Children taught specific speaking and listening activities for 1 lesson a week over 7 months. • A control group was in place, who did not take part in the speaking and listening lessons. • Results showed that children achieved re-test scores normally expected from children between 1 and 2 years older. Large improvements particularly from boys, pupils attaining below the national average and those with English as an additional language. The children in the project exceeded the others in every curriculum area by between 6% and 19%.

5. Link between talking and writing • Big Writing – Ros Wilson • We think, we talk, we write – the three processes are one. Consequently, if we want to change the way children write, we need to change the way they talk. • If a child can’t say, it a child can’t write it. • Not about getting rid of dialects or getting rid of family phrases or regional vocabulary. • Talking ‘Posh’ – basically means using Standard English! We encourage children to ‘switch’ into their posh voice when writing.

6. Different types of talk in school Speaking to the teacher 1:1 Formal oral presentation/oral rehearsal for writing Playground talk Informal Formal Paired/group talk Feedback to class We need to make all children aware of the differences in types of talk and move them along the continuum.

7. Language functions in maths expressing cause and effect It’s greater than ten If you double it then you get … comparing First I added them together and then I multiplied by ….. recounting describing generalising An acute angle is an angle which …. It has three sides. All multiples of even numbers are even numbers defining

8. Language functions in science expressing cause and effect It looks similar to … It is different from… If …the result is… comparing I think… because reasoning investigating I predict that… generalising I could…by… The results show that… predicting

9. Language functions in history causal reasoning During the Victorian era …whereas… It…so… comparing The Victorians used to … recounting explaining The source suggests that… However… reporting - passive voice I think that…might… Children were made to … arguing

10. Pre-school- Talk, Listen, Take part

11. Age appropriate development • Posters in the hall outline typical speaking and listening development for children aged 4 to 11. • Progress checker available on the ‘talking point’ website http://www.talkingpoint.org.uk/progress-checker

12. Simple ways to support your child. • Talk to them – a lot. • Chat on the way home from school, play word games, describe what you can see or what you would do if you won a million pounds. • Make sure that that you have some time every day when the television and the radio are switched off and you just talk. • It might be when you sit around the table and have dinner together and chat about your day. • You might get the lego out and talk about the model you are making together. • You might get out the Barbies or Bratz or Power Rangers and enjoy some pretend play. Whatever suits you. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s a conversation. Sometimes we’re so busy that communication ends up turning into a list of instructions, but it’s so important that we find time to talk to and listen to our children rather than just talking at them.

13. Helpful hints • Make eye contact with your child when talking to him/her and expect eye contact from your child. • Expect your child to talk to you in full sentences. • Correct errors, e.g. mispronunciations or tenses, by repeating the sentence back to your child correctly. • Ask open-ended questions (which are difficult to answer with one word, such as yes or no). • Give children time to think about what they want to say. • ‘Model’ good communication. Children learn from watching and listening to others.

14. 9 top tips for developing talk 1. Get their attention When children are absorbed in another activity it can be hard for them to listen. Say your child’s name first to get his/her attention and make sure they are listening. 2. Vocabulary is key Learning and remembering words is incredibly important. Help children of all ages to develop new vocabulary. (Talk ‘up’ to them, not ‘down’). Repeat these words and encourage their use. 3. Build on what they say Build on what children already know and say to develop their language further, e.g. Taking turns with babies, adding words to sentences form toddlers, adding phrases for older children and showing teenagers how to debate.

15. 9 top tips for developing talk 4. Talk about what children are interested in Children are motivated to talk when it is about something they are interested in. Ask open questions to encourage the use of full sentences. 5. Be careful with questions When adults use comment and prompts rather than questions, children join in and will often talk a lot more. 6. Show them the right way If children make mistakes, it is best to repeat back what they say rather than tell them it’s wrong. Say it clearly with the correct words, so they can hear how things should sound. Children learn from what they see and hear.

16. 9 top tips for developing talk 7. Make learning language fun Play around with words, make up silly rhymes – this also helps children to read. 8. Give children time Children need time to think about what others have said, work out what they are going to say and how they are going to say it. Use facial expressions to show you are listening and happy to wait. 9. Have conversations Communication is a skill like any other – the more it is practiced, the better it gets! Children benefit from having conversations with adults as well as people their own age.

17. 0 Speaking and listening during homework activities 1 2 3 4 5 _____is between ______ and ____. _____ is _______ more than_____. _____ is _______less than______. _____is after _____. The number before ____ is _____. 6 7

18. Reasoning Inferring • I can explain… from this because… • I think that…because… • I think the cause/reason might be…because… • I think they did this because… • I think they are feeling… because… • I think that…could/might be… • I think … because… • If… then… • I would use… because… • …might be because… • I know…so/therefore… • Since… then… • I can see… so… • Therefore, I conclude that…

19. Speech, language and communication needs • About 10% of all children have long term, persistent SLCN and many more have less severe needs. Children with SLCN may have difficulties with: • Speech sounds – not saying the right sounds in words or missing out some sounds altogether, which means their speech is unclear, e.g. ‘tup of tea’ • Fluency – hesitations in their speech; repeating sounds, words or sentences; stammering. • Understanding of language – struggling to understand words and sentences. • Spoken language – may not use many words or can’t put words together to make sentences; may be muddled and disorganised when trying to talk. • Social use of language – they might use lots of words and can put sentences together, but don’t know how to use their language to have conversations, play or make friends with other children. Poor language puts children at risk of poor reading and writing, poor behaviour and poor attainment.

20. Useful websites • www.talkingpoint.org.uk • www.hello.org.uk • www.hello.org.uk/smalltalk • www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/parents.aspx • www.wordsforlife.org.uk • www.britishcouncil.org • www.ican.org.uk