Language Development in the Classroom
The impact of language development became truly evident to me during my first year of teaching. In particular, how a delay in language development can influence the way a child learns. It started with a child we’ll call Harry. Moving to England from Romania at the age of seven, Harry was a ball of energy and enthusiasm. Despite his limited English, alongside some learning difficulties, Harry was keen to include himself in every activity, every chance to participate and embed himself within the classroom culture. That was week one.
The Monday of week two, however, Harry came to school slightly more withdrawn. After some investigation, I discovered his change in disposition was related to his limited grasp of the language. As a new teacher, I searched back through my university notes, picked the brains of my colleagues, and scoured online resources to find the best ways to assist Harry. I began to allow time for one-to-one sessions with both myself and my teaching assistant, focusing on speech and language. I made sure to have an easily-visible timetable and word mat with visual cues that he was able to access. Harry was a naturally sociable boy, so I had him sit next to the more talkative, extroverted characters of my class, so that he could grasp the language from a conversational standpoint.
This balance of immersing himself in English socially, as well as from structured sessions centred around his learning, gradually allowed Harry’s insecurities to be replaced with curiosity. He began asking more questions in English, even repeating phrases I had heard from other children in my class. Due to their scaffolded nature, he approached literacy tasks with more resilience, aware that it was okay to make mistakes. A focus on language development not only taught Harry how to let his natural confidence shine, but it also revealed to me, as an educator, how to integrate it into my practice.
Language Development
As someone who has taught a variety of ages, ranging from three to twelve, the importance of creating an environment that fosters language development cannot be understated.
Let’s start at the beginning; what is language development?
Lev Vygotsky, a leading psychologist on language development, believed that language develops from social interactions, for communication purposes. He viewed language as our greatest tool, a means for communicating with the outside world. This all begins at the start of our life. Although, typically, a baby’s first words are spoken between 10-14 months, language development precedes the spoken word. Babies begin to understand language twice as fast as they speak, meaning that exposure to language is key to its development.
As non-verbal babies are exploring their environment, they are creating connections to sound and language, enabling them to develop a vocabulary which supports those crucial first words. When children are very young, they are not thinking about language, they are playing with it, embedding it within their daily life. If children are not given the opportunity to take advantage of this stage in their language development, the delay can have significant consequences.
Recognizing a Delay in Language Development
A delay in language development can impact the way a child learns, not only while young, but as they get older. This was evident with Harry. He had arrived at a new school from a different country, with limited English, and he also belonged to a lower-income family. Unfortunately, there is an undeniable relationship between language development and socio-economic status.
Generally, children from lower-income homes are talked to less, and the speech they hear is less supportive of language development. This was something I witnessed first-hand in the classroom. But, socio-economic status is just one possible cause. According to Healthline, other potential causes and risk factors to be aware of are:
- Hearing impairment
- Intellectual disability
- Neglect
- Being born prematurely
- Having a low birth weight
- Having a family history of speech or language problems
As teachers, it can be tricky to recognise some of these factors, but to be aware is to be prepared. Fortunately, whether the child is very young, or slightly older, strategies can be put in place to aid in the development of their language.
Strategies to Support Language Development in the Classroom
Use Short Videos
In many classrooms, stories play a central role in the daily routine. Whether this is story-time at the end of the day, or introducing a new text during an English unit, literature can act as a key tool towards strengthening language development. Stories not only broaden a child’s vocabulary, but they can also help children understand the ebbs and flows of a language. Reading to children, highlighting key words and expanding on definitions, will prove a powerful vehicle towards language development.
Why short stories in particular?
For children who may already face a barrier in their learning, longer texts can prove daunting. Short stories are an effective way of developing language in an accessible manner. I have had great success in the classroom using short stories as a way to develop language, using it as a chance to act-out dialogues within a natural context
Encourage conversations
Building on creating the opportunity to act-out dialogues, all children should be encouraged to develop their language through conversation. Make sure to comment on a child’s work, and await their response. For example, you could ask a child: “What are you planning to make with these Lego blocks?” and then expand on their response. If they reply with: “It’s fun”, extend the language with: “It’s fun to build with Lego blocks”. If a child points out of the window and says “Tree”, respond with “There is a tree outside of the window”. This will help draw connections and strengthen language development.
Use a multi-sensory approach
From my experience, using visuals to aid communication has proved an effective device to aid in language development. Visual cues help learners develop language because images and symbols are representations of words. While saying the word is helpful, auditory input is quickly processed and forgotten. Visuals, however, allow children to draw that connection and retain the information. Have a look at some examples of how to use visual cues in the classroom here.
Support second-language learning
As I did with Harry, it is important to recognise that many children speak another language at home. While some people worry that learning two languages may be confusing for a child, there is no evidence that this causes language delays. However, it is important to recognise that learning a new language can be stressful, and the child may need extra support from you. Working at a very multicultural, diverse school, I made sure to communicate clearly with parents and carers, asking them to share any key phrases which related to their basic needs. This allowed me to develop trust and a sense of safety with the child, alongside a broader understanding of their culture, and how to incorporate it within the classroom.
Fortunately, as the school year progressed, Harry grew increasingly more comfortable and confident. After the application of these strategies, he was provided with more tools to communicate, developing a meaningful relationship with his peers. A focus on language development provided Harry with the opportunity to grow and learn to the best of his ability, as every child should.
