HSPMC: Training Guide-Emerging Literacy: Linking Social Competence to Learning (Module 2)

Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community:
Emerging Literacy: Linking Social Competence to Learning
Module 2

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From Cooing to Talking: Partners in Conversation

In this module, participants learn about the stages of language development (as described in Appendix C) that most young children pass through as they gain listening and speaking skills. Participants practice talking with and responding to children in ways that encourage their language learning.
Outcomes
As a result of completing this module, the staff will be able to:

Listen and respond to children and engage them in conversations as equal partners

Enhance children's listening and speaking skills during routines, play times, and other daily activities at home and in Head Start settings

Help children use language for different purposes--to express needs, describe feelings, make requests, tell stories, ask questions, solve problems, share ideas, make plans, and get along with peers

Observe children's listening and speaking skills and identify signs of possible language delays or disorders that should be referred to speech and language specialists, with the family's permission
Key Concepts

Infants develop listening and speaking skills when parents and teachers respond to their sounds, gestures, and actions.

Children learn to use standard forms of language over time by watching, listening to, and conversing with adults and peers.

Adults can help children gain listening and speaking skills by:

Listening and responding to their nonverbal and verbal communications

Using routines as opportunities to listen to and talk with children

Engaging them as partners in meaningful conversations and valuing their ideas

Accepting children's use of language and recognizing that grammatical mistakes are signs of language learning

Families and Head Start staff should support children's home language skills and help children gain English language skills.

Assessment of any child's language skills must be culturally and linguistically competent. It is crucial to identify a child's home language skills before diagnosing a language delay or disability.

Trainer/Coach Preparation Notes: The primary goal of this module is to help participants improve their skills in listening to and talking with children. These skills support children's oral language development and encourage them to use oral language to accomplish various goals. The activities in this module are designed so that participants can actively practice listening and talking. As with the development of other skills--for example, observing or planning--trying out appropriate strategies for talking with children is more likely to build skills than simply reading or writing about those strategies. As you prepare to lead workshops and coaching sessions, think about how you can make the training atmosphere as supportive as possible so that even the most reluctant participants can practice listening and talking.

Some of the workshop and coaching activities include role-plays. You may find that some participants are eager to take part in the role-plays while others are not. It is helpful to have secluded places where participants can practice role-plays. Always give participants several options. They can develop skills by planning, observing, discussing, or assuming a role.
Background Information
Oral language (listening and speaking) involves receiving and understanding messages sent by other people and expressing our own feelings and ideas by using facial expressions, voice tones, gestures, and spoken words and sentences. Language is used every day in almost every situation--at home, on the job, and in our communities. People use language to transmit family and cultural values to their children and pass on their personal histories. Language supports social relationships and allows people to think and learn.
When you stop to think about everything involved in learning to understand and speak a language, the task seems impossible for anyone, let alone a child who enters the world with no previous skills or experience. Nevertheless, during the first few years of life, most children learn to understand and speak their home language. Children first learn to talk so they can establish relationships with their family members and communicate their needs and desires to others. Over time, children begin using language as a tool for thinking and learning. In addition to using language to tell stories and play with others, they use language to problem solve, get information, plan, predict, imagine, and make sense of the world.
Receptive and Expressive Language
Language includes receptive and expressive skills. Receptive language is the information a person acquires by hearing sounds and words and seeing facial expressions and gestures. Lip reading is a type of receptive language. Expressive language involves the nonverbal and verbal messages sent from one person to another. It includes crying, talking, tone of voice, body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Expressive language also includes formal systems of sign language, Braille, and assistive devices such as communication boards, computers, or eyeglass frames, used alone or in combination. Most children develop receptive language skills before they develop expressive language. For example, they can understand spoken words before learning to talk.
The Role of Adults
Although much of young children's language learning is self-directed, families and Head Start staff support the development of listening and speaking skills in several ways:

They model how language is used to communicate. This helps children understand the meanings conveyed through facial expressions, body gestures, and voice tones; learn how to pronounce specific words; make sense of standard rules of grammar; enlarge their vocabularies; and use language to accomplish various goals.

They talk with children. This encourages children to express their needs, feelings, ideas, stories, and imaginations. Children learn how to be conversation partners by taking turns, staying on the topic, and waiting until the speaker is finished. Children are encouraged to use their thinking skills to expand their understanding of the world.

They read to children. This allows children to enjoy spending time with a favorite person and associate reading with these positive feelings. Children also begin to make discoveries about the connections between spoken and written words. They gradually come to understand that pictures and words are symbols that represent real things, feelings, actions, and ideas.

Trainer/Coach Preparation Notes: Additional information on how and when children acquire oral language skills appears in the Background Information for Module 1, Appendix B: Strategies for Supporting Children with Speech or Language Delays or Disorders, and Appendix C: Emerging Literacy: From Cooing to Conventional Reading and Writing which summarizes how children develop all forms of language skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing--and describes what adults can do to support children of different ages. You can also consult the books and journal articles listed in the Resources section of this guide.

Activity 2-1:
I'm Listening to You Purpose: In this activity, participants review how and when children develop listening and speaking skills and practice responding to children in ways that support language learning.

Outcomes:
Participants listen and respond to children and engage them in conversations as equal partners.
Participants enhance children's listening and speaking skills during routines, play times, and other daily activities at home and in Head Start settings.
Participants help children use language for different purposes--to express needs, describe feelings, make requests, tell stories, ask questions, solve problems, share ideas, make plans, and get along with peers.
Participants observe children's listening and speaking skills and identify signs of possible language delays or disorders that should be referred to speech and language specialists, with the family's permission.
Materials:

Chart paper, markers, tape
Handout 7: Talking, Playing, Teaching, and Learning
Handout 8: Encouraging Children's Communication
Handout 9: Teaching Roles (for trainer only), index cards
Appendix B: Strategies for Supporting Children with Speech or Language Delays or Disorders
Appendix C: Emerging Literacy: From Cooing to Conventional Reading and Writing
Age-appropriate toys (for example, snap-lock beads; small, colored blocks; Legos; and/or beads and laces)

Trainer Preparation Notes: This activity addresses the skills used to talk with and respond to children at different stages of language development as described in Appendix C: Emerging Literacy: From Cooing to Conventional Reading and Writing. You may want to cover all stages briefly and focus on those stages represented by the children enrolled in the participants' Head Start program. Note that the ages provided for each stage are approximate. As with other areas of development, a child's language learning follows an individual time clock and is greatly influenced by environment and experiences. Also point out that children who have a language delay or a language disorder or who are learning a second language may be at an earlier stage than others of the same age.

Explain to participants that this activity will focus on talking with and responding to children who are at different stages of language development in ways that encourage them to communicate.

Ask participants to form small groups and discuss the following question with the others in their group:
What do Head Start staff and families learn about babies, toddlers, and/or preschoolers when they talk with them and respond to their communications?
Ask each group to share their responses to this question. Use these responses, the Background Information in this module, Appendix B: Strategies for Supporting Children with Speech or Language Delays or Disorders, and Appendix C: Emerging Literacy: From Cooing to Conventional Reading and Writing to provide an overview of the stages of language development and signs of speech or language delays or disorders.

Assign to each group one or more stages of language development as described in Appendix C. Distribute and review the instructions for Handout 7: Talking, Playing, Teaching, and Learning. Provide Appendix B: Strategies for Supporting Children with Speech or Language Delays or Disorders and Appendix C: Emerging Literacy: From Cooing to Conventional Reading and Writing as resources. Give participants 30 minutes to prepare their role-plays.

Discuss the meanings of receptive (understanding what is communicated) versus expressive (using words or signs to communicate) language skills. Have the small groups present their role- plays in order, beginning with Stage 1. After each role-play, summarize the characteristics of children at that stage and the adult actions that are most supportive. After all the role-plays have been completed, point out the adult actions that are appropriate for children at any stage. For example, an adult can read to a child of any age.

Trainer Preparation Notes: For the next step, provide age-appropriate toys to serve as props for the role-plays. Select items typically used by children of the ages enrolled in the participants' Head Start programs.

Place the age-appropriate toys on a table at the front of the room. Distribute and review the instructions on Handout 8: Encouraging Children's Communication. Ask volunteers to carry out the first two-minute role-play: three to four children, three to four observers, and a teacher. Explain that the teacher might be a parent, another family member, a home visitor, or a classroom team member. Give the teacher the index card that describes the role he or she should assume. (See Handout 9: Teaching Roles.) Allow participants a few minutes to get into their roles. Then start the role-play. After the first role-play, ask the observers to describe what they saw and heard. Lead a discussion with the full group about the benefits and drawbacks of the teacher's interactions with the children. Ask the observers to switch roles with the children. Ask a new volunteer to play the role of teacher. Give the teacher an index card describing another role. Repeat these instructions until the first five role-plays have been completed.

Hold the sixth role-play. Lead a group discussion about how the teacher's interactions in this role-play encouraged the children to talk. Explain that there are times when teachers might need to use one of the first five interaction styles when responding to a particular child or a specific situation. For example, if it suddenly starts raining, a teacher might assume the timekeeper role to quickly get her children inside. Point out, however, that the sixth style--the responder--is most likely to encourage children to communicate and is the style that families and Head Start staff should use most often.

Ask the small groups to discuss their own interactions with children.

Which styles do they use?
Do they use one style more than the others?
How can they use the responsive style more often?
How can they encourage others (families and Head Start colleagues) to use the responsive style?

Summarize the key points made in this session and answer participants' questions. Suggest that participants videotape their interactions with children, then view them to see which styles they use with different children and in different situations.

Building Bridges with Families: Suggest that participants use Appendix C: Emerging Literacy: From Cooing to Conventional Reading and Writing, Handout 8: Encouraging Children's Communication, and Handout 9: Teaching Roles (for trainer only) from this activity to plan a series of parent workshops on strategies that encourage children to develop and use language skills. You will have to provide a copy of Handout 9 to participants.

Activity 2-2:
Talking and Listening Together Purpose: In this activity, participants review how children develop listening and speaking skills, collect information about a child's language skills, and respond to the child in ways that support his or her language learning.

Outcomes:
Participants listen and respond to children and engage them in conversations as equal partners.
Participants enhance children's listening and speaking skills during routines, play times, and other daily activities at home and in Head Start settings.
Participants help children use language for different purposes--to express needs, describe feelings, make requests, tell stories, ask questions, solve problems, share ideas, make plans, and get along with peers.
Participants observe children's listening and speaking skills and identify signs of possible language delays or disorders that should be referred to speech and language specialists, with the family's permission.
Materials:

Chart paper, markers, tape
Handout 10: Observing Language Skills
Appendix B: Strategies for Supporting Children with Speech or Language Delays or Disorders
Appendix C: Emerging Literacy: From Cooing to Conventional Reading and Writing

Coach Preparation Notes: This activity addresses the skills used to talk with and respond to children at the different stages of language development as described in the Background Information for this module. Participants can review the characteristics of all stages, then focus in-depth on the stages that match those of the children with whom they work. Note that the ages provided for each stage are approximate. As with other areas of development, a child's language learning follows an individual time clock and is greatly influenced by environment and experiences. Also point out that children who have a language delay or language disorder or who are learning a second language may be at an earlier stage than others of the same age.

Explain to participants that this activity will focus on recognizing the language skills typical of different stages of language development and on talking with and responding to children in ways that encourage them to communicate.

Use the Background Information for this module to lead a discussion about how children develop language skills. Ask participants to offer examples from their own experience to illustrate the following key points:

Young children learn the sounds, words, sentence structure, conversation behaviors, and standard rules of grammar of their home language. (Example: When babies babble, it sounds like the consonants and vowels of their home language.)

Young children learn the meaning of nonverbal and verbal communications. (Example: A toddler understands his name and a few familiar words and knows the difference between a smile and a frown.)

Young children learn to convey meaning through verbal and nonverbal communications. (Example: A baby looks at her mother, points to her stuffed animal, and looks at her mother again.)

Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers use language for different purposes. (Example: Several preschoolers talk to each other about what they are going to play in the house corner.)

Children learn language from listening to and imitating adults. (Example: A preschooler listens to a story and then retells it to himself.)

Children construct knowledge of language by applying what they know to new situations. (Example: A preschooler refers to more than one man as mans instead of men.)

Ask participants to describe some things they did recently to support children's development of listening and speaking skills. Group their responses in the following general categories:
Model use of language (Example: When a toddler asked me Why? questions, I responded with simple answers.)
Talk with and respond to children (Example: While eating lunch with the children, I encouraged them to listen to and talk with each other.)
Read to children (Example: I sat in the rocking chair with a baby and read a story out loud.)

Distribute and review the instructions for Handout 10: Observing Language Skills. Provide Appendix B: Strategies for Supporting Children with Speech or Language Delays or Disorders and. Appendix C: Emerging Literacy: From Cooing to Conventional Reading and Writing as resources. Ask participants to complete this task before the next coaching session.

Meet with participants to discuss the information they collected about a child and their responses to the questions on Handout 10: Observing Language Skills. Ask participants to try the strategies they listed at the end of the handout before the next coaching session. Participants can collaborate with families and other staff to implement these strategies and share information about the child's language learning.

Meet with participants to discuss what happened when they used these strategies to support the child's language learning. Encourage participants to continue collaborating with colleagues and children's families.

Building Bridges with Families: If the child has a language album, the information collected through this activity can be added to the album. If not, participants may want to collaborate with families to start a language album. (See Activity 1-4 in Module 1 for information about language albums.) Reinforce the important role that families play in supporting the development of a child's language skills.

Activity 2-3:
Teaching Children to Play the Conversation Game Purpose: In this activity, participants learn how to engage children in one-on-one conversations.

Outcomes:
Participants listen and respond to children and engage them in conversations as equal partners.
Participants enhance children's listening and speaking skills during routines, play times, and other daily activities at home and in Head Start settings.
Materials:

Chart paper, markers, tape, index cards
Handout 11: Overcoming Challenges to Conversations
Appendix D: Playing the Conversation Game

Explain to participants that this activity will focus on the role of families and Head Start staff in helping children learn how to participate as equal partners in conversations with an adult or children. Participants will identify and propose strategies for overcoming barriers that keep them from engaging children in conversations.

Write the following statement at the top of a piece of chart paper:
How is learning to participate in a conversation like learning to play basketball?
Ask participants to brainstorm answers to the question with others at the table. Allow about three minutes for the brainstorming. Here are some examples of responses that participants might come up with in their brainstorming:

You can participate in a conversation or a basketball game from the beginning or join in once it's already started.

You can do both of them one-on-one or in groups.

They both have rules.

The rules may vary in different situations (for example, the practices of one family or culture versus those of others, and playground versus professional basketball).

You can learn by playing with more skilled players.

You learn gradually (in other words, you gain more complex skills over time).

They are both fun, social activities.

You have to learn not to talk too long and not to hog the ball.

Learning is more fun if there's no pressure to be right or to score.

Have participants share their responses in round robin style. (The first group shares one response from its list, then the second group shares another response, and so on.) The groups continue to share without repeating a response until they run out of items.

Use Appendix D: Playing the Conversation Game and participants' responses to the brainstorming to discuss what adults can do to engage children of different ages in conversation. Ask participants to share examples of their conversations with children--What did the child do or say? How did the participant respond? What happened next?
Cover the following key points:

Babies begin learning about taking turns in conversations when their families and other people respond to their sounds and gestures, play games with them, and sing songs with them.

Children can use sounds and gestures to take turns in conversations before they learn to talk.

Adults provide a lot of support when children are learning about conversation. Over time, children become more active and equal conversation partners and need less and less support from adults.

Children use conversation skills to talk with adults, with another child, and in small groups.

Conversations are opportunities to share information and enjoy other people's company.

Children are more likely to talk when they have something to talk about (for example, what happened on a walk around the neighborhood or the characteristics of an unusual object).

Engaging children in conversations is one of the most effective ways of supporting oral language development.

Distribute and review the instructions for Handout 11: Overcoming Challenges to Conversations. Ask half of the groups to focus on the first description, and the other half to focus on the second description. Give participants 20 minutes to complete this assignment.

Have the groups that focused on the first description take turns sharing their solutions and rewrites. Repeat the sharing process with the groups that focused on the second description.

Ask participants to continue working in their small groups. Give each group some index cards. Ask participants to discuss the challenges that limit their conversations with children (for example, a child does not respond, there are too many other things to do). Have them select two or three challenges that are most problematic and describe each one on an index card. Collect the cards. Give participants 10 minutes to complete this assignment.

Redistribute the cards to other groups. Have the small groups discuss the challenges listed on the index cards and propose strategies for overcoming them. Give participants 10 minutes to complete this assignment.

Have the small groups share the challenges and proposed strategies with the full group. Discuss how to implement these strategies. Ask participants to choose at least one strategy to implement in their work with children. Provide copies of Appendix D: Playing the Conversation Game for participants to use as a resource.

Building Bridges with Families: Suggest that participants write brief notes to families to let them know what their children like to talk about at Head Start. The notes can encourage families to talk with and listen to their children every day and give some examples of the kinds of things families might learn about their children: how they think, what they think about, how they use their imaginations, who they like to play with, and what they like to do at Head Start.

Activity 2-4:
Won't You Be My Conversation Partner? Purpose: In this activity, participants engage a focus child in conversations as an equal partner.

Outcomes:
Participants listen and respond to children and engage them in conversations as equal partners.
Participants enhance children's listening and speaking skills during routines, play times, and other daily activities at home and in Head Start settings.
Materials:

Chart paper, markers, tape
Handout 12: Practicing the Conversation Game
Appendix D: Playing the Conversation Game

Explain to participants that this activity will focus on the role of families and Head Start staff in helping children participate as equal partners in conversations with an adult or other children. Participants will identify and overcome challenges that keep them from engaging children in conversations and practice starting and continuing conversations with a focus child.

Discuss the following questions with participants:

How are conversations like games?

How do you learn to play a game?

What are the rules of the Conversation Game?

Are the rules the same in all cultures, languages, families, or situations? How are they the same? How are they different?

What are some of the challenges that limit your conversations with children? (For example, a child does not respond, there are too many other things to do.)

What can you do to overcome the challenges that keep you from engaging children in conversation?
Encourage participants to implement their proposed strategies for overcoming these challenges.

Review the information that is most relevant to participants from Appendix D: Playing the Conversation Game. (For example, focus on the strategies for engaging children in conversation that are appropriate for the age groups with which participants work.)

Distribute and review the instructions for Handout 12: Practicing the Conversation Game. Ask participants to complete this task during the next week.

Meet with participants to discuss their experiences engaging the focus child in conversations. Ask the participants to describe what they did and said, what the child did and said, what they learned, what they shared with the child's family, and how they plan to use what they learned.

Provide copies of Appendix D: Playing the Conversation Game for participants to use as a resource.

Building Bridges with Families: Suggest that participants use the format on Handout 12: Practicing the Conversation Game to continue their interactions with children, share this information with families, and jointly plan strategies for engaging children in conversations at home and at Head Start. They can provide copies of the handout so families can keep track of the conversations children engage in at home.

Next Steps:
Ideas to Extend Practice Participants can build on the skills developed through this module by completing the following activities, independently or with other staff. Some of the activities can contribute to participants' professional portfolios.

Talk about Talking
Plan a series of interactive workshops for parents and Head Start staff to discuss ways to encourage all children's language development. Invite guest facilitators to share information and ideas:

A speech and language specialist could describe the characteristics of language delays and language disorders and explain different responses to each.

A specialist on second language learning could offer tips on supporting children who are developing skills in two languages at the same time.

The disabilities services coordinator could suggest strategies for engaging children with disabilities in one-on-one conversations and helping them get involved in group play so they can talk with other children.
Include follow-up activities that encourage participants to listen to and talk with children.
Possible Portfolio Entry: Workshop agendas and handouts
Become a Film Critic
Ask parents for permission to videotape the interactions between Head Start staff and children. Staff can review the tapes to see:

Who does most of the talking

How children respond to the staff's smiles, gestures, comments, and questions

How staff respond to children's smiles, gestures, comments, and questions

Staff can plan ways to encourage children to be active, equal conversation partners and videotape the children again to see how they respond to these new strategies.
Possible Portfolio Entry: Videotape transcripts--what staff and children did and said
Encourage Alternatives to Television
Sponsor a weekly Turn Off the Television Day, when all Head Start families and staff do other things at home or in the community instead of watching television. Prepare a calendar that offers suggested alternative activities for each Turn Off day. For example, instead of watching television families can tell stories, bake muffins, take a walk, listen to music, teach each other a dance, play games, or make a kite. Offer a monthly family play evening at the Head Start center. Provide a simple meal--soup, bread, and carrot sticks--then introduce a game, song, dance, or activity that families can enjoy at Head Start and at home.
Possible Portfolio Entry: The Turn Off the Television Day calendar
Learn about the Results of Brain Research
Recent research on the development of the brain has shown that a child's interactions and experiences in the first few years of life have a large impact on overall development, including acquisition of language skills. Use the following resources to learn more about the results of brain research:
Carnegie Corporation of New York, Starting Points, Carnegie Corporation of New York, New York, N.Y., 1994.
Nash, J. Madeline, "Fertile Minds," Time, New York, N.Y., February 3, 1997.
Special Edition, "Your Child," Newsweek, New York, N.Y., Spring/Summer, 1997.
Web Site:
Neuroscience Resources
Possible Portfolio Entry: List of strategies the Head Start program can use in response to what is known about the development of the brain and language capabilities
Handouts

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