Language And Literacy For Early Childhood †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Language And Literacy For Early Childhood. Answer: Introduction Language is the basic and primary form of communication method in human civilisation (Whitebread Coltman, 2015). Language has developed since the early prehistoric ages, as man understood the need of an advanced communication method to remain in the competition for survival (Barrett, 2016). Language is imbibed in the human being since his or her birth. The first acquisition of language occurs in the very early age when the parents start speaking to the child in the native language or primary language. The native or the primary language is also known as the L1. The child as he progresses towards his age where he starts speaking well in the L1 or the mother tongue as it is called, there is endeavour from the parents to send him or her to school and learn more number of languages (Wang, 2014). The second language that a person learns after acquiring the first language, is also known as the L2 or the secondary language (Saville-Troike Barto, 2016). There are different views and theories about the language acquisition and learning. The behaviourist view states that it is a mechanical process to learn and imbibe languages, which can be proved by the Skinner box experiment where a rat is trained to mechanically press a bar in stimulus to a light, the pressing makes way for food to drop in (Skinner, 1990). The children similarly learn the process of crying and hence getting food, or uttering a particular word and getting desired results. The Nativist theory on the other hand suggests that a child from the very beginning of is development of cognition a child has the inbuilt ability to understand the laws of the language and start acquiring it (Saxton, 2017). The Cognitivist view states that the child goes through several stages to learn a language but there is a difference of acquiring capability among different individuals. In this essay there will be a detailed literature review about the importance of development of language in literature in early childhood, and an interview with an experienced teacher about the same topic, which will throw light on different aspects including reading activities in classroom, methods used to train students and the strategies. Discussion The literature review of different related journals, articles and researches leads to clear comprehension and understanding of the subject. In the article Language development in the early school years: The importance of close relationships with teachers the authors have pointed out that an emotional bond between the teacher and the students is necessary for an effective development of language skills among the students (Spilt, Koomen, Harrison, 2015). The students who receive an emotional support tend to reciprocate by learning quicker and in a better way. It is a fact that students who feel like home in their schools are much more interested in going to the schools and participating in learning activities. The students who feel secluded would naturally develop low interests in learning. In the article Adolescence as a sensitive period of brain development the authors point out how learning is most effective in the early adolescence as this is the most crucial stage in the growth of brain, and the cognitive abilities of the children increase considerably (Fuhrmann, Knoll Blakemore, 2015). The brains activity of acquiring new knowledge and making oneself compatible with the acquired knowledge starts from the very childhood, hence it is advisable for the parents and the teachers to imbibe language training into the children at an early age. Rodrguez (2017) in his article Perception of Pragmalinguistic Knowledge in Primary Spanish Teacher Training Students of English as a Foreign Language has stated what is the role of reading activity in acquiring a second language. Literacy not only comprises of the native language of the person, but the other languages that a person learns consecutively. Second language plays a very important role in a persons literacy because the second language is acquired with a purpose of using it in the professional field. It is analysed that how the pronunciation of the first language or the mother tongue has an effect on the acquiring and speaking of the second language. The English teachers in the schools of Spain, both primary and secondary, mostly gives importance on grammatical aspects of the language, but it is seen how spoken aspects are equally important. In the article Reading comprehension strategies in secondary content area classrooms: Teacher use of and attitudes towards reading comprehension instruction the author has pointed out how frequency of reading activities and comprehension instruction in the classrooms boost students cognition, the study has been done in social study and science classes (Ness, 2016). It is seen that teachers often complain about how too much pressure of completing the academic syllabuses makes it difficult for them to take up reading activities within the class rooms. The research revealed how reading activities are helpful in developing comprehensive literary understanding among the students. Literacy is the basic ability to read and understand written materials, and comprehensive reading activities help in boosting the students ability to understand written material. The article Exploring the relationship between adolescents reading skills, reading motivation and reading habits by authors McGeown et al., (2015), has shown how the adolescents reading practices and choice of reading affect their literary position. Literacy is as mentioned above the ability to comprehend written materials or reproduce them. The choice of reading naturally affects the perception of literature in the childs brain which then shapes the literary standing of the child. The motivation a child has about reading is also helpful in the process of developing the speed and eloquence of reading. The authors state that the adolescents reading skills play a crucial role in their educational success. An interview was conducted with a teacher of a preschool. The transcript evidence of the interview is as follows. QuestionWhat is the perception and opinion of the teachers about the importance of reading among the children in developing their literary skills? Answer of the TeacherIt is very important for the students of very younger age group to imbibe interest for reading activities as it develops the overall literary cognition among the students. Reading makes concepts clear and improves understanding while developing eloquence. QuestionWhat are types of reading activities that are taken up in the classrooms? Answer of the TeacherThe lessons which are taught to the student are verbally told them in the beginning to give them a clear understanding about the topic. The students are then required to read parts of the lessons loudly while others listen. Then a general discussion on the topic is conducted and the understanding of the students are reflected in that group discussion. Apart from that there are classes dedicated to spoken and oral aspects of language. In these classes there are brainstorming activities and extempore speeches where students are required to think and speak about random topics. Images which are of abstract nature are shown to them about which they are required to speak creatively using their emotions. Sometimes a paragraph is given to them for reading randomly then they are required to explain the same in their own language. QuestionWhat is the method of assessment used to evaluate the students in the classrooms? Answer of the TeacherThere are two separate systems of assessment followed in the classrooms. One assessment method is dedicated to the academic activity of the students and their performance in the term examinations. The other assessment takes into consideration the overall growth of the student and includes his or her development in cognition, literary understanding, and reading skills. This is done by keeping each and every student under close monitoring throughout the academic year and understanding their requirements closely. The second assessment is case sensitive and is customised according to the need of the individual student. QuestionWhat is the effect of the reading activities in language development and literacy among young students? Answer of the teacherHuman beings from the birth develops affinity towards orally transmitting their message. Oral development of communication happens first after which further development in written communication is achieved. Written communication gives rise to the ability to read and comprehend textual information which is basic criterion for learning anything and everything on earth. Therefore, it is natural that more reading activities in the class room will be helpful in developing language and literacy among the students. Students and children learn language by the influence of the people around them, including their parents, teachers, and friends. The methods followed in the class inclusive interactive processes like discussion, opinion sharing and question answers which proves to be very effective in understanding and learning of languages. Based on the above interview with the teacher the following report is developed which comprises of the list of various reading activities in the classroom and their analysis and evaluation based on their impact on the development of literacy among children. The list of the types of reading activities in the classroom The reading activities in the classroom as told by the teacher during the interview comprises of five activities which are reading of paragraphs loudly to the class, group discussion after reading parts of the paragraphs, reading a random paragraph and explaining its meaning, extempore speeches after reading a topic, and looking at images and then using creative power to explain them. Two of the mentioned reading activities incorporated into learning activity Two activities from the above list of five activities are taken which are reading of paragraphs from the textbooks loudly to the class, and reading a random paragraph which is of complex nature and explaining them in their own words. The first activity of reading out loudly from textbooks towards the class is a basic reading activity that is followed for a long time in schools throughout the world (Lange Merveldt, 2017). The students develop the mental preparation that they have to read properly so that their image in the class remains superior. In order to achieve this, they give maximum attention in reading the texts properly in minute details and even the punctuations are read by them properly. When the students understand that they have to participate in this activity often, they practice reading at their home to sharpen their skills. This is very effective in developing reading enthusiasm among the students. More reading automatically develops the cognitive ability to comprehend complex sentences. The students become better at understanding written material even if these are complex. This is the main reason behind adopting this process of imparting reading practice among the students. The main purpose is to increase interest among the student in reading and hence help in development of literacy among them. Regular reading practice increases proficiency and helps in developing the intricate understanding of the complexities of the relationship between reading and writing. The next activity is the reading of random paragraphs from known or unknown sources which are of complex nature if judged in comparison to the age group of the children and then letting them explain the paragraphs in their own language. This activity is very helpful in developing the skills of text analysis among the children. The comprehensive process of reading a particular text, then comprehending its various aspects and explaining the complexities in their own words using their creative abilities, helps the student in the overall development of literary capabilities. The first activity of reading out loud in class rooms develop the eloquence of the students on one hand, on the other hand the reading and explaining of paragraphs helps in improving their creative thought process. Both of these activities combine to develop literary abilities of the student on an overall basis. The main purpose behind the second reading activity in classroom is to increase creative capabilities of t he students. Explanation of assessment method The teacher in the interview explained two of the assessment methods that are used to evaluate the students. The first one is the regular method of assessing and evaluating the students according to their performance in the exams. There are term exams that is conducted every month to evaluate the understanding of the students of their subjects. Apart from that there is a separate assessment method of assessing the overall literary growth of the students. Special importance is given on language acquisition and expertise of oral and written skills of languages used. Language is the basic tool for understanding all the other subjects. The students will be having their skills of reading, writing and understanding assessed by overall monitoring of their performances in the class throughout the month. This performance will be then categorised in the assessment evaluation sheets which will be reflecting the students overall status of their literary efficiency. The explanation behind the usa ge of two separate assessment systems is that the academic performance of the student is different from the imbibed literary understanding of the same student. A student who is well versed academically may not be equally proficient in literature or language and vice versa (Wortham Hardin, 2015). Exams can be given just by mugging up textbook information. However, proficiency in literature requires much more than that. It requires understanding ability of the student. Effectiveness of the above teaching and assessment process The effectiveness of the teaching process can be understood by the enhanced performance of the students. It has been empirically seen that after the introduction of the new process of evaluation and added teaching methods like extempore speeches, group discussion, and explanation of random paragraphs the students have developed better abilities to analyse textual information and explain them creatively. The students show more enthusiasm in engaging in reading activities at home because they know they have to come back to the school and read in front of the whole class. They want to read better than their peer group and hence they give complete attention in reading the text properly. Regular reading increases fluency and also comprehension. The double assessment method has given a clear reflection of all the perspectives of the students including their studies, academic performance and their literary status. Language development is the key signifier of literary ability of a person. The assessment system has categories which reflect the reading ability, the speaking ability, the understanding ability, the explanation ability and the overall literary ability of the person. The student themselves understand what are they lacking from the assessment, their teachers and parents understand the needs as well and act in the direction of improving the child towards better reading skills. Possible remediation and improvements The present system of reading activity in the classrooms has helped in improving the language learning abilities of the student to a large extent. However, there can be other possible activities that might improve the students reading and instil more interest of reading in them. The children must be taken to book-fairs and big book stores to make them interested to the idea of purchasing more books and reading them (Clawson, 2015). In the classrooms there can be audio visual sessions where texts with background music may be played on the screen where the students would be reading these loudly along with the music (Awasthi, 2014). These will be fun activities that engage the student and also increase the reading activities among the children. There can be gifts like chocolates or toys for the students who read well and show interest towards voracious reading (Christakis, 2017). Reading is the basic pillar based on which the literary development of the children happens and their langua ge gets better. The evidence of the interview and the interview data has been provided above where the transcription of the interview has been elaborated. The samples of the worksheets and the assessment sheets are as follows. STUDENT ASSESSMENT CARD OF OVERALL PERFORMANCE IN READING AND LANGUAGE Name of the student Batch Class Month Class teacher name Guardian Name Skill name Full marks Marks scored Comments Foundational Skills of Reading Vocabulary Pronunciation Reading Interest Listening Understanding Reproducing skills Explanation OVERALL GRADE RECEIVED STATUS SIGNATURE OF GUARDIAN SIGNATURE OF CLASS TEACHER SIGNATURE OF PRINCIPAL OFFICIAL STAMP Conclusion Human beings are considered to be far more developed than all other species of animals because of their advanced skills of communication. Starting from the prehistoric ages human civilisation has come a long way and today most of the communication mediums are digital and mobile. It all started with the ability to speak different words having different meanings. A child develops the basic knowledge of the primary language, or the mother tongue, from a very early age when the caretakers of the child help him or her in acquiring the language by speaking with the child in that language. Gradually the child is imparted with the knowledge of writing and also the acquiring of second language begins. The activity of reading forms the basis of further literary development. In the above essay a detailed structure of language training is provided with assessment methods that will be helpful for the children in efficiently learning the language. Interactive learning method and participation in g roup activities further develop the interest of reading in the children. References: Awasthi, D. (2014). 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