In order for anyone to be a member of today’s society, it is
crucial for him or her to have adequate language skills. Take a look around
you. How many words do you see? How many conversations can you hear? As a baby the
people around us expose us to language and that is how we begin to learn to
form sounds like ma-ma and eventually turn those sounds into words.
So what happens to a person if they are not
exposed to
language in their early years of life?
Does language occur naturally, like the Navist Theory
suggests, or is it the exposure of language that ignites the development of
language?
In 1970, a 13-year-old girl named Genie was found neglected
and abused in her home. Due to the extreme neglect Genie faced, her brain did
not develop properly. The video below is part one of Genie's story. This story leads
me to believe that experiences are the key for children to learn how to talk
and to read.
But to what extent do children need to be exposed to language and
what kinds of experiences influence a higher development of their language
skills? Children come into their first day of kindergarten which a wide variety
of language skills. Some can read, some can write, and some can barely form
sentences when they talk. Is this because of the environment of which they
live?
How does a child’s background and home life affect their
ability to develop language skills?
I feel as though it is important for us as future teachers
to be aware of the stages children go through while developing their language
skills. As teachers, we need to address the individual language needs of each
child in our classroom. By assessing individual student’s language development,
we are able to determine which stage they are at and can change our instruction
to further their reading, writing, and communication skills.
I enjoyed how this chapter gave specific strategies teachers
could use in their classroom. Language is everywhere! Take advantage of your
surroundings and subjects to further develop student’s language.
Haley, I really enjoyed your post! Thank you for sharing the video of Genie, I found it be very interesting. I agree with you that experiences are key to language development, especially altering seeing Genie who had been deprived of rich experiences. When we are babies we are curious learners that grasp on to any or all experiences that can help us to grow and develop into literate children. I also agree with you that we need to address a child's individual language needs. I feel once you have assessed a child's specific needs of language development you can being to form a plan for them in which they can interact with more students, and experiences that will best fit the child's needs.
ReplyDeleteHaley, that post was a very eye opening. I am wondering the same thing you are when it comes to all the questions. I agree with you when you said that teachers need to assess each student so they know what level they are at with language development. I agree that you need to know where each of your students are before you start the year. You need to make sure that you can accommodate every one of your students. You want to be able to make sure that you have a plan ready to help every student no matter what level, you don't want to make it to hard or to easy.
ReplyDeleteHaley, your post is awesome! Your video was very intriguing. I agree that we as teachers need to be aware of the stages children have to go through to build their language skills. Whether it is their first time trying to talk or even learning a second or third language. Assessment is definitely key when deciding what level of language is on, I agree.
ReplyDeleteHaley, I agree with your post. There is no specific line where we can say parents and teachers need to provide X amount of language, and sometimes I wonder if we will ever figure things like that out. I remember learning about Genie in my first EdPsy class, what a sad case that is but I think it is more of a beacon of hope. Genie made many advances after being cared for, which is better than nothing. Genie shows people that even after not having the language some (not all) can be learned. That is our job as teachers, to make up and advance the development.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Haley! This was a fantastic post about how being exposed to language at a young age is critical to language development. I have heard of Genies story before and it has always touched me. It is important to expose children to language and words as early as possible. In the video we watched in class, it said that a child can recognize their mothers voice as soon as it gets out of the womb. It is crazy to me that a baby can hear and recognize language before they are born. The first few years of life is crucial for language development, and connecting synapse.
ReplyDelete