Language and Literacy Environments for Toddlers - Essay Example

Title: Literacy Learning and language Name Course Tutor Sept 5th, 2012 Introduction The success of children in school and even later in life is all dependent upon their ability to read and write. This therefore means that, the childhood years re very vital in children’s’ literacy development and the development of language. It is worth noting that, literacy begins at birth and is a lifelong process. Language is of great importance for its primary function is to communicate. When a child is born, it uses cries, gurgles and even facial expression to communicate, and then progresses in communication until it communicate by babbling, saying important words and then expand to vocabulary (Lesley &Linda , 2004). Literacy on the other hand is learning about all the print forms of language and using them to communicate. In literate communities, it is a point to note that, children get exposed to written language from infancy. Children begin to learn about reading and writing in infancy where they come into contact with print in their environment. Communities and even schools must create a climate where children efforts at learning to read and write are adequate supported and expanded. It is therefore clear that, the environment must enhance a child’s desire to communicate, their curiosity about the world around them and their sense of competence as readers and writers. It supports the use of primary language of all children and gives them a chance to use their primary language as they gradually acquire other languages. This leads to the notion that, the physical environment must beckon children to speak, read and write and most importantly, support their natural disposition to progress as readers and writers. Physical Environment The amount of time that children spend in educational environments continues to increase and this means that, there is a need to consider the quality of these environments for they are essential in providing a foundation for young children’s literacy learning. These centers have become the places where children first learn to interact with other, engage in early learning of language development and experience school like environment which means that they learn (Whitehurst & Lonigan, 2001). In actual facts, the physical environment triggers the child to speak, read and write. This therefore means that, it should be conducive to help children make good strides. The environment should be comfortable, cozy, well lit, where children can read on their own, read to one another or even read to by an adult. In the same area, there should be a provision of a variety of books which are appealing to the children and must reflect the identity, primary language and culture of the children (Lesley &Linda , 2004).This exonerates the fact that physical environment of the classroom is a very powerful tool in support of literacy learning. Young children literacy learning is directly linked to immersion in language and print rich environments. Literature depicts that, the presence or the absence of literacy tools affects the child literacy learning (Machado, 2010). This in other words mean that, when children’s play areas are impoverished by the lack of literacy tools, then literate behavior among the children in a classroom becomes limited. A class full of literacy tools provides a better platform to young children literacy learning and language development. Play contributes much to the young children’s literacy. The symbolic play of preschoolers and the oral language surrounding it are good predictors of reading and writing growth in kindergarten. When these environments are soaked with literacy tools, the frequency, duration and even complexity of literate behavior occurring during spontaneous free play also increase in a big way. Play has been confirmed to have the greatest utility for fostering literate behavior. There are some design features in environments that are of great importance in the literacy engagement and subsequent achievements for young children. Physical designs, use of space, and resources just to mention but a few help focus and sustain children’s activity (Strickland, 2002). These therefore depict that, the arrangement of materials, according to a specific criteria enhances children’s uses of literacy objects and related print resources in a classroom and this enhances adequate learning and achievements. The communication environment correlates to the performance of a child. This therefore means that, what the mother did or otherwise interacted with her child, the resources she has and the feeling supported and sense of wellbeing (Lesley &Linda , 2004). Environment surrounding the child in the first two years affects the performance of the said child at 5 years. These factors include early ownership of books; Pre School, parents teaching and the number of toys affect in a big way the literacy of a child. It is worth noting that, each Child’s chubby is labeled with their first and last name reinforcing the idea that words and names are written with letters (Cecil, 2011). Other areas are labeled by furniture used daily, physical aspect of the environment; walls and windows. This are said to help build both a reading and slight vocabulary and provides opportunities to see how letters form words. The arrangement of a room is of vital to the learning of a child. For instance, when there is a set of routine for activities helps the child learn through the flow of events. This helps them to even feel more comfortable and helps them look like members of the group more quickly and this acts as a platform for social integration (Schickedanz & Casbergue, 2004). Young children use their senses, vision, smell, touch and hearing while interacting with learning in a physical environment. These senses combined with the complexity at the home environment create conceptual and practical problems when it comes to the literacy and language development of a child. Any environment whether classroom or home atmosphere must be comfortable, safe and nurturing environment where children can play with manipulative materials and even have dramatic play items to enhance skills development (Lesley &Linda , 2004). This means that, there must be space to allow all this and must be safe. In a school environment, it is clear that, it is linked to the children’s home environment, incorporating cultural and ethnic materials and their home language and provides experiences which are inclusive for all children, regardless of their ability. The environment must provide a better platform for their learning. This is due to the fact that, children literacy grow when there are opportunities to see, share, act, sign, classify, observe, make decision, develop sequencing skills and even understand relationship (Strickland et al, 2004). Play provides opportunities for children to manipulate literacy objects, literacy skills and literacy related ideas. In the same environment, it is worth noting that, individual and group interactions contribute to emergent literacy skills (Lesley &Linda , 2004). Conclusively, to achieve adequate literacy learning and languages, it’s good to understand that children need to be exposed to de-contextualized language. This is by the use of songs, chants and finger plays and include playing symbolic, imagery actions and the staff therefore are obliged to providing the types of conversation that support literacy. Adult- Child Research results indicate that the interactions between children with their parents and caregivers at their early stages of life have strong and lifelong influence on the child’s intellectual, social and emotional development. Children who receive responsive care and moral support at the early stage of life gather important traits such as high self confidence and thus are more able to learn and at the same time enjoy the whole process (Massey, 2004). To enhance continued development of the cognitive, emotional and social spheres of children, accommodative school environment is therefore a necessity. Children are brought up in homes with variant degrees of language and literacy support and hence a strong input in the preschool and school is paramount. The quality of preschool programs is important for acquisition of language and literacy skills. Participation by children in these programs enhanced faster acquisition of language skills in high risk children. Language development of a child starts at birth. Before a child can start uttering words, he has to master the basics of human communication (Torr & Scott, 2006). These he learns from interactions with the parent. It is on this foundation that subsequent abilities are laid enabling toddlers to have explosive growth of words and a complex system in the schooling age. Early language needs and literacy skills are overlooked which in turn reduces their vigor and interest to learn at the preschool age. Proper growth and development starts the nature and dedication of adults surrounding children at the tender age. It notes the language development challenges can be overcome when the educators do the following; converse one on one with the young children and read books with them as they converse, provide writing materials and guide the in writing, participate in dramatic play with integrated literacy activities and at the same time demonstrate to the children the uses of literacy and maintenance of a playful, relaxed and joyful atmosphere around literacy activities. These will prepare the child for further formal instructions at school level. The learning environment should also be well organized in favor of literacy. Massey (2004) stated that an environment that promotes literacy enhancement stimulates children to explore. Such an environment furnishes children with wealth in spoken and written language. This is achieved first in creation of a setting for toddlers and preschool children that support relationships between children and at the same time stimulates exploration. Secondly, furnish the rooms with equipment and materials that promote language and intellectual development. And lastly, they make the environment rich in decorations that give children a chance to explore print and decorations in many forms (Lawhon & Cobb, 2002). Child to Child Apart from adult child relations, child- child relations are also important. Children need to share some of their time to interactions with others just as they interact with adults. According to Massey (2004) some children do experience delayed development in communication abilities because of the shared attention by the caretaker like the case of twins. This can however be bridged by enhanced interaction with peers (Massey, 2004). Children interact in many ways as they play and share items in various activities such as eating or bathing. These activities contribute significantly to their language and literacy skills. Toddlers communicate with facial expressions with family members and with each other as a form of physical contact. This way they are aware of each other and they continuously engage in laughs as a way of communication. By being close together they form physical contact with each other and at the same time they communicate. At this level they become aware of each other’s emotions such that if one of cries then the other becomes anxious (Massey, 2004). By the second year, children will use words to communicate combined with gestures such as pointing and making movements. The vocabulary increases as the capture more content of the language. Children also learn to share items. In the case of the twins for example, one would take two beakers of water to share one with the twin brother. Through interactions they learn to explore objects and learn the art of critical observation which contributes actively to literacy skills development. The availability of various playing items also contributes to language development. Focusing on development of two infants, playing a hide and seek game by the twin children is seen to enhance the use of plurals, possessive nouns and adjectives (Torr & Scott, 2006). Children when with each other show accelerated ability to ask questions, answer questions. Most children remain self-centered up to the age of five and they have hardship with cooperative activities. At this level they take more interest in team activities and games in turn contributes significantly to their cognitive, emotional and social development. Bibliography Cecil, N. L. (2011). Striking a Balance: Best Practices for Early Literacy,. Hathaway: Fourth Edition Holcomb . Jane Torr and Claire Scott. (2006). Learning 'special words' : Technical vocabulary in the talk of adults and preschoolers during shared . Journal of Early Childhood Research 4: , 153 166. Lesley Mandel Morrow and Linda B. Gambrell. (2004). Using Children’s Literature in Preschool:Comprehending and Enjoying Books,. International Reading Association. Machado, J. (2010). Early Childhood Experiences in Language Arts (9th Edition),. Belmont, CA.: Wadsworth. Massey, S. L. (2004). Teacher–Child Conversation in the Preschool Classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 31, No. 4 , 227-231. Schickedanz, J., & Casbergue, R. . (2004). Writing in preschool: Learning to orchestrate meaning and marks. . Newark, DE: International Reading. Strickland, D. S., Morrow, L., Neuman, S. B., Roskos, K., Schickedanz, J. A.,& Vukelich, C. . (2004). The role of literacy in early childhood education. The Reading Teacher, 58(1), , 86–100. Strickland, M. (2002). Beginning Reading and Writing,. New York and London.: Teachers College Press, Columbia. Tommie Lawhon and Jeanne B. Cobb. (2002). Routines That Build Emergent Literacy Skills in Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 30, No. 2 , 113-118. Whitehurst, G.J., & Lonigan, C . (2001). Get ready to read! An early literacy manual: Screening tool, activities and resources. Pearson: Columbus, OH. Read More