Language Support Program

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Appendix 6 Secondary school students with language difficulties

The Language Support Program (LSP) was originally developed in 2005 by Dr John Munro for teachers and coordinators of the Early Years. As the program has continued to develop as a professional learning resource in regions in Victoria, the original material has been developed and extended to encompass the Middle Years of Schooling, which extend across the transition between primary and secondary schools.

The Language Support Program Professional Learning Guide similarly provides advice and resources suitable for teachers of the Middle Years in secondary schools (i.e. Years 7–8, in Victoria). A specific learning pathway is identified in the Teacher Guide for teachers of the Middle Years, including those in secondary schools.

Within Victoria, regionally delivered professional learning about the Language Support Program is available for school leaders, teachers and coordinators within secondary schools. If you are interested in these programs you should approach the relevant regional office.

 

Support for students with language difficulties across the curriculum

In secondary schools, young people with language difficulties may encounter problems with learning in a range of curriculum disciplines and domains. Where students are taught by a number of different teachers in different disciplines and domains they may encounter problems with consistency of approach. Such problems can be avoided or mitigated if every teacher commits to being a teacher of language, and if the school creates an Individual Learning Plan for each student with language difficulties.

 

Social and academic issues

Young people with language difficulties in secondary schools may increasingly encounter difficulties with socialisation, planning tasks and working independently, and with the receptive and expressive modes of language.

 

Difficulties with socialisation

Young people experiencing difficulties with social skills due to language difficulties may encounter problems interacting with others both in and outside the classroom, and also both in and outside the context of classroom tasks.

They may have problems in a range of expressive language situations (spoken and written) and may present with all or some of the following characteristics in the classroom:

  • They may have difficulty making and maintaining friendships and have poor conversational skills (e.g. turn-taking, introducing and maintaining topics, using language, body-language, and facial expression to demonstrate empathetic listening skills).
  • They may misinterpret or fail to detect social cues communicated through facial expression and body language and may process language literally and have difficulty interpreting or detecting sarcasm, humour, slang, and ambiguity.
  • Their inability to manipulate language for varying social situations and needs (e.g. to persuade, negotiate, gossip, joke) may also result in an inability to defend themselves verbally and they may resort to physical aggression or respond in ways that seem inappropriate.

Practical classroom strategies in different curriculum disciplines and domains that support a young person with difficulties in socialising effectively include:

  • using simple language
  • giving the student time to formulate and offer prompts to help the student structure language and generate the vocabulary they need to express themselves
  • being aware of when sarcasm, irony or ambiguous language is being used and checking that the student has comprehended correctly
  • offering the student feedback on their interactions and being available to explain what they are doing wrong (if the student is willing for you to assist in this way)
  • providing opportunities for the student to practise social skills through role play and rehearsal
  • providing one-on-one or small group assistance to learn and practise conversation skills.
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Difficulties with language comprehension

Young people with language difficulties may have problems with language comprehension (i.e. receiving and interpreting correctly the ‘message’ so that they can comprehend what is read, solve problems and monitor their environment).

A young person who has difficulties in this area would most likely display some of the following characteristics:

  • They may be unable to follow verbal and written directions appropriately and may need directions repeated numerous times (e.g. they may have problems with reading comprehension and with maths problem-solving).
  • They may also misinterpret assignments and test questions.

Practical classroom strategies in different curriculum disciplines and domains that support a young person with difficulties with language comprehension include:

  • give only one direction at a time (e.g. finish your revision sheets, now start on your essay, instead of start on your essay after you finish your revision sheets)
  • describing your actions verbally as you perform an activity, or using visual clues and talking aloud while the student watches and listens
  • allowing students to paraphrase, repeat, or explain instructions before answering
  • using multiple modalities for reinforcement (e.g. encourage the student to read, say it aloud and develop a visual image)
  • encouraging the student to use a reading-level-appropriate dictionary.

 

Difficulties with text-level language

Young people with language difficulties may have problems with text-level language (i.e. understanding and producing language at the level used in written works or texts). Language used in texts may take the form of short questions and statements or larger chunks of language such as in:

  • written texts (e.g. essays, reports, novels, textbooks)
  • visual texts (advertisements, multimedia, films).

A young person who has difficulties in this area would most likely display some of the following characteristics:

  • They may have difficulty independently interpreting and gaining information from written and spoken texts due to limited vocabulary or word knowledge.
  • They may have difficulty comprehending all the ideas expressed or key points, and consequently be unable to summarise or paraphrase texts.
  • They may be unable to identify the relationships between ideas and how these are conveyed through the structure of the text.
  • They may also have difficulty drawing inferences from the text.

Practical classroom strategies in different curriculum disciplines and domains that support a young person with difficulties with text-level language include:

  • pre-teaching (e.g. provision of key vocabulary with descriptions in simple language; giving more time for reading of written texts; explanation of key ideas and concepts)
  • providing summary sheets and outlines
  • using concept maps to present vocabulary, key concepts, and the relationships between ideas
  • conducting class discussion and giving the necessary background information before expecting the student to start set work
  • underlining key words and phrases
  • providing written information in smaller chunks
  • slowing down the rate of presentation by speaking slowly and pausing
  • providing visual clues and gestures to support verbal and written material
  • being prepared to negotiate the amount of work set and the amount of time allocated to complete the task.
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Difficulties with language expression

Young people with language difficulties may have problems with language expression (i.e. communicating thoughts and ideas in speech and writing).

A young person with difficulties in the area of expressive language may have difficulty conveying their thoughts to others.

  • Their language may present as simplistic and lack specificity (e.g. they may use simple, short repetitive sentences, omit words, and have difficulty using grammatical conventions correctly).
  • They may struggle with tasks that require them to retell events, write on or discuss given topics, and may have difficulty remembering, retaining, and manipulating information using specific or technical words.

Practical classroom strategies in different curriculum disciplines and domains that support a young person with difficulties with language expression include:

  • teaching new vocabulary using a hierarchical approach (i.e. teach related words that can be grouped together into categories and subcategories)
  • explaining new words in context and providing maximum opportunities for the student to use these words in writing and speaking tasks
  • preparing the student to discuss classroom content by going over key words, completing word/ideas association tasks and collecting possible phrases for responses
  • teaching the student how to sequence ideas through using the steps of brainstorming on a topic (i.e. identify key words/ideas; discuss order of ideas; practise providing sequenced responses)
  • teaching the difference between formal and informal language
  • teaching the difference between a phrase or incomplete sentence and a complete sentence
  • pre-teaching grammatical conventions and involving the student in activities that focus on increasing the length and complexity of sentences
  • practicing answering who, what, when, why, how questions on different topics and issues using full sentences
  • teaching the student how to ask different questions to obtain information and maintain conversation
  • teaching the student how to use language to persuade and express a point of view
  • encouraging the student to read a range of texts (e.g. books, editorials, advertisements) in order to become familiar with different language styles
  • prompting the student to pause and think about what they have to say before providing verbal responses.

 

Footnotes

[1] The Statewide Resource acknowledges the contribution of the Gippsland Region Speech Pathology Team, whose ‘Language Help Sheets’ were used to develop many of the ideas and strategies for secondary students in this appendix.

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