VELS Level 1 and 2 – Early Language Development: Before School

This section includes information on how children learn and begin to understand language through interactions in the classroom and with their parents. It includes links to resources for teachers including a video transcript.

• Learning language through dialogue
• Spoken language models
• Models of listening
• Speaking to learn
• Professional learning

Learning language through dialogue

From observing the interactions between young children and adults we can see that speaking and listening are crucial to all learning as:

• information is shared, including new information
• explanations are often offered
• alternative perspectives are offered
• the child’s understandings may change.

The internationally acclaimed research of Gordon Wells (1986) has made significant contributions to our understandings of the role of language in literacy and in learning. Other influential research has broadened our understandings of literacy and of learning.

Spoken language models

Collaborative interactions provide exposure to models of elements of language:

• vocabulary: words used
• syntax : sentence structure
• phonology: sound of the language
• purposes and functions: language as conversation.

Early language development in young children is a key predictor of literacy success in the early and middle years of schooling.

Decontextualised language in the home, including rich vocabulary, plays a significant part in a student’s literacy success. Snow, Dickinson and Tabors 2001

The important longitudinal study conducted by Catherine Snow and her colleagues has shown that if children are exposed to decontextualised language in the home and rich vocabulary, they are more likely to perform well in literacy in the early and middle years of schooling.

• Contextualised talk: features face-to-face interaction, often accompanied by action.
• Decontextualised talk: is used for reflecting on experiences that are distant in time and place and is characterised by extended turns, planning and rehearsal. It more clearly resembles written language.

(Early Years Literacy Program, Professional Development for Teachers, 1999)

These research findings stress the importance of rich language encounters at an early age in the classroom.

Models of listening

Collaborative interactions provide models of listening as an active process involving:

• comprehension and the active building of meaning
• knowledge of the world
• knowledge of language, purpose, audience and text types.

This process is similar to reading.

Speaking to learn

Key understandings:

• language learning is inherently social: meaning is built up collaboratively
• oral language is an important tool for learning
• there is a strong relationship between language and thinking.

Contextualised language

Children use contextualised language for creating, establishing and developing social relationships: important for everyday life and learning both within and outside of school.

Contextualised language also features in the early years of schooling. Teachers use concrete shared experiences, visual cues, and other supports to assist students to move from familiar knowledge to unfamiliar knowledge.

The role of the adult

The role of the adult in a child’s early language development includes:

• guiding and scaffolding
• collaboration and joint construction of text
• sharing new information
• expanding the child’s contributions
• modelling language forms and purposes within context
• modelling vocabulary, syntax and phonology.

Children play an active role in the building up of collective, shared understandings through their contributions to the unfolding dialogue.

Professional learning

Drawing on prior knowledge

Consider the following questions using your prior knowledge of how children attain early language and literacy; the relationship between language and learning that is observable; and the interactions between adults and children.

Guiding questions:

• How do young children learn language?
• How do young children use language as a tool for learning?
• How do parents, carers and adults use language with young children?
• What do they model about language and about learning?

Observing language and learning at work

James in the kitchen (PDF - 20Kb) is a transcript of a conversation between James, 5, and his mother. Read the James in the kitchen transcript to carry out this activity.

It is taken from the Gordon Wells book The Meaning Makers : children learning language and using language to learn ( London: Hodder and Stoughton Educational 1986).

Wells conducted a 13-year study which tracked children from pre-school into secondary school. Wells observed the relationship between language and learning evident in the interactions between children and, in particular, their mothers.

Wells then observed the kinds of language interactions these children had with their teachers and produced findings related to the differences in the nature, quantity and quality of the interactions in the home and in the classroom.

Study the language exchanged between James and his mother and consider the following questions:

• How is the child using language to learn?
• How is the mother using language?
• What is the mother modelling about language and about learning?

Think about the significance of these interactions in terms of:

• The child’s learning of language
• The child’s learning about the world around them.

Observations: James in the kitchen

James and his mother listen to each other, they take turns in sharing information, his mother offers him elaborate explanations that are carefully matched with concrete explanations of the scientific process of expansion, and it appears that James’ understanding of this concept has changed as a result of her explanation.

Importantly, James’ mother models what a good speaker and listener [and teacher] does. She introduces new vocabulary within context and, with a concrete explanation that he can grasp, she uses stretches of language that model correct syntax.

The nature of her response indicates that she has modelled appropriate aspects of phonology, such as intonation, to accompany her explanation and she demonstrates language being conveyed at the discourse level; producing a stretch of coherent and cohesive text.

We can also observe that James’ mother conveys that listening is integral to the process of actively building meaning.

In answering James’ query, she draws on her previous knowledge of the world [perhaps acquired by listening to others] and shares this with him. She is also keenly aware of the purpose of this interaction, or the kind of language, purpose and text type that she needs to produce for her son (informal, yet elaborate) to match his request for new knowledge.

In all of these ways, the process of listening is similar to the process of reading.

Additional transcripts of adult-child spoken interactions may be downloaded. Read through and consider the questions provided. Note any additional observations of the nature and purpose of the language shared here.

The Broken Jug (PDF - 12Kb) – This is a short transcript between a mother and child who has broken a jug.

Bumblebee (PDF - 14Kb) – this is a short transcript between an adult and child about a bumblebee.

Cars and horses (PDF - 12Kb) – This is a short transcript between an adult and child about how fast horses and cars can travel.

Related materials

Next key concept - Victorian Essential Learning Standards Stages of Learning: Laying the foundations levels 1 & 2