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The early childhood years is a critical and crucial time for developing language acquisition.
Bond and Wasik (2009) suggest that developing language skills is one of the most important
milestones in childrens early years. Children best develop language skills by engaging in
conversations with competent adults who scaffold language and create opportunities for them to
learn the syntax and semantics as well as new vocabulary words. During child development a
range of influencers affect and impact a Childs ability to learn and produce language. Influencers
contribute to different milestones in language growth. Studies of particular environments reveal
children are influenced by educators. A study by Justice (2004) examined children and the effects
of the learning environment they are subjected to. The article states, By developing a
philosophy, teams can take a principled approach to creating language-rich classroom
environments (Justice, 2004, pg. 37). Historical perspectives and technology are a major impact
on language production. Historical perspectives connect the past with the future to understand
the development of technology and where it is headed. Technology serves language development
in two ways. It allows researchers innovative ways of collecting data, like audio and video
recorders. Secondly, there are tools that engage young children in new literacy practices such as
e-books. This paper will connect the importance of language development to the following
studies and will support the language phenomena.
Historical Perspectives on Literacy in Early Childhood
Historical perspectives evaluate background information to connect and compare the past with
current research. Throughout time the importance of language acquisition has advanced on
many levels. Kleeck and Schuele (2010) expand on changes in literacy. Today in the United
States, the goal of education is to ensure that every child becomes literate. Historically, it is
important to recognize the evolution of whom in Western society was expected or allowed to
learn to read. During the Roman times it was only the males that learned to read. The second half
of the twentieth century developed higher expectations for literacy. Shifts in teaching methods
have unfolded over time, causing direct reading to transform into informally fostering
foundational skills. The evolution of cultural mainstream perspectives shifted from 1 century AD
st
believing that males should only read at the age of seven to Quintilian, a rhetorician, challenging
those beliefs and suggesting reading in younger years was preferred if given the proper tools
(Kleeck & Schuele, 2010). The trend on literacy importance and awareness by the late eighties
suggested research from the emergent literacy perspective was beginning to provide substantial
evidence (primarily, although not exclusively, from mainstream culture families) regarding the
specific activities and resultant skills and knowledge about literacy that young children can
acquire in their home environments before they reach formal schooling (Kleeck & Schuele,
2010). Currently, it is common for preschool children to attend schools that are center-based
prior to enrollment. Keeping the future in mind, today the main focus is setting children up for
literacy in later years. Over the last 40 years, the number of children attending preschool has
grown tremendously, and thus the potential impact of preschool education on childrens literacy
skills is great (Kleeck & Schuele, 2010). Learning environments foster and set up the very
basics for childrens ability to learn.
Technology
Technology has rapidly advanced over the years, and has become increasingly popular as a
medium used in classrooms. In the article, The Song Remains the Same: Looking Back to the
Future of Educational Technology, Mishra et al., (2009) talk about the history of technology and
how change has occurred. The authors state, Today the world of the learner is almost
unbounded. He [sic] must acquire facts relating to a bewildering variety of places and things; he
include distinct features such as live animation, interactive components, and the operation of the
technology that require new approaches to shared reading with young children. Hoffman and
Paciga (2013) state in the article, For example, when the big, bad wolf arrive[s] in the
neighborhood, readers hear looming, suspenseful music in background and the tires of the
wolfs van screeching as he pull up near the pigs houses. These audio components effectively
contribute to the mood of the story. Another finding occurred when a child heard sounds coming
from the e-book during the story of other animals, and asked the teacher what the sound was.
This shows that e-books grab the reader's curiosity visually and by audio. The authors state,
Finally, e-books function in different ways from printed texts and therefore children can learn
new and important skills and literacies that are absent from interactions with printed texts
(Hoffman & Paciga, 2013, pg. 379). E-books support children practicing new digital tools for
future use in classroom curriculum. The findings resulted in e-books promoting results similar to
printed books on childrens language and literacy development.
The Podcasting Playbook: A Typology of Evidence-Based Podagogy For PreK12Classrooms with English Language Learners
Technology has many forms used by educators today. Acosta and Garza (2011) researched
podcasting and its effects on pre-k through high school. The authors mention other researchers
such as Cheung and Slavin (2011a) who define technology used for educational purposes as,
electronic tools and applications that help deliver learning materials and support learning
processes in K-12 classrooms to improve academic learning goals (p.3) Today, technology is
advancing not only in the world, but in classrooms. Educators now use technology as an
academic goal. Childrens language production is assisted by technology enabling them to learn
in new forms. The findings of this study mentions podcasting as economical, adaptable, and
easily shared with others. This digital tool meets the National Educational Technology Standards,
and the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE). One goal of this study Acosta
and Garza (2011) pointed out was to give educators insight on podcasts and to their professional
development. Why podcast? Acosta and Garza (2011) argue that podcasting is mobile and
flexible. The findings of the study suggested teachers benefited from using podcasts both inside
and outside the classroom. Riddles, games, and songs are forms of phonological awareness that
also count as play time. Including family gives children the opportunity to continue learning at
home. Child development, specifically language acquisition, is important in the early years.
References
Acosta, S., & Garza, T. (2011). The Podcasting Playbook: A Typology of Evidence-Based
Podagogy for PreK-12 Classrooms with English Language Learners. Research In The
Schools, 18(2), 40-57.
Ashburn, E. Floden, R. (2006). Meaningful Learning. New York: Teachers College Press.
Bond, M., & Wasik, B. (2009). Conversation Stations: Promoting Language Development in
Young Children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(6), 467-473.
doi:10.1007/s10643-009-0310-7
Einarsdottir, J. (2014). Play and Literacy: A Collaborative Action Research Project in Preschool.
Scandinavian Journal Of Educational Research, 58(1), 93-109.
Hoffman, J. L., & Paciga, K. A. (2014). Click, Swipe, and Read: Sharing e-Books with
Toddlers and Preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(6), 379-388.
Justice, L. (2004). Creating Language Rich Preschool Classroom Environments. TEACHING
Exceptional Children, 37(2), 36-44. Retrieved from http://ici-bostonready-pd-20092010.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/view/Creating Language Rich Preschool Classroom
Environments.pdf
Mills, P. E., Beecher, C. C., Dale, P. S., Cole, K. N., & Jenkins, J. R. (2014). Language of
Children With Disabilities to Peers at Play: Impact of Ecology. Journal Of Early
Intervention, 36(2), 111-130. doi:10.1177/1053815114561518
Mishra, P., Koehler, M., & Kereluik, K. (2009). The song remains the same: Looking back