Fast-tracking English speaking skills for young learners

Fast-tracking English speaking skills for young learners

The number of young children joining new entrant classes with poor skills in speaking English is a growing concern in primary schools all over New Zealand.

While there is ongoing debate on the reasons for this decline, Dr Jannie van Hees from the University of Auckland, is tackling the trend head-on with an intensive oral language programme developed at the Faculty of Education and Social Work.

The idea behind her programme is to bring rich ‘talk-accompanied’ learning into early year classrooms and give a language advantage to every child within their first three years at school.

Says Dr van Hees: “Children who start school with poor language skills have a huge disadvantage. They lack the fluency, confidence and vocabulary to think and shape their ideas and can struggle to even hold a simple conversation.”

“Conversely, their peers who start school with better language skills transition well into school learning and literacy.”

The programme is designed to even out that inequity and give every child the ‘gift’ of good language.

One of the school currently using the programme is Holy Cross School in Miramar, Wellington and the results, according to Principal Celeste Hastings, are ‘phenomenal’.

“It has been one of the most exciting programmes I have been involved in,” she says and reports major improvements in students’ vocabulary, understanding and confidence.

“Improving language early on opens up the world for young children, not only in the language they are using but in their understanding of wider ideas and concepts. You can see and hear the difference it is making to the children. It has truly blown me away.”

Holy Cross is a multi-cultural school with a roll of 210. A significant number of children come from new migrant and refugee families, as well as from other backgrounds where English is a second language.

These children begin their school life in the new entrant classes alongside others who have English as their first language, and are confident and articulate.

“This is where we see the greatest differential between our children,” says Celeste Hastings. “And we need to even it out as early as we can.”

It was this need that prompted her to look for a tool that would accelerate literacy learning in the first three years of school without taking away the ‘joy of learning’ for these young students.

The Principal had already worked with Dr van Hees – she had presented English Language Assistant (ELA) training at the school – so when she saw her Intensive Oral Language Programme in action at another school during a sabbatical, she knew it was right for Holy Cross

“It is based on sound research and I knew it would work for everyone – from those with no English to others already speaking with confidence – and that’s what we needed for a wonderfully diverse community such as ours.”

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