Language Gap Study Bolsters a Push for Pre-K (Research article 5)

 I remember in my field experience last semester, as I sat in the teachers lounge listening to one particular conversation regarding Pre-K grading. The first thing that came to my mind was, "what! Preschoolers receiving grades?"  As we all know the world of teaching is changing drastically and with the Common Core there is a huge emphasis on math and reading standards starting at a very young age . Starting remediation as soon as possible is key, and the publishing companies are making sure to develop the right materials for teachers to use. However the article, Language Gap Study Bolsters a Push for Pre-K, by Motoko Rich, published in the New York Times discusses the evidence that text books and worksheets may not be the answer in young children's literacy development.

According to new research by Anne Fernald, psychologist at Stanford University, a study showed that "at 18 months children from wealthier homes could identify pictures of simple words they new- dog or ball- much faster than children from low-income families".  The reason for this is because the professional parents are speaking more often to their children which means that "those children are hearing 30 million more words by age 3 than the children from low-income households". If a simple conversation among parent and child can make such an impact starting at the preschool level, this is something that I think all parents should be aware of. Since "oral language and vocabulary are so connected to reading comprehension, the most disadvantaged children face challenges once they enter school and start learning to read".  For this reason it is so important for parents and teachers to engage young children in conversations. I truly believe that learning is social and the more class discussions and conversations teachers and parents maintain with children the more beneficial it will be for their literacy skills in the future. I believe as teachers we can use this knowledge and apply this in our classrooms with read alouds. During read alouds we can stop and discuss ideas that come along or unfamiliar vocabulary for the students. I think that read alouds are a great way to have that conversation time with students especially since "literacy experts emphasize the importance of natural conversations with children". Now that I am aware of this, when I am given the opportunity to have class discussions and converse with young children I will have a new appreciation for its meaning.


Source: 

Rich, Motoko. Language-Gap Study Bolsters a push for Pre-K. The New York Times. (2013)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/us/language-gap-study-bolsters-a-push-for-pre-k.html