As a Kindergarten teacher, it’s essential that I am engaging…but I’m also talking a lot and expecting my students to talk a lot too. To help you understand the dynamics, I thought I’d draw a visual. 🙂

My one, very beginner EAL student, has all the confidence in the world to speak…but he still struggles with the language and substitutes with actions OR drawings (something he did just yesterday) when he can’t find the words. The fact that he puts himself out there so willingly, to communicate verbally, has helped him to grow his vocabulary AND relationships with his classmates! How can I help him build his vocabulary to extend him beyond his passion for Lego, Star Wars and modes of transport?

I have another EAL student who is just a reluctant speaker. Just yesterday, he shared more than I think I’ve ever heard him share, but we were in an isolated situation with me and three other students in our reading tent. In whole class situations, he may say yes or no, but he is very disengaged in conversations. How do I determine if his reluctance is actually a lack of knowledge rather than lack of confidence without intimidating him? How do I up the ante on his comprehensible input…maybe he’s just not getting it?

“Classroom Talk: What the Research tells us” explains the importance of being a verbally confident individual in school and in society in many ways/by many people. What better way for a child to practice these skills, than through non-conforming play? Of course the research on this topic is extensive, but I took some time to read from these sites:

One mom’s take on and promotion of play including a break-down of play’s role language development with lots of links on the topic –  http://www.playingwithwords365.com/2013/06/the-importance-of-play-for-speech-and-language-development/

F.P. Hughes discusses finding meaning in play through verbal expression here – http://www.education.com/reference/article/language-play-development/

This Scholastic article lists strategies to promote language-rich play – http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/building-language-literacy-through-play

This site is loaded with play ideas that will surely get any child talking – at home or in the classroom! A super useful new resource! –  http://www.sunscholars.com/p/100-days-of-play.html

In an effort to get my students to be more open-minded, I created a ‘discussion map’ to show them a visual of their talking relationships during morning free play (thanks, Sandrine). I told them I’ll do it again on Monday; I wonder if the web will become more intertwined if students know what I’m doing!?

Neil Mercer’s video really got me focused on all my past visits to museums/galleries. As I make my way around an exhibition, there’s so much that I’m taking in…so much information…and I can vividly remember dialogues I have in my head as I soak in the informational experience that surrounds me. I’m fully immersed in ‘inner speech’ (Vygotsky, 1986). Good museums should do that!

…And good reflection has me thinking about the talking points, jig-saws, exit cards, ‘Guess Who‘ game and other talk-promoting strategies can benefit my students and their talking!

Thanks for the perspective, mindful reflection time and motivation to get me exploring ideas to enhance oral language in my classroom! 🙂