Children learn to talk through interaction including involvement in many thousands of conversations with adults and other children. These conversations provide the framework for exploring relationships, understanding the world, and learning – in its widest sense. This book explores how children learn to communicate using language, how they use language to learn and the role of adults in the process. It examines how adults can support children to learn by involving them in positive interactions, meaningful conversation and by helping them play, explore and talk with each other.
The book includes:
- examples of children and adults talking and learning together
- case studies of successful approaches that support language and learning in early years settings
- points for reflection and practical tasks
Informed by the author’s own experience working with young children, families and practitioners, and from his involvement in the England-wide Every Child a Talker (ECaT) project, it links key research findings with successful practice to inspire practitioners to develop skills when talking with children, influence how adults plan for talk in settings and gain insight into how language develops in the home.
Industry Reviews
This book is a fantastic read, I have learned a lot both as a parent and also towards my professional knowledge as a 0-3 Learning and Development Officer for a Local Authority. I particularly like the way Michael includes points to reflect on and practical tasks as they enable you to really understand the theory he has written about/advice he has given and experience it for yourself. The extracts of conversations also bring the theory to life too. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in how children learn and how adults can promote children’s learning and development.