Ask any early childhood educator to explain the science of reading, and phonics will headline their answers. But the emphasis on phonics and word recognition addresses only part of the literacy puzzle. Oral language skills are equally important.
But language skills experts say too often oral language skills don't get the emphasis they deserve in early education classrooms.
Sonia Cavell We hope teachers can help change that.
![Sonia Cavell](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c2644a3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x400+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F94%2F72%2Fc3601df445cf9f16653950c9138f%2Few-sonia-cabell-bs.jpg)
Cabell, an associate professor in the School of Teacher Education and the Center for Reading Studies at Florida State University, believes there are simple ways teachers can improve the speaking skills of young learners starting in pre-K. -Have one-on-one conversations with students throughout class. It doesn't have to be long or complicated, Cabell explained. In fact, she and her fellow education researcher Tricia A. Zucker co-authored her book. It provides a simple framework that allows time-poor teachers to interact with students in just one minute, but can produce long-lasting, positive results.
Cabell recently spoke about this approach to improving students' speaking skills at Education Week. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Why should teachers focus on improving students' speaking skills?
Unlike reading, which is a secondary skill, oral language is a biological primary human skill. So the idea that we are hard-wired to learn spoken language raises the question: Why should teachers focus on spoken language development? This is actually exposure to the more formal language teachers use in the classroom, the language children need to be exposed to in order to read and write proficiently.
How early should teachers focus on speaking skills?
My own research shows that conversation in kindergarten classrooms is related to children's vocabulary growth, and that both the language teachers use and the complexity of that language matter.
But as you point out in your book, The 5-Point Strive Conversation, the back and forth of the conversation is very important. Yes?
great. The benefits of going back and forth and having multiple conversations (some people call it “serve and return”) are well documented in the literature. The point is that it gives students another opportunity to actively engage in conversation based on what they are saying.
What is the ideal number of turns in these multi-turn conversations?
The idea is to try to have five conversation turns with the student. That is, I say, you say, etc. It doesn't take much time. Each conversation takes about a minute of training time, but it pays off a lot.
How do ‘Five Dialogues’ compare to a typical teacher-student exchange?
What is likely to happen [in typical interactions] As a teacher, I ask a question, the student answers, and the teacher interrupts the conversation with something like “Good job!” Most teacher-student conversations stop around the third turn.
How can teachers expand these conversations?
Consider how you, as a teacher, would scaffold your students based on whether their responses were correct, partially correct, or incorrect. For example, if a student answers correctly, you can move them up and provide additional challenging questions. If they answer incorrectly, you can scaffold them downward by helping them give a more accurate answer. You can do this by reducing the options they have, or you can force them to give you another turn by asking them to fill in the blanks. What doesn't seem to happen very often is the part about sticking with the child.
Are these conversations designed to be one-on-one?
Yes, but it can also be done in whole groups. For example, when reading a book, I ask students a guiding question before I begin reading: “I want you to think about this.”
During this exercise [students] It is recommended to use [Popsicle] Stick – Every student knows their name may be called, so it will make them think about the question. Then read the book and go back to the previous content. [guided] question. Choose a popsicle from your group and conduct at least five conversations with the student you called. You can then ask the other three children the same guiding questions.
Do many teachers balk at all the classroom time that could be spent on these conversations?
We're not saying that every conversation has to be a level 5 conversation. But we're telling you to intentionally have these conversations with each child every day.
Which students benefit most from these five levels of conversation?
Studies have shown that students who have low language skills, are English language learners, or are shy and don't come to their teachers and say, “I want to talk about something.” They usually have fewer conversations. With the teacher in class. They are not getting the same practice in their oral language skills because it is not asked for. Five conversations are a way for teachers to ensure that learning is equitable.
What is your message to teachers who feel this approach is not worth their time?
We do not want teachers to view this strategy as rigid. But we want to encourage teachers to think more carefully about their conversations with students. We're asking teachers to make some changes to what they're already doing: talking to kids all day. We also see this as a way for teachers to provide language enrichment to their students without actually saying, “Now I’m going to give you an oral language lesson.”