1 Children Language and Psychology 2010/04/12 Group 郭渝琳 江佳蓉 黃佩如 陳盈如

2 The Nature of Teacher Talk During Small Group Activities

3 Function of teachers ’ language ▌encouraging participation ▌responding to children ’ s needs and ideas ▌managing the class or providing a necessary instruction ▌fostering children ’ s language ▌conveying ideas ▌ assessing children ’ s knowledge ▌promoting children ’ s thinking

4 How to talk to young children ▌getting down to children ’ s level. ▌using simple words and short sentences. ▌using body language and tone of voice.

5 Small group activities ▌flexible ▌voluntary for children ▌open ended ▌offer materials for the children to explore Teacher should be

6 Respond and Expand ▌When a child says something to you, respond whenever possible. After you respond, try to expand the conversation. Add more context to the language even when a child ’ s response is a simple one. For example, if the child says, “ I like apples, ” the teacher/parent might say, “ I like apples too. What kind of apple do you like best? ”

7 Expand children’s language ▌Teacher: How did you make it balance like that? ▌Child: I maked it balance with one down and one up. ▌Teacher: Oh, I see. You made it even. How can you make the other side go down? ▌Child: Oh, oh, look. ▌Teacher: That must have been a heavy insect. Maybe that one was heavier. ▌Child: That one [side] have two.

8 Open End Questions ▌Definition: An open question is likely to receive a long answer ▌Characteristics: They ask the respondent to think and reflect. They will give you opinions and feelings. They hand control of the conversation to the respondent. Open questions begin with such as: what, why, how, describe. Ex:  What did you do on you holidays?  How do you keep focused on your work?  What's keeping you awake these days?  Why is that so important to you?  How have you been after your operation?  You're looking down. What's up?

9 Closed End Questions ▌Definition: A closed question can be answered with either a single word or a short phrase. A closed question can be answered with either 'yes' or 'no ‘. ▌Characteristics:  They give you facts.  They are easy to answer.  They are quick to answer.  They keep control of the conversation with the questioner. Ex:  'Are you happy?  It's great weather, isn't it?  Do you take nutritional supplements?  Do you like where you live?  Do you like your work?

Kinds of language ▌ Using descriptive language and specific wording( avoiding nonspecific words such as that and there). Ex: “OK, let me wipe this spill up. I should put the water in something else… I’ll put a paper towel under the cup so if the water spills, it will spill on the paper towel.” 10

11 Promoting children’s thinking ▌Label -What is this called? ▌Describe – What do these look like to you? ▌Explain – How does it work? ▌Connect to prior knowledge – What do these remind you of? ▌Compare – What other vegetable is like this one? ▌Hypothesize – What do you think this is? ▌Imagine possibilities – Guess what happened when _______. ▌Offer an opinion – Why do you like this? ▌Evaluate – What do you like about this?

Compare and think beyond Ex: Teacher ： What other vegetable makes a crunch when you bite it? Child ： Carrots. Teacher ： Carrots. Do make a crunch. How do you eat carrots? Child ： With my teeth. Teacher ： You know what? That’s why you need strong teeth to bite into fruits and vegetables. If you didn’t have strong teeth, how could you bite that celery, or an apple, or a carrot? 12

13 Language that encourages children through specific feedback Ex:  Wow, Angle, you have spent a long time working on a big project!  That ’ s so colorful! It really stands out on that purple paper.  Whoa! You guys chose a lot of colors to work with.

Language that makes connection to children’s lives Ex: “You can take this vase to your home, and if your mommy has some dandelions in your yard, like the ones on the playground, you can ask your mom if you can pick them for the vase. 14

Recommendations ▌videotaping small group activities. ▌encouraging participation. ▌extending language. ▌promoting children ’ s thinking. ▌less on managing instruction and conveying information. 15