Communication support in preschool by reading aloud Jane Brodin and Karin Renblad School of Education and Communication (HLK), Preschool Research, Jönköping University, Sweden Paper presented at the 12th International Conference on Educational Assessment (CEA), May 1-3, 2014, in Szeged, Hungary

Swedish preschool and language development The mission of the Swedish preschool is to stimulate children's learning and development in a holistic way (Lpfö98/10) and preschool forms the basis of lifelong learning The goal areas in preschool are language and communication, mathematics, nature science and technology

There is no other period in child development that contains that much Cont preschool There is no other period in child development that contains that much learning as the first five years in life BUT children need support to develop their communication, identity and creativity

What are the goals for language learning and development based on the curriculum (Lpfö 2010) The goals are to: acquire and be able to differentiate shades of meaning in concepts, see interconnections and discover new ways of understanding the surrounding world develop their ability to listen, reflect and express their own views and try to understand the perspectives of others (p 10)

Cont. Goals develop their use of spoken language, vocabulary and concepts as well as the ability to play with words, relate something, express their thoughts, put questions, and put forward their arguments and communicate with others develop an interest in the written language and an understanding of symbols, and their communicative functions (p 10)

Cont. goals develop an interest in pictures, texts and different media, as well as the ability to make use of, interpret and talk about them develop their abilities to convey impressions, thoughts and experiences in different ways of expression, such as play, pictures, song and music, dance and drama (p 10)

Background to the reading aloud project Reoccuring reports from preschool staff and special pedagogues who experienced that a huge number of preschool children had a poorer language development than earlier age groups Their demands for improvements was obvious.

Purpose of the project The overall purpose was to raise awareness of the importance of communication and language development both among parents and staff The purpose was also to improve the physical environment in preschool

Preparation before project start Staff education with focus on reading aloud, storytelling and factors stimulating language development Lectures on reading aloud, storytelling and the importance of the physical environment Lectures on reading aloud and storytelling were also carried out for the parents

Reading aloud and storytelling – a way to support communication? The aim was to exert if and how the childrens’ language development was influenced by reading aloud, storytelling and the physical environment Can this approach be seen as a method to promote communication?

Method The data collection consisted of a websurvey covering background information,15 questions with sub-items and space for comments The survey was distributed before the project started and followed up when the project was finished (six months later). The same questions were asked at both occasions The survey was answered on team-level

Results - Reading aloud and storytelling The eleven preschools reported that they read aloud daily and a majority (21 units) read several times a day, which is an increase Both reading aloud in large groups and individually have increased during the project and takes place spontaneously

When does reading aloud and story telling takes place? During morning assembly During play - both free play and organized play (when a child turns up with a book they are in principle always recognized) In the afternoon when the children are resting

What kind of books do they read? Story books Rhymes and jingles Factual study books Song books Stories based on reality Picture books (for the youngest) The interests of the children influence what books are read but the staff try to vary the selection of books

How do the children process the content of the books? Primarily in play Forms for processing their impressions: - drama play - puppet theatre - music - drawing pictures - theme deepening work - reading and writing

Storytelling The staff use flannelboards (19/20) The children use flannelboards (6/8) The staff make up stories and tell the children (8/19) The children make up stories and tell each other (6/17)

Children’s influence on the choice of books The children’s interests are analyzed before purchase or library loan (20/23) The pedagogues select the books (22/22) The children select the books (19/18) All preschool units (23) today discuss the books after reading, they talk about the pictures and reflect about what they have read or been told

Accessibility of books Some books belong to the child group and are always available (19/23) Books are available on the mother language of each child (15/18) Books representative for different ethnical origin are available (5/12) The staff introduce new books for the children (15/20)

Cooperation – parents -preschool The preschool cooperates with the parents about reading aloud and storytelling (8/18)

Conclusion - The staff’s experiences All children appreciate reading aloud and storytelling Their interest in signs, symbols, pictures and letters have increased The children have improved their vocabulary, their understanding of language, and their fonological consciousness.

Concl. From the comments of the staff appear that the children are today better prepared for reading and writing A majority of the preschool units have now implemented routines for reading aloud and storytelling Only a minority of the staff still talks about training of the children’s concentration ability

Physical environment – facilitators A cosy book corner Easy accessibility to the books A large number of books The textual environment (marking up) Accessibility of computers and other media

Reading aloud as communication support Many preschools are working with reading and storytelling to support communication BUT they don’t follow up, reflect and discuss the most important – the content

The awareness of the fact that storytelling and reading aloud is not just for fun or relax but for learning has increased Our study has shown that reading aloud and storytelling is one way to support communication and language development in preschool

Back to our question Can reading aloud and story telling support communication? The answer is yes and it can be used as a method to promote and improve communication For further information please contact Karin.renblad@hlk.hj.se Jane.brodin@hlk.hj.se