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17 - Oral Language Skills as a Foundation for Learning to Learn

from Part Three - Impact, Intervention and Equity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2022

By
Patricia Eadie
Edited by
James Law ,
Sheena Reilly  and
Cristina McKean
James Law
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Sheena Reilly
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Queensland
Cristina McKean
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
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Summary

Language skills are fundamental to children’s achievement as they are both a predictor of future academic success and school engagement and the conduit by which learning takes place. Language difficulties have well-documented consequences on virtually all areas of children’s development. This chapter addresses how early language system weaknesses impact on the academic outcomes and quality of life of children and their capacity to participate in activities with their peers. Understanding the impact of language weakness on the emergence of literacy skills and academic abilities can inform universal and targeted interventions within education settings, in early childhood and the early years of school. These educational interventions are described and the evidence for their short-term, mid-term and long-term impact is reviewed. The chapter concludes with a discussion about what is required to harness the potential of educational settings to provide rich language learning experiences in classrooms which can reduce inequities, enable positive engagement in school and foster social-emotional well-being. If classrooms are to be harnessed in this way, schools and early childhood settings need to focus on the fundamentals of high-quality teaching practices to improve all children’s language and literacy outcomes.

Keywords

language learningacademic outcomeseducational interventionsquality of lifelate talkers
Type
Chapter
Information
Language Development
Individual Differences in a Social Context
 , pp. 397 - 419
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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