Chapter 3: Learning the spoken language (s. 54-71): Chapter 3: Learning the spoken language (s. 54-71) Spoken Language Different types of discourses & and the most accessible Teachers support of children´s oral skills The helpfulness of the written language The dialgoues course books offer


By the end of this presentation, you will have an understanding of.....: By the end of this presentation, you will have an understanding of..... Which discourse types are the most accessible to young learners? Which discourses are children capable of participating in? How can teachers support children´s oral skills? How helpful is the written language to young learners, and can it be efficient? What can the course books offer, as regards the spoken language?


Discourse skills development in childhood: Discourse skills development in childhood Developing children´s discourse repertoires Different types of talk: - narratives - descriptions ( The most accessible to young learners) - instructions - arguments - opinions (These discourse types require more developed skills...)


Slide4: The primacy of narrative - mode of mental organisation - the organisation of events in time - narratives in story books, in songs and in cartoons - primary in children´s development Description ( non-narrative discourse) - ”paradigmatic” mental organisation - categorising the world, naming objects and characteristics - found in early childhood


Effective support for children´s foreign language discourse skills: Effective support for children´s foreign language discourse skills Support trough: Motivating topics Task structure & a cler goal or purpose Language practice


Language learners need to practice the following:: Language learners need to practice the following: - models of language use to listen to, notice and appropriate - opportunities for repeated listening - opportunities to say the words and phrases - feedback on production to improve fluency and accuracy


Supporting the spoken language with written language: Supporting the spoken language with written language The helpfulness is limited Formal literacy skills ”Swith point”


Using dialogues: Using dialogues Common to find dialogues in course books Dialogues in course books differs a lot from natural spoken discouses Other sources of dialogues (no writing needed!)


Summary: Summary In this presentation, we have studied the spoken language. We learned/discussed that: Narratives and descriptions are the most accessible to young learners; Children are capable of participating in narrative and simple descriptive discourse; Teachers can support children´s oral skills through motivating topics, clear goals and purposes, a good structure of the task and trough practice; The helpfulness of the written language is limited, but becomes a more efficient source than spoken language for some purposes; The course book dialogues offers learning opportunities, but differs from natural spoken discourses;