In my search for Vulnerable Children by Willms, I found this excellent closing address for the "What Develops? Understanding Assessment in Early Childhood Education" workshop, which took place in SCARFE on May 13, 2004. It was made by presenter Dana Brynelsen, who is the provincial advisor for IDP (Infant Development Programs) of British Columbia. There are a number of startling statements she made in her address:
1. "I am advocating that we move to a system that ensures that from birth every baby in BC has his or her development routinely reviewed at predetermined intervals by trained professionals in concert with their parents."
This comes from the fact that many kindergarten teachers have approached her over the years saying, "you can sure tell the kids who are lucky enough to get into the IDP." Why should luck play any role in children obtaining the services they need?
2. "The prime reason for developmental screening is to ensure that children with behavioural or developmental challenges and their families have the earliest possible opportunities for intervention. Earlier detection of delays leads to improved child health and well-being for identified children and for their families."
3. "Finland has routine developmental screening for all children. It starts at birth, continues at very regular intervals and reaches 99% of the population, in a country with far more challenging weather and geography than B.C. In countries like Finland, with universal screening, there are few surprises at Kindergarten because early delays are caught and children and their families referred to appropriate interventions."
4. "There are about 160,000 children three years and under in BC and 5800 of them or 4% are receiving services from an IDP."
5. "However, most children with behavioural or developmental disability have ‘invisible’ disabilities, and are not part of a risk category... Some never reach their full potential because we failed to find them early in life and offer them and their families support and intervention."
As a mother and a teacher, the remarks made by Brynelsen are sobering. At first, when she started off her remarks by saying screening should be mandatory in our children, the first thought that ran through my mind was "NO!" For goodness sakes, there is enough of mothers- comparing-their-babies-development going on (and much of this, may I add, happens at babytime programs or other parent-infant programs!)... the last thing we need is for a professional to come along and make us worry that our child is developing slowly compared to other children. I also initially felt like constant screening is a bit of a privacy invasion. But that's purely the emotions of a mother!
As an educator and as a responsible citizen, I am convinced that mandatory screening is the way to go during our children's early years. Early detection could indeed make the difference between a successful school career and years of misery for our children. It is probably the single most important investment we can make in our society! From what we're learning in this course, children come into kindergarten with the majority of their pre-literacy skills already in place- skills that pre-determine their receptivity to reading and writing. More attention needs to be placed on the early skills- and early intervention if the skills aren't being introduced- to ensure these children become literate citizens. Really, the future of our society depends on it.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Gender Differences in Acquiring Literacy
Boys and Books by James Maloney is concerned about the male mass of average to below-average achievers, particularly with regards to literacy. David Booth's book Even Hockey Players Read also is concerned with the fact that boys not only leisure read less than girls, but nearly 50% of boys by high school identify themselves as non-readers. Why aren't boys reading? The list of usual suspects point to sports, tv and video games, or not enough books on the market geared to boys. It's easy to use these things as scapegoats, but the real reasons dig a bit deeper. Firstly, Booth points out that the masculine image identified in the media is not usually one with his nose in a book. It's more focused on brawn. Secondly, there is a lack of male role models... the classic "my dad only reads the newspaper." Thirdly, which the previous two points allude to, popular opinion tends to radiate around the idea that "reading is what girls do." Realistically, who is most likely to read bedtime stories to a boy? Who teaches boys to read in the primary years? Who sits through the laborious "read aloud" stage when he is learning how to read? Who is the boy most likely to see reading a book? Who is most likely to encourage him to read? That's right... a woman!
So how can these perceptions be turned around and how can the library help? Well, I think it's important to seek out male role models. Guest storytellers, like getting a firefighter to read to the kids at storytime, may be a good start. Now that men are taking advantage of paternity leave, it seems like there are more males present at storytimes. We can do everything we can to make them feel comfortable and welcome at storytime and in the library so they invite other men to participate in their baby's literacy lives. Choosing books- like non-fiction truck books or information books- during storytime will appeal to the little boys at storytime. I think librarians are doing a fabulous job at these things already... but it would be nice to brainstorm ways of "luring" more men to the profession. Just like wouldn't it be great to have more men teaching the primary grades. Little boys need all the help with literacy that they can get, and positive, male role-models interacting with them in their daily lives are a good place to start.
So how can these perceptions be turned around and how can the library help? Well, I think it's important to seek out male role models. Guest storytellers, like getting a firefighter to read to the kids at storytime, may be a good start. Now that men are taking advantage of paternity leave, it seems like there are more males present at storytimes. We can do everything we can to make them feel comfortable and welcome at storytime and in the library so they invite other men to participate in their baby's literacy lives. Choosing books- like non-fiction truck books or information books- during storytime will appeal to the little boys at storytime. I think librarians are doing a fabulous job at these things already... but it would be nice to brainstorm ways of "luring" more men to the profession. Just like wouldn't it be great to have more men teaching the primary grades. Little boys need all the help with literacy that they can get, and positive, male role-models interacting with them in their daily lives are a good place to start.
Programming Tips
Jane Cobb's new book, What'll I Do With the Baby-O? is a fabulous resource for storytimes! The CD affixed to the back cover of the book is ingenious... why hasn't anyone thought of this before??? I'm particurly fond of the lullaby Babushka Baio. Sigh.
Here are some poignant, research-based points she makes in the first part of the book:
30- "research on child abuse and neglect reveals that infants who have not been held and touched enough [from birth to eighteen months] will develop brains that are 20-30% smaller in size than normal children of the same age."
Isn't that the saddest thing that this kind of research even exists? I suppose it was born from the 50's when scientists disasterously claimed that hugging and snuggling with your young children "spoils" them.
34- "The parent's use of exaggerated inflections and animated facial expressions helps the baby tune in to the speech patterns of the language. Babies respond to this by making faces, wiggling their bodies, kicking their feet, and showing excitement."
"Parenthese" or "motherese" is a new thing I learned in this course. It's so instinctual to raise your voice when talking to babies so I knew it wasn't a bad thing! But now I know there is an actual term attached to it with research to back its effectiveness.
39- "Babies who are introduced to age-appropriate books from infancy on will grow up loving books. It's that simple."
Sooo... what about those people who read Tolkien to their babes in utero? Age appropriate- I think not! Kidding aside, I sure hope it's that simple. My son is in kindergarten and I am doing- and have done- everything within my power to help him in his early literacy years. I joke to my family that if he has trouble learning to read, then all this research is blown to *%$@!
43- "The strong rhythm and beat of nursery rhymes when accompanied by a parent's rhythmic body movement, helps the baby absorb the patterns and rhythms of language with her whole body."
I really like the idea of the physical manifestation of language. It reminds me of clapping out syllables when I was in grade two. I never understood why some kids simply didn't get it- you know, the kids who clapped out "banana" five times! I suppose they weren't exposed to many nursery rhymes in their early literacy years.
45- "Singing also relaxes the adult in stressful situations, and provides an outlet for adult frustration."
AMEN! Just the other day, when my two year old was in the climax of yet ANOTHER tantrum, I carried her kicking and screaming to a quite place. I started to sing "Tall Trees" (a lullaby we sing at bedtime together). It took all of 30 seconds before she was joining in and waving her arms in the air. I honestly don't know what to do when she tantrums sometimes, so these songs help to calm me down and luckily, it helps her calm down too. She probably feels my tension ease.
All in all, I love the book and will buy a copy for myself. Love it, love it!
Here are some poignant, research-based points she makes in the first part of the book:
30- "research on child abuse and neglect reveals that infants who have not been held and touched enough [from birth to eighteen months] will develop brains that are 20-30% smaller in size than normal children of the same age."
Isn't that the saddest thing that this kind of research even exists? I suppose it was born from the 50's when scientists disasterously claimed that hugging and snuggling with your young children "spoils" them.
34- "The parent's use of exaggerated inflections and animated facial expressions helps the baby tune in to the speech patterns of the language. Babies respond to this by making faces, wiggling their bodies, kicking their feet, and showing excitement."
"Parenthese" or "motherese" is a new thing I learned in this course. It's so instinctual to raise your voice when talking to babies so I knew it wasn't a bad thing! But now I know there is an actual term attached to it with research to back its effectiveness.
39- "Babies who are introduced to age-appropriate books from infancy on will grow up loving books. It's that simple."
Sooo... what about those people who read Tolkien to their babes in utero? Age appropriate- I think not! Kidding aside, I sure hope it's that simple. My son is in kindergarten and I am doing- and have done- everything within my power to help him in his early literacy years. I joke to my family that if he has trouble learning to read, then all this research is blown to *%$@!
43- "The strong rhythm and beat of nursery rhymes when accompanied by a parent's rhythmic body movement, helps the baby absorb the patterns and rhythms of language with her whole body."
I really like the idea of the physical manifestation of language. It reminds me of clapping out syllables when I was in grade two. I never understood why some kids simply didn't get it- you know, the kids who clapped out "banana" five times! I suppose they weren't exposed to many nursery rhymes in their early literacy years.
45- "Singing also relaxes the adult in stressful situations, and provides an outlet for adult frustration."
AMEN! Just the other day, when my two year old was in the climax of yet ANOTHER tantrum, I carried her kicking and screaming to a quite place. I started to sing "Tall Trees" (a lullaby we sing at bedtime together). It took all of 30 seconds before she was joining in and waving her arms in the air. I honestly don't know what to do when she tantrums sometimes, so these songs help to calm me down and luckily, it helps her calm down too. She probably feels my tension ease.
All in all, I love the book and will buy a copy for myself. Love it, love it!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Early Years Study
Re: "Early Years Study 2: Putting Science into Action."
This report reinforces the trend going on in the school district I work for (Howe Sound). The school district is finally recognizing that "early childhood [is] a critical period to invest in the development of future human capital" (99). It seems odd that they're finally catching on that “school unreadiness is expensive” (110). Out of recognition of the fact that development during the pre-school years warrants the attention of the educational community, the school board got a nice, chunky grant to invest in early learning initiative partnerships. They're now in the process of changing the name from "school district" to "board of education" to encompass the entire spectrum.
As might be expected, there is a bit of tension that is arising from this on a number of levels. Firstly, as the Early Years Study outlines, there is a training and wage disparity between ECE workers and teachers. Now that the school board is taking an interest in ECE (a sphere traditionally neglected), ECE workers probably feel like an independent country in the throes of colonization! Luckily, the board has hired a wonderful person for the job who is very tactful at developing a collaborative spirit with the ECE specialists.
There is also a fair bit of resistence from the teachers. Many are upset that "school money" is being spent in a domain that perhaps belongs to the people most trained for the job. Some kindergarten teachers feel there is extra pressure to address the pre-kindergarten population. Teachers are already taxed with time- anything extra is a big deal to them!
Outside of the controversies, it was great to read a report on the economic benefits of ECE. I especially like Bank of Canda David Dodge's words during a speech in 2003: "We would in fact achieve amore efficient allocation of resources by reducing the relative share of costs borne publicly for PSE and even secondary schooling, while increasing relative share of costs of ECD borne publicly" (112). It's something that makes so much sense- shape the children while they're at their most shapable- and it's nice to hear it from an economist's perspective.
I'd also like to comment on the fact that "across Canada, early childhood programs fail to respond adequately to the needs of modern families or the new science documenting the importance of early childhood experiences to later health and wellbeing" (107). Having two children in a family-based daycare, I'd have to concede that the early childhood agencies ARE a mess (just like the title of the chapter- Chaos- suggests). It's crazy that these programs are supported through different agencies. I've had my son in five different ECE situations, and they all operated independently of each other. This isolation and fragmentation does not serve our children- or the workers- well. There needs to be some drastic changes to that tangled web.
This report reinforces the trend going on in the school district I work for (Howe Sound). The school district is finally recognizing that "early childhood [is] a critical period to invest in the development of future human capital" (99). It seems odd that they're finally catching on that “school unreadiness is expensive” (110). Out of recognition of the fact that development during the pre-school years warrants the attention of the educational community, the school board got a nice, chunky grant to invest in early learning initiative partnerships. They're now in the process of changing the name from "school district" to "board of education" to encompass the entire spectrum.
As might be expected, there is a bit of tension that is arising from this on a number of levels. Firstly, as the Early Years Study outlines, there is a training and wage disparity between ECE workers and teachers. Now that the school board is taking an interest in ECE (a sphere traditionally neglected), ECE workers probably feel like an independent country in the throes of colonization! Luckily, the board has hired a wonderful person for the job who is very tactful at developing a collaborative spirit with the ECE specialists.
There is also a fair bit of resistence from the teachers. Many are upset that "school money" is being spent in a domain that perhaps belongs to the people most trained for the job. Some kindergarten teachers feel there is extra pressure to address the pre-kindergarten population. Teachers are already taxed with time- anything extra is a big deal to them!
Outside of the controversies, it was great to read a report on the economic benefits of ECE. I especially like Bank of Canda David Dodge's words during a speech in 2003: "We would in fact achieve amore efficient allocation of resources by reducing the relative share of costs borne publicly for PSE and even secondary schooling, while increasing relative share of costs of ECD borne publicly" (112). It's something that makes so much sense- shape the children while they're at their most shapable- and it's nice to hear it from an economist's perspective.
I'd also like to comment on the fact that "across Canada, early childhood programs fail to respond adequately to the needs of modern families or the new science documenting the importance of early childhood experiences to later health and wellbeing" (107). Having two children in a family-based daycare, I'd have to concede that the early childhood agencies ARE a mess (just like the title of the chapter- Chaos- suggests). It's crazy that these programs are supported through different agencies. I've had my son in five different ECE situations, and they all operated independently of each other. This isolation and fragmentation does not serve our children- or the workers- well. There needs to be some drastic changes to that tangled web.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Dialogic Reading
I've heard the phrase before but I've never made the mental connection. After reading a School Library Journal article titled "Charming the Next Generation: A Strategy for Turning Toddlers into Readers" by Renea Arnold, I immediately identify it as the strategy for Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library initiative. As previously noted, I attended a Saroj Gatong workshop on Every Child Ready to Read and she introduced us to the various dialogic reading strategies that are mentioned in the article, including asking the "wh" questions and expanding what the child says. From a teacher's perspective, these strategies certainly set the pre-reader up nicely for many of the reading strategies employed by teachers in future grades. Many outcomes of the performance standards, an evaluative rubric used by teachers to assess reading/comprehension skills (among other things), focus on whether the students demonstrate the ability to wonder about anything in the story (predict), relate an event or character to an experience in their lives, and of course, if they can re-tell the story for comprehension. Having a conversation about the book instead of simply reading it is certainly a good way to set them up for dealing with these kinds of reflective processes.
It's interesting that even though I know all this stuff, I hardly ever do it with my own children! We read books in the morning and in the evening (and in the afternoon if I'm around), and that's all I do is simply read to them. I wonder why I haven't been practicing dialogic reading with them? Crazy. And this from someone who knows better! Can I blame it on the nutty pace of life (sometimes I'm shocked I even get one story read to them during the course of a day) or is it pure laziness (the old, I-know-I-should-read-them-a-story-before-bed-so-let's-get-this-over-with-because-I-need-some-peace-and-quiet routine)? The article I read says that dialogic reading comes naturally to us... I'm not so sure about that. I can still remember Saroj Gatong demonstrating expanding a story: "What's that?" A duck. "Yes, a yellow duck." "What's that?" a fire truck. "Yes, a big, red fire truck." At the time, it seemed rather contrived and unnatural to be quite honest. Don't get me wrong... I see that this technique has its moments and its obvious merits. But I'm glad the article ended with the idea that kids crave variety, and although dialogic reading should be a part of everyone's reading routine, there's nothing wrong with reading a book cover-to-cover either. Variety is the spice of life. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to converse with my kids over a picture book!
It's interesting that even though I know all this stuff, I hardly ever do it with my own children! We read books in the morning and in the evening (and in the afternoon if I'm around), and that's all I do is simply read to them. I wonder why I haven't been practicing dialogic reading with them? Crazy. And this from someone who knows better! Can I blame it on the nutty pace of life (sometimes I'm shocked I even get one story read to them during the course of a day) or is it pure laziness (the old, I-know-I-should-read-them-a-story-before-bed-so-let's-get-this-over-with-because-I-need-some-peace-and-quiet routine)? The article I read says that dialogic reading comes naturally to us... I'm not so sure about that. I can still remember Saroj Gatong demonstrating expanding a story: "What's that?" A duck. "Yes, a yellow duck." "What's that?" a fire truck. "Yes, a big, red fire truck." At the time, it seemed rather contrived and unnatural to be quite honest. Don't get me wrong... I see that this technique has its moments and its obvious merits. But I'm glad the article ended with the idea that kids crave variety, and although dialogic reading should be a part of everyone's reading routine, there's nothing wrong with reading a book cover-to-cover either. Variety is the spice of life. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to converse with my kids over a picture book!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Innovative Partnerships
Bookstart, the UK version of "Books for BC Babies" (or rather, the prototype of Books for BC Babies), is not only impressive in its mission "to provide a free pack of books to every baby in the UK, to inspire, stimulate and create a love of reading that will give children a flying start in life." It's the partnerships that got my brain juices flowing! The organisation has developed some pretty darn impressive partnerships in their efforts to get the kids into the libraries and reading. I love the "book crawl" idea: every time kids visit the library they earn stickers that can then be traded in for "certificates." The certificates have been designed by well-known authors and illustrators. As the website says, they're "lovely keepsakes of children's earliest years as library members." Partnering with authors/illustrators in this venture is beneficial for everyone (it keeps the publishing wheel going...)
I'm also loving the fact that the libraries and booksellers have collaborated... what a concept! Instead of seeing big box bookstores/independent bookstores as competition, the libraries are working with the stores in their early literacy pursuits. They have a token system integrated with the bookstart packages so everyone receives a voucher towards a book in participating bookstores (over 1200 bookstores are involved! Holy smokes that must have been some work to establish). I'm inspired by this relationship- it truly illustrates how libraries have been continually flexible to make themselves relevant and necessary.
The Every Child Ready to Read program is amazing... I love all the resources that come with the site. I have been to a Saroj Gatong workshop before and learnt many practical ways to integrate educating the parents in with storytimes. I find it gets a bit formulaic sometimes- it seems a bit artificial to pop in things about phonetic awareness during a rhyming book- but overall I think the background information gives us a good basis for programming. It makes me realize we're doing so much more than entertaining young ones... we're actually "literacy professionals" who have created programs thoughtfully with a big picture in mind.
I'm also loving the fact that the libraries and booksellers have collaborated... what a concept! Instead of seeing big box bookstores/independent bookstores as competition, the libraries are working with the stores in their early literacy pursuits. They have a token system integrated with the bookstart packages so everyone receives a voucher towards a book in participating bookstores (over 1200 bookstores are involved! Holy smokes that must have been some work to establish). I'm inspired by this relationship- it truly illustrates how libraries have been continually flexible to make themselves relevant and necessary.
The Every Child Ready to Read program is amazing... I love all the resources that come with the site. I have been to a Saroj Gatong workshop before and learnt many practical ways to integrate educating the parents in with storytimes. I find it gets a bit formulaic sometimes- it seems a bit artificial to pop in things about phonetic awareness during a rhyming book- but overall I think the background information gives us a good basis for programming. It makes me realize we're doing so much more than entertaining young ones... we're actually "literacy professionals" who have created programs thoughtfully with a big picture in mind.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Babies are smart
Diane McGuinness, in her book Growing a Reader from Birth, relates a number of studies that have been done on the communicative patterns of babies. My favourite one is the Scottish study that filmed mothers in conversation with their young infants. Here are a few reactions the babies had to mom's soothing voice:
- when mom swayed closer, so did baby
- every time mom made eye contact, they locked onto mom's eyes
- when mom gazed and talked to her infant, she got a bright smile in return
- when her voice dropped in cadence and she paused slightly, the baby would pause with an ooh or a wiggled fist.
Now, when the babies were propped up to watch a replay of the mom's portion on a different day, something really interesting happened. The baby's face lit up "like a ray of sunshine" as soon as mom's face appeared on the screen. As the seconds ticked by, and baby would interject with a gurgle or a happy grunt and mom's response did not fit in with what her baby did, the baby's eyes opened wider. The baby stared harder. Each time he tried to take a turn, and mom didn't respond with the appropriate behaviour, the infant became sober, the corners of his mouth dropped, his brow furrowed, and it was long before he started wailing!
This proves that even at the tender infant age, the conversational dance between baby and mother is recognized as important by the baby. Babies are much more intuitive than people give them credit for! A lot goes on behind those seemingly dozy eyes. This kind of research is fascinating for a new mom, and would be the perfect thing to mention during any type of librarian-led storytime to reinforce the importance of singing/rhyming/reading with your baby. Eye contact and responding to the reactions of babies/conversing with them is CRUCIAL right from birth. According to that study, the babies have basically told us this themselves!
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