Language

Samantha McGrath

The Importance of Language

            This chapter caught my attention almost immediately. I felt that I was able to connect with it due to prior time in classrooms and my jobs outside of school. I always have understood how important it is to be understanding when talking to children and to choose your words carefully but this chapter really puts everything into perspective. I especially enjoyed the chart given on page 31 because of the section “teacher talk”. The section is helpful because it gives me something to look back on and practice when preparing to run my own classroom. It included many positive aspects but the teacher is still able to get her purpose across, the child is still learning while keeping their confidence. This being said, I was very curious as to how the internet came into play with communication between not only the teacher and students but the students with other students. My worries were soon put to rest as the chapter began to discuss teacher modeling. Teachers need to know how to introduce lessons and assignments through online outlets. Also grading wise, when using the internet to leave comments, the wording is just as important as face to face communication. It is also important to set up examples or models that the students can base their work off of. I was a big fan of the follow-up activities provided by the chapter because I could see myself using them and have in fact used them in the preschool that I currently work at. At the preschool, each student gets the chance to be the “Big Bee” for the day. The students each bring in a toy and get to present it to the class. After a brief description given by the chosen student of the day, the rest of the class gets to go around and ask questions that they have come up with. Most of the questions sound something along the lines of “do you play with the toy with your mom and dad?” or “do you play with the toys outside?” Yes these questions aren’t very advanced but it sets the students up for the future, they are learning how to give feedback and ask related questions. This activity I use is similar to the “respond to students’ pictures” examples given.

            The ending of the chapter was my favorite because of how much it encouraged interaction between teachers and their student’s families. Families play a major role in students’ lives, a very obvious observation I know. Teachers can only do so much in the classroom and it is up to the families to continue the child’s education and encourage them to love learning. The thing I enjoyed about the ending of the chapter was how it provided ways for families to stay involved when they had internet and when they didn’t have access to internet. Teachers need to stay versatile and learn how to adapt to different home environments. Asking the best way to stay in contact is vital when running your own classroom.