1. Establishing a Communication Friendly Classroom
Churchfields Outreach Team
Amanda Clements
Catherine Keel
Catherine
Explain – a little of the Year one project
More speaking and listening in the classroom
Training Tas
Training teachers

2. Aims
To outline the key features of a communication friendly classroom.
To give practical ideas to support communication for all children.

3. The Purpose of Communication Friendly Classrooms
Communication should be as easy, effective and enjoyable as possible.
Everyone should have opportunities to talk, listen, understand and take part.
Learning and social development are supported through opportunities to communicate.
Everyone’s communication skills are supported, but particularly those children with SLCN.
(The Communication Commitment Website
Alison

4. Impact of Communication Difficulties
In the UK, over 1 million children and young people – that’s 2 – 3 in every UK classroom – have some form of long term and persistent speech, language and communication difficulty. This can affect them early, severely and for life.
In areas of poverty, over 50% of children are starting school with delayed communication skills. Their speech may be unclear, vocabulary is smaller, sentences are shorter and they are able to understand only simple instructions. Many of these children can catch up with the right support.
When language difficulties are resolved by the age of 5 ½, students are more likely to go on to develop good reading and spelling skills. This good performance continues throughout their school careers and they pass as many exams on leaving school as children without a history of speech, language and communication difficulties.
Two thirds of year olds with serious behaviour problems have language impairment.
At least 60% of young people in young offender institutions have communication difficulties.
Those with a history of early language impairment are at higher risk of mental health problems e.g. 2.7 times more likely of having a social phobia by age 19.
The Bercow Review (2008) found that at the end of primary school, although nearly 80% of all children achieve the expected level in English, just 25% of children with long term communication difficulties reach that level – a gap of almost 55%.

5. The Language Learning Environment
Space, Light and Layout
Are there comfortable areas to talk?
Can all the children see people’s faces when they are talking?
Can the room layout be altered for different talking activities?
Noise Levels
Is the noise level appropriate?
Are their noisy distractions inside or outside the classroom?
Are there ways to gain the attention of the children?
Can everyone hear and be heard?
Are there times of quietness?
1. Paired talk
Debating
Circle time
2.Distractions – people coming in/out; children sat by windows/blinds which are moving/leaves on trees etc. Not able to block out distractions until approx. 10 years old.
Attention – use tambourine/hand up/clapping patterns etc./

6. The Language Learning Environment
‘Good Listening’ Visuals – reinforced with Makaton
Visual Timetables
Clear and consistent routines reinforced with signs, symbols, photographs and writing
Makaton Signs – Language reinforced with gesture
Objects, videos, pictures used to engage and support understanding of auditory information
Signs, symbols, photographs and writing used as labels around the classroom
Communication in Print/Widget software
Often children are asked to listen but they don’t know what this involves. Playing games/circle time/paired talk – need to be taught explicitly about how to listen to each other.
Visual timetables – Nursery/KS1/KS2
Photographs of choices for school dinners

7. Reinforced with Makaton/sign language. VAK – all learning styles used
Reinforced with Makaton/sign language. VAK – all learning styles used. Positive reinforcement of good listening. Use in assembly etc..

9. Visual Timetables and Routines
The Language Learning Environment
Visual Timetables and Routines
Why have visual timetables?
Children find the concept of time very difficult.
Some children have a feel for time, but not the language.
Some children don’t have the language or the feel!
A visual timetable reduces anxiety.
Children know what to expect and when.
Relate to courses – when is coffee break/lunch etc… children are the same!

10. Understanding of Time Concepts
The Language Learning Environment
Understanding of Time Concepts
now, again, daytime, night time
bedtime, bath time, breakfast time, lunch time
today, a long time ago, in a minute, soon
after, later
yesterday
tomorrow
early, late, sometimes, never, once
days of the week
o’clock
months of the year
My tooth fell out tomorrow. VT can be used to teach concepts of time, before and after, next, morning, afternoon. Is it PE tomorrow.
Catherine

11. KS2 Weekly Visual Timetable
Alison Time concepts
Differentiation of timetables- individual/diaries…
Transition to Secondary School

12. Language Learning Interactions
The Role of Adults:
The way adults listen and talk with children is fundamental to creating a communication friendly classroom.
Modelling
Extending and Expanding
Questioning
Introducing and explaining new words
1. Paired talk
Debating
Circle time
2.Distractions – people coming in/out; children sat by windows/blinds which are moving/leaves on trees etc. Not able to block out distractions until approx. 10 years old.
Attention – use tambourine/hand up/clapping patterns etc./

13. Language Learning Interactions
Modelling
When:
To be used whenever appropriate – no special resources or planning required.
How:
When a child makes a mistake with grammar or word order, repeat the sentence correctly so the child hears good models. Expand on their language, and emphasise particular vocabulary REPEATING
EMPHASISING
EXPANDING
Alison

14. Language Learning Interactions
Modelling
How:
A child with immature speech may still say, “They goed to the shops.” In which case, you say:
“ That’s right. They went to the shops.”
Modelling can involve:
Repeating certain words:
“I writed the sentences, Miss.” “Good, you wrote the sentences out.”
Emphasising certain words:
“The boat is on the water.” “Yes, the boat is floating on the water.”
Expanding on the child’s speech:
“There is a big dog.” “Yes there is a big, black dog.”
If child’s syntax is delayed by 1 year – additional support through modelling in classroom
If this is not effective or it is delayed by more than a year, then use games and specific strategies. (Box Clever)
If a child has global delay then SLCN will be delayed and SALT may not make huge difference.

15. Comment and build on children’s answers.
Language Learning Interactions
Comment and build on children’s answers.
Context
Child
Typical adult response
Much better if......
5 year old looking at book about sea creatures
Look at that whale
What else can you see?
It’s a giant blue whale , I think. Swimming in the ocean.

16. ‘Scaffold’ Questioning
Language Learning Interactions
Most
Difficult
‘Scaffold’ Questioning
Alison – take feedback, and lead discussion (include Makaton signs!)
Easiest

17. Language Learning Opportunities
Vocabulary – ‘Word Aware’
Learning New Words
By the age of 11 a typically developing child has an average vocabulary of 40,000 words
Children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years learn 8 new words a day

18. Language Learning Opportunities
To learn a new word, a child:
Needs to map the sounds of the word (phonology) onto its meaning (semantics) and attach the grammar rules.
Build an initial theory/concept
Receive multiple exposures
Refine their theory
Sally- Awe inspiring! Children are word sponges. Children select word out of a stream, select meaning out of environment and match together. Quick incidental learning
Nouns it is easier, but even so how does a child at the zoo know that tiger refers just to stripy black and ginger animals and not to all animals, not it’s name, or something like fence.
How difficult is it for verbs (bounce) or even abstract concepts (friends)
Cat – furry, four legs and tail (might call all animals like that a ‘cat’)
Start to refine idea of a cat – as above, different colours, different to other animals.
Other types of cat – tiger, lion, known as ‘big cats’ – eat meat, carnivore
Children need to use a word approx 12 times before it becomes part of their vocabulary.
Teacher reading story – children in story using ‘trunk’. Realised they had misunderstood the meaning of the word. 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

19. Levels of Knowing a Word
Language Learning Opportunities
Levels of Knowing a Word
Stage 1 “I’ve never heard it before.”
Stage 2 “I’ve heard it, but I don’t know what it means.”
Stage 3 “ I recognise it in context, it has something to do with…..”
Stage 4 “I know it and it is part of my vocabulary.”
Catherine

20. How well do you know these words?
Language Learning Opportunities
How well do you know these words?
1. Stalagmite
2. Crypt
3. Runcation
Stage 1 - I don’t know the word.
Stage 2 - I’ve heard it before but I don’t know what it means.
Stage 3 - I know something about it. I can’t use the word easily.
Stage 4 - I know the word well. I can explain it and use it.
Origin
Extempore - mid 16th century: from Latin ex tempore 'on the spur of the moment' (literally 'out of the time').
Crypt - late Middle English (in the sense 'cavern'): from Latin crypta, from Greek kruptē 'a vault', fromkruptos 'hidden
Fluvial - Middle English: from Latin fluvialis, from fluvius 'river', from fluere 'to flow'.
Magma - late Middle English (in the sense 'residue of dregs after evaporation or pressing of a semi-liquid substance'): via Latin from Greek magma (from massein 'knead').
Irascible - late Middle English: via French from late Latin irascibilis, from Latin irasci 'grow angry', from ira'anger'.
Penthera – Greek for mother in law; Phobia – Fear of

21. Language Learning Opportunities
stalagmite
crypt
Crypt - an underground room or vault beneath a church, used as a chapel or burial place.
Stalgmite - mound or tapering column rising from the floor of a cave, formed of calcium salts deposited by dripping water and often uniting with a stalactite.
Runcation – weeding by hand
runcation

22. Language Learning Opportunities
Word Rap
Say the word
Read the word
Act the word
Clap the word
Shout the word
Whisper the word
Put the word in a sentence

23. Language Learning Opportunities
Describing Setting - In the deep, dark forest/under Fred’s bed I see….each person contributes and accompanies with an action.
Hot Seating – characters are asked specific questions about themselves. This could be linked to ‘Answer me this, show me that!’ activity.
Answer me this, show me that! - children become a character and answer questions or act out individually in their own space. E.g. What is your age. Tell me about your special friends; Show me how you move; show me something that makes you happy/upset/excited…
Feelings Tunnel/Conscience Alley – each child thinks of a word, phrase or sound relating to a character. The character walks down a tunnel created by the children, and the children call out their lines as the character walks past.
Create freeze frame stories for key events in a narrative. Interview characters as they are frozen. What are you doing? Where are you going? How do you feel? (Thought tracking)
Human Structures - children to work in groups to create human structures of objects (vocabulary) .
Guided Tour (Pairs) - One child has eyes closed. The other leads them around the setting for the story. E.g. the deep, dark forest. The leader describes everything they can see. The partner feeds descriptions back to the class.

24. Language Learning Opportunities
Mixed ability grouping wherever possible.
Play and interaction with each other
Surprise – awe and wonder
Puppets – imaginative play/retelling stories
Story Sacks
Children asking questions
Children giving instructions
Collaboration- mixed ability group work
Giving an opinion
Using technology – e.g. video re-telling of stories
Listening to stories and actively participating
Drama – role play/freeze frames/hot seating
Role on the Wall – predicting and talking about characters
Debating
Philosophy - e.g Can computers think? If you had a different name, would you be a different person?
Catherine and Amanda

25. Language Learning Opportunities Talk for Writing Imitation
Listen - to the teacher reading the story
Join in - using class story map – with actions
Create – own story maps
Imitate – re-tell in smaller groups

26. Language Learning Opportunities Talk for Writing Innovation
Use basic structure, but make changes to characters, setting, change the ending.
Make changes to story map, using post-its.
Re-tell the story including changes.
More confident, creative writers maybe able to change the plot or develop characterisation.

27. Language Learning Opportunities
Mind Maps link ideas together and give the whole picture.
Information can be presented in chunks and can be done so cumulatively so students can see how each piece of learning fits in to previous knowledge
Mind Maps aid comprehension and retention. They are also a useful revision tool.
Allows students to organise what they have learnt and see the relationships between these concepts.
Colour coding and images support visual learners.
Alex

28. Useful Websites Talking Point www.talkingpoint.org.uk
The Communication Trust
ICAN
Talk for Writing
Discuss resources 28