PLE 10

Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.

Language plays a critical role in cognitive development that can be detrimental to a students academic success. The idea that children's language is very limited at a young age and develops over time can be seen throught through an example using animals. When a younger child is asked to describe an animal they are more likely to descrive an animal that has the characteristics of a dog or a cat because they have seen or been around this animal in their everyday life. Once a student has developed more cognitively, and has been exposed to more language and different language they are more likely to describe characteristics of exotic and different animals. Thus, the trend continues the older they become. It is important to remember that a big amount of the words students come into school knowing come from what they have heard and picked up at home. If a student is coming from a professional home where both parents are professionals, they have dinner together, and story time this child is more likely to know more words and to have been exposed to more language. For a student who has a difficult home life, or lower class family the child is less likely to have heard the same amount or types of words as children from the professional home. In my classroom I am really going to try and make a huge effort to find time to read aloud to my students everyday. It is so important to have that reading time for students. I also want to incorporate some individual reading time for my students. This way for the students that are not getting a lot of language support at home, my classroom can help them develop their language skills. For those who have the language support at home it will help them practice. I will also have different reading and language centers in my classroom. I think to have my students surrounded by language will help them develop cognitively with their language skills. I will also use academic language in my classroom, and introduce new words in everyday converstations that can help increase language support. I will also have a word wall in my classroom where words will be added throughout the year. I hope to have a classroom that supports all students in their language development, so that they will develop the appropriate skills to succeed.