Sharing Good Practice

BY : DEBBIE HAMILTON-BOGUES

• Leaving out key words during conversations .

• May appear frustrated because of inability to communicate thoughts .

• Having problems re / telling stories .

What can I do as a teacher to improve expressive language ?

Do not call on the student to give immediate responses , give thinking time and permission to write down thoughts then share .

Give choices in answers , the student can choose one or the other .

Expressive language disorder describes the inability to communicate ideas and thoughts , difficulties with both speaking and understanding of the language .

Some characteristics of Receptive Language Disorder :

• Shows very little understanding of what the teacher is saying .

• Has problems with processing and retaining auditory information .

• The child may have difficulties with attention and concentration : s / he is easily distracted and may not complete tasks and may become withdrawn or disruptive .

• Has serious problems with reading and writing .

• May follow what others do without understanding because s / he does not comprehend verbal cues .

• Lacks the ability to hear sounds , distinguish between similar sounds or words , and is distracted by background noise .

What can I do as a teacher to improve receptive language ?

Make eye-contact before giving instructions .

Repeat instructions to ensure understanding .

Play games in which following instructions and giving directions are key .

Ask the child to repeat the instructions given , to check for clarity .

Teach words and concepts through objects , to help the student progress from the concrete to the abstract .

Seat the student in close proximity to you , so that s / he does not miss what is being said .

Speak slowly to help the student to process the information .

Use role play so that s / he is given opportunity to listen and then speak .

Some characteristics of expressive language challenges :

• Learning new vocabulary words can be very difficult .

• Use of certain phrases repeatedly when talking .

• Understanding what is said by others but not speaking much or often .

• Constructing nonsensical sentences .

• Limited sentence structures when speaking .

If the student answers in one word ; you can respond in a full correct sentence , so s / he hears the words in correct order and preferably repeats the sentence .

Give opportunity to generate a conversation ; talk about things of interest that would be familiar to the student .

Use language in context , if you are teaching past tense , talk about what happened in the past or if new vocabulary , use the words as often as possible in context .

Use co-operative learning to foster discussions .

To support your student , who you think has receptive or expressive language disorder , talk with the parents of your student , ascertain if they are having a similar experience at home , and finally you can recommend that they see a speech therapist to have the student assessed and receive professional intervention . If your school has a Special Educational Needs department , make sure that you make them aware of your observations so that they can recommend testing or even suggest more strategies to assist the student . The classroom teacher is at the forefront of helping students who have special educational needs , and their role should never be underestimated .

Simplify and minimise instructions , the fewer the instructions at any one time the better ; using first and then .

Debbie is an experienced international educator , who has spent almost 30 years in education in the Caribbean , USA , UK and the Middle East . She has a passion for students with special education needs .