Literacy

Speaking and Listening

Speaking and Listening - When we think of Literacy we often think of reading and writing, maybe spelling. But rarely so we think of Speaking and Listening when we think of Literacy, yet from childhood to adulthood our ability to verbally communicate our ideas, and to hear and understand ideas from others, is critical.

Oral language is often called a "bedrock" of reading and writing. Students' comprehension of spoken language is a defining factor for their reading comprehension — the ultimate purpose of reading — as well as for writing ability. Oral language skills also foster a child's confidence and overall sense of wellbeing. The ability to apply oral language effectively impacts all areas of a child's life; from their ability to learn in the classroom, their relationships with others, and their academic achievement; to their sense of self.

Oral language involves both expressive and receptive skills.

Expressive language encompasses the words and actions used to convey meaning, including tone, volume, pauses and inflections.

Receptive language is the understanding of language expressed by others. Expressive and receptive oral language are often referred to as ‘speaking and listening’.

Often oral language is thought of in terms of the function is plays:

Function	Explanation of purpose	Example
Instrumental	Language for meeting wants and needs	I want to read that book.
Regulatory	Language for controlling others	Please give it to me.
Interactional	Language for forming and maintaining relationships	She is my best friend.
Personal	Language to express opinions, feelings and identity	I’m a good reader.
Heuristic	Language for learning	What makes the wheels move?
Imaginative	Language to tell stories, jokes and play	Let’s pretend we’re lost in the jungle.
Representational	Language to convey facts	It takes two hours to travel the distance.

Developing Oral language is a key role parents can play in supporting students for school success. This might include:

Singing Rhymes or Chants to develop phonological awareness in younger students
Encouraging students to order from and pay shop keepers (and check their change!)
Develop vocabulary skills by interchanging new and challenging vocabulary with familiar known words
Model the correct use of language and grammar by rephrasing and parroting back to your child. Eg ‘I is hungry’, could be rephrased back as ‘Oh you mean, I am hungry, yes I think you might be hungry.’
Sharing oral stories about your day and theirs, to develop phrasing, fluency, intonation and expression
Sharing read stories, using the opportunities to model expression and social interaction between characters. Additionally asking students questions that develop deeper listening and verbal comprehension

When to get help for language development

If you have any concerns about your child’s language development or your child has stopped using a language skill they once had, it’s a good idea to see your child and family health nurse, GP or paediatrician. They might refer you to a speech pathologist. For more information see https://raisingchildren.net.au/

Sarah Watkins

Learning Specialist Literacy