Great courses for early years staff: Hanen's Teacher Talk

What Educators Learn from Teacher Talk™ (the term teacher means any Early Years worker)

The Teacher Talk Training Series is designed to actively engage participants through discussions, small group activities, analysis of video examples and completion of practical Action Plans that participants take back to their classrooms. Teachers receive workbooks for each session that allow them to personalise the content and think about how they will meet the needs of the individual children in their classroom.

Teacher Talk is divided into three full-day training sessions:

►Teacher Talk™ Training A: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood settings

This training addresses how educators can use everyday conversations, play and daily routines to promote the communication and social development of all children, including those with language delays and those who are second language learners.

Participants learn how to:

• Identify children’s conversational styles and the role teachers play in interactions
• Implement six steps to following the child’s lead: Observe, Wait and Listen, Be Face to Face, Imitate, Interpret, Comment, and Join in and Play
• Help children become better conversation partners by using appropriate questions, comments and turn-taking cues
• Use five important steps to ensure that no child is left out of the interaction during group activities

►Teacher Talk™ Training B: Let Language Lead the Way to Literacy

This training discusses the important links between oral language development and literacy, and provides teachers with practical strategies for paving the way for children to read and write.

Participants learn how to encourage and support literacy development by:

• Helping children develop a positive attitude toward the use of print
• Choosing books that match children’s interests and stages of development
• Using book reading as a time for interaction and conversation
• Making print a natural and meaningful part of every day

►Teacher Talk™ Training C: Fostering Peer Interaction in Early Childhood Settings

This training addresses how educators can provide a physical and social environment that encourages peer interaction and creates many opportunities or successful interactions with other children.

Participants learn how to encourage and support peer interaction by:

• Making the most effective use of space in the classroom
• Encouraging a variety of groupings for interaction
• Providing appropriate materials and activities
• Creating reasons for interaction and providing specific coaching

Note: The Teacher Talk Training Series may be offered flexibly. Training A may be offered on its own, or in combination with Training B and/or C, and the trainings do not have to be held on consecutive days. Training A, however, must be completed by the participant before he or she attends either B or C.

We will be running these courses in Northampton and Staffordshire next term (dates to be confirmed). If you'd like us to run these in your area, please let me know info@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk

Tips for talking:by parents, for parents

A group of Stafford parents have been attending a unique, new course called Chuckle Talkers at one of the Sure Start Children’s Centres. It combines two of the service providers at the centre; Sara from Chuckle Productions and yours truly from Small Talk speech and language therapy. We have written a 10 part programme to look at encouraging speech, language and communication and gross/fine motor skills throughout the day. This was a pilot project and involved 10 families who have children under 5.

One of the main aims was to show that communication takes place in everyday situations all the time so that there is no need to make extra time for this. Parents can use the activities they do several times a day,  everyday e.g. parents change a baby or toddler’s nappy 5 or 6 times a day so if they know how to make this a communication opportunity, that’s 5/6 opportunities a day without extra time being involved. ‘Parents are extremely busy these days so it’s important not to give them extra to do, rather to get them to optimise what they do’, says Sara, ‘It’s quite stressful if you feel you need to make extra time when you’re already busy’. A current buzz word in management is to work smarter not harder and this applies here too. Sara has shown the parents how motor skills develop and the tie in with communication.

The families have looked at 10 different scenarios from a child’s day. The parents have had a classroom session and then joined the children for an imaginative journey to re-inforce what they’ve discussed. We have used a variety of videos to look at each aspect e.g. meal time, bedtime, story-time, music, and lots of discussion. By the end the parents were really good at identifying what made a good communication opportunity. We had looked at ICAN’s top tips for encouraging children’s communication but I was so impressed by their insight, I asked them to come up with their own.

Here are the 10 top tips written by parents for parents:

1.       Make talking fun

2.       Listen to your child

3.       Use simple language, keep sentences short

4.       Don’t use too many questions. A ‘handy’ rule is 1 question to 4 comments

5.       Give the child time to respond

6.       Let the child take the lead/go at their own pace

7.       Think about limiting the amount of TV a child watches. Only have it on when actually watching it and not as ‘wall-paper’ .

8.       Think about dummy use. May be limit to bed/nap times or when needs comfort and never when they’re talking

9.       Be kind to yourself, don’t set yourself unrealistic targets

10.   Don’t  compare yourself or your child to others. We are all different and develop at our own pace

The parents have suggested topics for a Level 2 of Chuckle Talkers, which hopefully will be carried out next term.  

What modifications can help CAPD in the classroom?

Last month we looked at the issue of Central Auditory Processing Disorder. The classroom can be an ordeal for a child with CAPD and often for his/her teachers! What techniques can help?

• Present directions at a slower rate, with more expression in your voice.
• Use simpler, shorter sentences.
• Ask the child to repeat the direction over and over in a low voice (or silently) until the task is finished.
• Have the child visualise the task before doing it.
• Brainstorm with the child for ideas that will help her remember directions. Some children write notes to themselves, wear clothing items or markers of some kind like stickers on a belt.
• Present directions in short, concrete segments, with visual cues.
• Be sure the child is making eye contact when you speak.
• Have the student seated up in the front of the classroom or very nearest the place of instruction where there is a good view of the chalkboard and other visual means of instruction.
• Provide “quiet” areas in the classroom where concentration may be easier to maintain.
• Have the student eliminate excess movement during instruction, chewing gum, talking to a neighbour, etc.
• When working on projects, allow children to work in small groups as opposed to large ones
• Earplugs or muffs can be worn during study time.

These are all good practise and will benefit any child who has language difficulties too. 

A child's communication aid with a proper voice....at last!!

It's fantastic when a child can use a communication devise to let those around him or her know what they want, how they feel  and other previously unattainable basics that we all take so much for granted. However, up to now we have had to ignore the fact that the computer generated voice sounded more like something off a sci-fi film. Think of Stephen Hawking's machine for a child.

Now though, a ground-breaking project has unveiled the world's first genuine, natural-sounding children's voices for users of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC).

The voices, created by Acapela Group and AssistiveWare, are included in the Proloquo2Go App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch through a new free update released on the App Store.

'Harry' and 'Rosie' were recorded by and for children to use as their preferred 'Text to Speech' voice to communicate a want, need or thought using symbol-based communication or typing with word prediction.

Anna Reeves, National AAC Coordinator for England, said: "These new voices will further transform the lives of children who cannot speak and the lives of those around them. It may be the very first time that families hear their own children speak with a child's voice - you can't put a price on that."

Small Talk Training for parents and professionals

Small Talk are a team of highly experienced, consultant speech and language therapists and early years professionals.


We are licensed to deliver Hanen and Elklan courses as well as being lead practitioners for the Early Language Development Programme by ICAN.


Click on link for details:


Parents                   Nursery Staff


Primary Staff         Secondary school staff


Child Minders        Demonstration Training


We can also tailor-make courses especially for your nursery, school or group... just ask!

Does your nursery need help to train the staff as per Professor Nurbrown's recommendations? If so we can help

A leading voluntary coalition with expertise in speech, language and communication calls for settings, organisations, awarding bodies and local authorities to offer robust qualifications for practitioners and recommends the Speech, Language and Communication Level 3 award as a suitable solution.

The Communication Trust, a leading voluntary sector coalition, last week  welcomed Professor Cathy Nutbrown’s recommendations on the vital importance of young children’s speech and language development and the need to ensure that all early years practitioners are skilled and
knowledgeable in this area through access to robust and quality qualifications. 


Lisa Morgan, Professional Director for the Trust, said: “Every child deserves the best start in life and nurturing speech, language and communication skills supports all areas of a child’s development and
ultimately their life chances. Professor Nutbrown’s recommendations clearly highlight the role early years practitioners play in supporting and nurturing language development. 


“Evidence shows that better qualified staff lead to better outcomes for children. The Trust, since its inception five years ago, has recognised the need for formal and national qualifications to be introduced for early years staff as Nutbrown espouses. Research has demonstrated that staff often feel under-skilled and lacking in confidence in supporting children’s typical language development and recognising early when they are struggling.


We can help nurseries to train their staff to level 2 and level 3 accreditation as well as provide  other relevant training. How about 'Speech and Language support for under 5s'?

This is a highly successful accredited ten week course for under 5s practitioners.  The course has been received enthusiastically by over 7,000 learners across the UK and Europe.

What do participants receive?

·         Teaching from qualified speech and language therapists and advisory teachers. They provide training to support the communication of all children but especially those with speech and language difficulties in under 5s settings.

·        The book Early Language Builders which forms the core reading material for the course. It is full of practical advice and ideas.

·         Accreditation through Open College Network (OCN) at either level two or three, the individual chooses the level under the guidance of the Elklan tutor.

·         Support needed to write a portfolio to achieve accreditation though the Open College Network.

·         Opportunities to meet other Under 5's practitioners and receive mutual support.

Who is the course for?

This course trains Early Years practitioners working within Education, Playgroups, Sure Start projects, Day Nurseries and other Early Years settings. The course is usually taught at weekends, but can be taught at staff training days.

What is taught?

The course runs for ten sessions, each with targets you will be able to acheive by the end of the course:

·         What is communication?

·         Identify the processes involved in communication

·         Appreciate the wide range of communication problems

·         Adult child interaction and non-verbal communication

·         Understand the effect of adult-child interaction on the development of communication

·         Appreciate the importance of nonverbal communication behaviours

·         Developing play, listening and attention skills

·         Understand the link between play and language development

·         Develop strategies to promote listening and attention

·         Understanding first words and using visual strategies

·         Know how children understand their first words

·         Develop activities to facilitate the learning of basic concepts.

·         Understand how using visual information helps children learn

·         Understanding beyond simple sentences

·         Use a language scheme model which supports verbal reasoning skills, including why and how questions, inferences, sequencing, predicting

·         Practice modifying the adults' speech accordingly

·         Modifying adults' speech to help a child understand language

·         Use Information Carrying Words (ICW's) to develop understanding

·         Encouraging expressive language development

·         Develop strategies to facilitate the development of vocabulary

·         Discuss techniques to develop syntax (grammar) and narrative skills

·         Promoting effective communication and social skills

·         Identify skills required for successful social communication and share ideas as to how to promote these

·         Supporting children with unclear speech

·         Appreciate the development of speech sounds

·         Know strategies to support children with unclear speech

·         Understand the link between speech, reading and writing

·         Appreciate the importance of phonological awareness in the pre-school setting

·         Management of stammering and application of all strategies learnt

·         Have some knowledge of how to support children who stammer.

·         Present evidence of applying knowledge during everyday activities.

 We do lots more too including the award winning Hanen 'Learning language and loving it' and tailor made courses.

www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk

Smart Talkers are awarded by Netmums

We are delighted to have been recognised by the parents who come along to our classes in the recent Netmums awards. Thank you to everyone who voted for us. It makes it even more special that its a parent vote.


The particular class hi-lighted was the Teeny Talker group at Silkmore Children's Centre. This is for two year olds who are not talking as much or as well as expected. There are many reasons for this but we try to narrow  the gap as the recent Roulestone 2011 study (basis for the think 2 project) showed that children need to be identified at two so that early intervention can begin. Roulestone et al showed that if a child is delayed at 2 years, without intervention, he will still be delayed upon school entry and may never catch up.


We work on attention, listening, auditory memory, vocabulary plus other receptive and expressive language skills in a very simple format. We use puppets, stories, songs, bubbles and games.


We do other Teeny Talker groups across the area and also do Teeny Talker demonstration training for staff of 2 year olds where we run a group for 6 weeks in the nursery (no cover costs incurred then!). However, if you  want to get away from the children, we also do training courses for parents and staff with a variety of accredited courses at levels 1, 2 and 3.


www.smarttalkers.org.uk