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The Power of Language Portfolio | Part 2 | Power of Language Essay

Emily Madigan

Los Angeles Pacific University

ENGL 420

Professor Gentry

April 24, 2023

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Language development is one of the most important aspects of a child’s education.

Children that develop their language skills at a young age, are set up for a successful future.

Language skills help children to be able to communicate with others in an effective way and

teaches them how to work together to solve problems. Children with good language skills are

able to communicate their needs better as well, leading to an easier time for both them and their

parents and teachers. “Through language, children make sense of experiences and the world

around them. In fact, language is the foundation for most learning—whether it is factual

knowledge, social skills, moral development, or physical achievement” (Stephens 2007).

Children are able to gain an understanding of the world by listening to those around them, having

language skills helps them to understand what they are listening to. As this quote explains,

language is the foundation for all other aspects of learning and life in general. If children don’t

have a good understanding of language, they will fall behind in other areas of school as well. If

children have to focus on understanding exactly what they are hearing, it will distract them from

the actual material. That is why it is so important that developing language skills is one of the

first things that children are introduced to in school.

Teachers play one of the biggest roles in a child’s language development. Teachers must

be knowledgeable on this topic in order to successfully teach children. It is a teacher’s job, for

many reasons, to create a foundation for children in their learning. The moral imperative of

teachers is to prepare children for their futures’. A teacher’s main goal and responsibility is to set

students up for success. It is to motivate them in their learning and encourage them to keep trying

and to teach them that mistakes are important and that we must learn from them. “Literacy,

numeracy, and oracy are foundational skills which underpin children’s development and life

outcomes. Lacking these vital skills can hold a person back at every life stage: from education, to
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work, to everyday activities” (British Dyslexia Association). Teachers strive to support children

and help them to become successful. Because language is such an important part of a child's

learning foundation, it is a huge part of a teacher’s moral imperative.

Because developing childrens’ language skills is so important, I have put a lot of thought

into how I will handle that in my future classroom. There are many ways that teachers can

support language development in children. “In your classroom, use pictures, labels, objects, and

real events to link the language the child knows to the language he or she is learning. (This

literacy and vocabulary-building strategy benefits every child.) Invite the child and his or her

family to share their home language and culture in your classroom” (Fiechtner 2017). I love the

idea of allowing children to share their home language and culture. This helps children to have a

broad concept of language, not just English. That is an important skill to have in the 21st century.

Reading has always been a huge part of my life, so I will be bringing that into the classroom as

well. I will encourage children to love to read but making it fun and having comfortable areas

where they can read and a wide variety of books. I will also read to the class altogether as well. I

will pause when we come across a difficult word and allow children to try to figure out what it

means. I will then explain the meaning of the word and ensure that the children understand. I like

the idea of having new words written on the board each day (or week). These words will be fun

words that aren’t typically used so that students are introduced to new vocabulary. I will also

have many group projects and hands-on activities that allow students to communicate with their

peers. Communicating with others is a great way to improve language skills. Although there are

times for a silent classroom, I want my classroom to be fun and full of learning and

communication.
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In the 21st century, language skills are even more important than they were in the past.

So much of our communication occurs through technology. This inhibits some of the in person

communication that is necessary for language development. It is important that as a teacher, we

teach children to communicate in the real world, not over text or social media. Children need to

learn to be independent and communicate for themselves without relying on spell check and

hiding their faces behind a screen. There are benefits to technology in the classroom, as long as it

doesn’t take away from language development and communication skills. God created our world

in order for us to be happy and healthy. Teachers have the job of helping children to achieve a

future full of happiness and success.

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Resources

Supporting language development in the early childhood classroom. Supporting Language

Development in the Early Childhood Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2023, from

https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/supporting-language-developme

nt#:~:text=In%20your%20classroom%2C%20use%20pictures,and%20culture%20in%20y

our%20classroom.

Parent resource library. Eastern Florida State College. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2023,

from

https://www.easternflorida.edu/community-resources/child-development-centers/parent-res

ource-library/

British Dyslexia Association. (n.d.). New report highlights 'moral imperative' to improve

literacy and numeracy in schools following release of latest figures. British Dyslexia

Association. Retrieved April 21, 2023, from

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/news/new-report-highlights-moral-imperative-to-improve-

literacy-and-numeracy-in-schools-following-release-of-latest-figures