Pre-Service Teacher Education and the Inclusion of Children With Language Delay and Speech Language Communication Needs: ‘Tweaking’ or Re-Thinking Practice?

Author(s):

Maria Mroz(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

10 SES 07 D, Motivation, Inclusion, Self-Efficacy

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-11

17:15-18:45

Room:

A-105

Chair:

Isabel Rots

Discussant:

Hafdis Gudjonsdottir

Contribution

This paper is concerned with improving initial teacher education practice within the primary sector and specifically with the inclusion of all students in schools; an issue which continues to be a priority within England and also across the European Union (1)and beyond . The impact of ‘poor language skills’ within education is a huge priority within England with particular implications for literacy (Beitchman et al., 1996; Conti-Ramsden et al, 2009). Whilst it is acknowledged that there is limited agreement across Europe in terms of identification and intervention for children with language delay and speech , language and communication needs (Law, 2013 personal communication) current prevalence rates of 7.4% are commonly cited from epidemiological research in the US (Tomblin et al., 1997) which are similar in bilingual children (Kohnert, 2010). Thus, based on a figure of 5.4 m children born each year in EU-27 (2) then the number of children under eighteen years with language delay and SLCN is potentially as high as 5.8million. The implications for teachers’ day –to- day practice across Europe in working with children who are language delayed or who have SLCN are thus potentially significant.

The discussion focuses on the drive to ensure that children with language delay and speech language and communication needs are included in classroom practice. A recent UK publication ‘A generation Adrift: the case for speech, language and communication to take a central role in schools’ policy and practice’ summarises some of the key concerns around the role of schools in developing children and young people’s language. It argues that ‘supporting language and knowing when children are struggling is not hugely difficult: often it’s a ‘tweak’ to good practice, meshed with basic knowledge of language development’ (p. 5). This paper explores the current context in England for pre-service teachers working with children with language delay and SLCN. It argues, contrary to the assertion above, that supporting language and knowing when children are struggling IS difficult. Essentially the difficulty lies in teachers’ abilities to recognise a child’s language skills as developmentally appropriate and, having recognised any difficulty, to be able to do anything to improve the situation.

The enquiry is centred on a socio-cultural analysis of idealised classroom practices for supporting children with language delay and speech, language and communication needs.

Research questions

What is the current context for preparing pre-service teachers to work with children with language delay and SLCN?

What might be the barriers within schools to successful inclusion of children with SLCN and language delays?

What future implications does this focus on one aspect of SEN tell us about how to develop inclusive practice work with pre-service teachers?

Method

The methodology used to explore the current landscape is critical enquiry. The paper uses critical enquiry to analyse recent policy and practice focused on the inclusion of pupils of primary school age (4-11) with language delay and speech, language and communication needs. It also draws on successive cohorts (c 80) of pre-service teachers’ perspectives about the teaching and assessment of speaking and listening in primary schools reflecting a qualitative practice-based approach grounded in the pre-service teachers’ current practice and experience. The critical enquiry is located in pragmatism as the concerns lie with the actions taken (to include children with SLCN and language delay) and the consequences of those actions. Pre-service teachers use semi -structured interviews to seek the views of practising teachers with reference to the teaching and assessment of speaking and listening. The interviews were then analysed using thematic analysis.

Expected Outcomes

Critical analysis of current policy and research will identify key barriers to implementing the perceived necessary changes to ensure successful inclusion of children with language delay and SLCN. These will include the use and misuse of formative assessment; the applied knowledge of language development that teachers possess and the challenges of changing classroom interaction patterns. In addition the drive to improve standards in literacy both supports and undermines the focus on developing pupils’ spoken language. Finally it is argued that where the model for developing pre-service teachers is heavily reliant on experiences in schools this clearly necessitates the need for highly trained mentors to possess core knowledge that can be applied in practice.

References

Beitchman et al., (1996) Long-Term Consistency in Speech/Language Profiles: Developmental and Academic Outcomes Journal of the American Academy of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatry., 35:6, June Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998b). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5(1), 7–74. Conti-Ramsden, G., Durkin, K., Simkin, Z. & Knox, E. (2009) Specific language impairment and school outcomes. I: Identifying and explaining variability at the end of compulsory education. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 44, 15-35 Department of Education The Better Communication Research Programme (2012) The Communication Trust (2013) Rescuing A Generation Adrift, by Anne Fox, Trust Director thecommunicationtrust.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/rescuing-generation epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Fertility_statistics Kathryn Kohnert (2010) Bilingual Children with Primary Language Impairment: Issues, Evidence and Implications for Clinical Actions Journal of Communication Disorders. Nov–Dec; 43(6): 456–473. Law, James, Professor James Law Professor of Speech & Language Sciences. (personal communication 27.01.2013) Tomblin, J. Bruce, Records, Nancy L., Buckwalter, P., Zhang, X. and Smith, Elaine (1997) Prevalence of Specific Language Impairment in Kindergarten Children Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research Vol.40 1245-1260 December 1997. www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/Teacher-Education-for-Inclusion/teacher-education-web-file 1Teacher Education for Inclusion – International Literature review

Author Information

Maria Mroz (presenting / submitting)

University of Newcastle

Newcastle upon Tyne

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