Betty Bardige, Ed.D.

Building Language, Literacy, Culture and Community in Early Childhood Jewish Education

Words Play a Central Role in Jewish Culture

• People of the Book

• Answer a question with a question

• Value commentary and discussion

• Learning is sweet – and begins early

The key to school readiness is language development, fostered in caring relationships through frequent, vocabulary-stretching conversations that stimulate and build upon children’s natural curiosity.

Jack’s mother …

• Attends to his feelings

• uses playful discipline techniques

• joins him in pretend play

• expands his play and language

• engages him in information-rich conversation

• uses questions to help him tell his story

The Widening Gap in Young Children’s Vocabularies

Source: Hart, B., and Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. Baltimore, Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company, p. 47.

Children developed richer vocabularies when parents …

• talked A LOT• shared more information• asked more questions• issued relatively fewer commands• offered more choices• were generally more responsive• engaged children in playful conversation• used more rare and unusual words

Play Makes the Difference!

Play Talk• Responsive to child• Imaginative and often silly• Open-ended• Encouraging• Offers choices• Asks and explores questions• More complex sentences• More adjectives; rhyming• Richer vocabulary• Engages both partners• Past, future, what if

Business Talk• Adult-initiated• Serious• Goal oriented• Fewer “affirmations”• Directive • Statements and commands• Short and to the point• Prose• Simplified vocabulary• One-sided “conversation”• Here and now

The Widening Gap in Language Input Addressed to Young Children

Source: Hart, B., and Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company, p. 198.

Children don’t learn to talk by watching TV. To become good communicators, they need the back and forth engagement of meaningful conversation.

Jewish Conversation-Rich Classrooms

Jill’s center has …

lots of . . .• Books• Large-group “activities”• Interest centers• LabelsLabels• Pretend play materials• Music• Letter-naming activities• Quizzing• Teaching of simple concepts

but little . . .• Dialogic reading• Small group conversation• Integration of reading and writing• Personally meaningful printPersonally meaningful print• Adult involvement in pretend play• Word play• Story-telling• Genuine questioning• Extended exploration &

information sharing

Effective Programs

• Early Head Start and Head Start

• Parent/Child Home Program

• Parents as Teachers

• High Quality Child Care

The Power of Bilingualism

• Young bilingual children, learning two languages simultaneously, tend to have the same overall vocabulary (with some words in each language and some in both) as monolingual counterparts

• Learning a second language – or two first languages – increases cognitive flexibility (seeing the same thing in two different ways)

• Learning a second language in childhood increases verbal and nonverbal IQ

--- Genesee, F., J. Paradis, and M. B. Crago (2004) Dual Language Development and Disorders: A Handbook on Bilingualism and Second Language Learning, Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Positive Caregiving for US Children Ages 1 to 3

Source: NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (2000). Characteristics and quality of child care for toddlers and preschoolers. Applied Developmental Science, 4.

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20

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60

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Cumulative State Investment by Age, Contrasted with Brain Growth

Source: Voices for America’s Children and the Child and Family Policy Center (2004). Early Learning Left Out: An Examination of Public Investments in Education and Development by Child Age.

Iowa Spending by Child Age

Source: Voices for America’s Children and the Child and Family Policy Center. (2004). Early Learning Left Out: An Examination of Public Investments in Education and Development by Child Age.

A Bilingual Language-Rich Setting

The Basic Ingredients

• Warm relationships

• Interesting things to talk about

• Interested people to talk with

A Language-Rich Program

Books are familiar friends …

& springboards for conversation

Books and planned activities prompt investigation . . .

… extended projects

… and pretend play

Lots of opportunities to read…

…and write

explore

and share

Partnership with Parents

• Share key messages and explain research• Bring family stories and funds of

knowledge into the classroom • Support home language and bilingualism• Encourage parent/child language and

literacy activities• Build a community that celebrates Jewish

culture and supports Jewish identity and values

Building Community

• Sharing celebrations and other events

• Creating home/school connections and opportunities for families to participate in planning, enriching, and evaluating programs

• Creating opportunities to appreciate difference and learning joyfully across culture

• Tikkun olam projects that children can help with or with results they can see

Advocacy Organizations

• NAEYC Children’s Champions www.naeyc.org

• MomsRising www.momsrising.org

• ZERO TO THREE Policy Center www.zerotothree.org

• Voices for America’s Children www.voices.org

Spread the Word

• Words are brain food for toddlers.

• Support the people who build children’s brains – ensure that they have the resources and education they need.

• VOTE in the interest of children.

So that every child begins school

with a wealth of words