EYFS: Language of Learning – a handbook to provoke, provide and evaluate language development
Early language deficits affect too many pupils on entry to nursery, reception and school settings, negatively impacting not only children’s engagement with curriculum content, but also their self-regulation and mental health. Drawing on Joan Tough’s research and inspiration, Alex Bedford has reignited and reimagined her systematic language development framework, so that every child in an early years setting has the opportunity to build a love of language that radiates understanding, excellence, ambition and clarity.
Co-authored by Julie Sherrington, EYFS: Language of Learning explains the vital influence that physical development has on vocabulary development. The book offers practical guidance on what language development is, what to look for and how to provide support. Important cognitive and neuroscience research is clearly explained to help school settings embed the best of what we know about how children learn.
EYFS: Language of Learning gives teachers and practitioners a holistic, accessible and powerful toolkit. Alex and Julie’s brilliant worked examples showcase how the language development framework can offer precision and progression within the learning conversation. The book directly complements the ShREC approach and provides clear guidance on how to develop conversations using evidence-informed frameworks.
Co-authored by Julie Sherrington, EYFS: Language of Learning explains the vital influence that physical development has on vocabulary development. The book offers practical guidance on what language development is, what to look for and how to provide support. Important cognitive and neuroscience research is clearly explained to help school settings embed the best of what we know about how children learn.
EYFS: Language of Learning gives teachers and practitioners a holistic, accessible and powerful toolkit. Alex and Julie’s brilliant worked examples showcase how the language development framework can offer precision and progression within the learning conversation. The book directly complements the ShREC approach and provides clear guidance on how to develop conversations using evidence-informed frameworks.
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Reviews
This book will be the go-to resource for practitioners who want a clear, user-friendly way to develop children's language in the EYFS setting. Inspired by Joan Tough's language development framework, it offers educators a way to understand, plan and sequence high-quality conversations to help develop shared thinking, communication and language. We love the clarity of the writing and the illustrations, and the worked examples bring the approach to life. We can't wait to go into schools that use this approach and see the children thrive!
This is so helpful for colleagues. It provides an elegant structure on which to base our judgements about how well our pupils are getting on in the EYFS. And, just as importantly, it provides prompts to elevate and deepen our practice. A really smart resource - great work!
What does it actually mean for an early years setting to be language-rich? What does it really mean to make the kind of progress in spoken communication that lays firm foundations for later learning? The fascinating response to these questions in this book describes progress in terms of language functions - it's not just about developing syntax and broadening vocabulary, but doing so in order to communicate across different language functions. Some kinds of talk enable children to describe and elaborate, others to reason logically and yet others to empathise or imagine. The lucky practitioners who get their hands on a copy of this book will find themselves guided through a hugely useful and very practical tool for planning language-rich experiences.