OAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Calzada, Oas, Albay

Developing Listening and Speaking Skills

Introduction

Children should be seen and not heard. Children need many opportunities to both talk and
listen with teachers and peers in order to gain the language skills valuable for their success in
reading and writing. All adults involved in the education of young children benefit from
understanding the importance of open-ended questions, vocabulary exploration, and
engaging conversation with young learners.

An excerpt from Teaching Our Youngest

It is important for young children to be able to:

Listen carefully for different purposes, such as to get information or for enjoyment.
Use spoken language for a variety of purposes.
Follow and give simple directions and instructions.
Ask and answer questions.
Use appropriate volume and speed when they speak.
Participate in discussions and follow the rules of polite conversation such as staying on
a topic and taking turns.
Use language to express and describe their feelings and ideas.

It is important for teachers to:

Ask open-ended questions that invite children to expand upon their answers.
Present new words to children to expand their vocabularies.
Respond to questions and let children take the conversational lead.
Respond to childrens questions and let them build their language skills.
Here are some things that will help to develop and expand the childrens listening and
speaking skills:

Engage children in conversational throughout the day.

Teacher Talk
Why did you color the house orange, Rana?
Look at all the birds at our birdfeeder this morning. What different ones do you
see?

When reading aloud to the children, encourage them to predict what will happen in
the story, to comment on the story, and to make connections between the story and
their personal experiences.

Teacher Talk

What do you think will happen when Boomer gets on the school bus?
What did you like best about Boomers day in school?
Whats the funniest thing your pet does?

Play games that will focus childrens attention on the importance of listening carefully.

Teacher Talk
Put your heads down and close your eyes. Listen very carefully. Can you hear
the lawn mower outside? Can you hear water dripping in the sink? What else
do you hear?

Gently reinforce the rules of good listening and speaking throughout the day.

Teacher Talk

Connor, please dont talk while Yi is asking a question.

Youll get your turn.
Tyler, thank Joann for helping you with your drawing.
Ask before you take a book. Someone else may be using it.
Only ask questions about the book right now. Well talk about other things
later.
 Capitalize on routine opportunities to have the children follow or give directions.
Teacher Talk
Its time for snack. I want the boys to come to the round table and the girls to
come to the square table.
Kaylee, please go to the bookrack and bring me the book with the red flower
on its cover.
Mitch, go to the block box. Get two green blocks. Okay, please take them to
Julio.
Tanya, will you tell Howie how to put this puzzle together?

A Checklist for Early Childhood Curriculum

Does the curriculum

Promote interactive learning and encourage the childs construction of knowledge

Help children achieve social, emotional, linguistic, physical, and cognitive goals
Encourage development of positive feelings and dispositions toward learning while
leading to acquisition of knowledge and skills
Have expectations that are realistic and attainable at this time
Include children with disabilities in the curriculum
Build and elaborate on childrens current knowledge and abilities
Lead to conceptual understanding by helping children construct their own
understanding in meaningful contexts
Facilitate concept learning and skills development in an integrated and natural way
Challenge children with disabilities to attain goals beyond those specified in the
IEP/IFSP
Permit flexibility for children and teachers
Encourage active learning and frequently allow children to make meaningful choices
Foster childrens exploration and inquiry, rather than focusing on right answers or
right ways to complete a task
Promote the development of higher order abilities, such as thinking, reasoning,
problem solving, and decision making
Promote and encourage social interaction among children and adults
Respect childrens psychological needs for activity, sensory stimulation, fresh air, rest,
and nourishment
Promote positive relationships with families
Is it

Based on sound child development principles of how children grow and learn and
grounded in the Head Start Program Performance Standards?
Meaningful for these children? Is it relevant to the childrens lives? Can it be made
more relevant by linking it to personal experiences the children have had or can have
easily?
Sensitive to and respectful of cultural and linguistic diversity? Does the currilum
expect, allow, and appreciate individual differences?
Comparing Preschool Philosophies: Play-Based vs. Academic
Factors to Consider
Choosing by Philosophy
In general, a preschool will describe itself as either play-based or academic.
Play-Based
Academic

Conclusions:

In teaching Preschool theres so many things need to be consider, the needs, interest
and their level of learning. Listening and speaking is one of the most important factor needs
to be develop earlier. Engaging children in conversation throughout the day, its not only a
way to develop the listening and speaking skills but it is the way to socialize with their peers.
Teachers need to exert extra effort to achieve the goals. Teachers really play big role in childs
development.

Questions:

1. Explain the quotation Children should be seen and not heard.

2-5. Why speaking and listening is important to develop earlier at their age?

Prepared by:

HELEN GRACE M. PLACER

BEEd Preschool-IV