When teachers at Paget Primary School began to observe their reception pupils and how they interacted, they noticed a worrying trend. Although the children played together quite happily, there was very little talk going on between them.
"There was very little conversation going on about their activity, what they were doing and how they were doing it," explained Carole Thomas, assistant headteacher at the Birmingham school.
"Staff had videoed them and noticed particular patterns of behaviour. The children played nicely together, but didn't seem to be talking.
"What we wanted was for them to use language; to show curiosity about what they were doing and to use the appropriate vocabulary for the activity. None of this was happening. So the staff put in a lot of work on encouraging them to talk to each other, using the correct words about what they were doing and the items they were using.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting Headteacher Update and reading some of our content for professionals in primary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcasts
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday
Already have an account? Sign in here