Synopses & Reviews
Classroom conversation plays an important role in the development of children's language and reasoning skills. However, studies show that classroom talk relies too much on directives and close-ended questions. Conversation Compass provides many tools, including converstaion maps and tracking forms, activities and reflection questions, and more.
Learn to adapt your classroom conversations to meet the diverse needs of all the children you teach and set them up for academic success.
Stephanie M. Currenton, PhD, is an assistant professor at Rutgers University and the associate editor of Early Childhood Research Quarterly and a former member of the governing board of NAEYC.
Review
This guide provides early childhood teachers with a tool to promotemeaningful conversations for high-quality language learning and school readiness in the preschool classroom by talking to childrenwith specific learning objectives in mind and planning opportunities for them to talk with each other during small-group activities. Itemphasizes these skills in all children, especially ethnic minority children who may speak a different language or dialect at home. Itdiscusses what makes a good conversation, the role of cultural differences, and how to be a good conversation partner, and how toencourage, plan, and monitor instructional peer conversations to improve social skills, language development, reasoning, and academic talk.Annotation �2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Review
This guide provides early childhood teachers with a tool to promotemeaningful conversations for high-quality language learning and school readiness in the preschool classroom by talking to childrenwith specific learning objectives in mind and planning opportunities for them to talk with each other during small-group activities. Itemphasizes these skills in all children, especially ethnic minority children who may speak a different language or dialect at home. Itdiscusses what makes a good conversation, the role of cultural differences, and how to be a good conversation partner, and how toencourage, plan, and monitor instructional peer conversations to improve social skills, language development, reasoning, and academic talk.Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Review
This guide provides early childhood teachers with a tool to promotemeaningful conversations for high-quality language learning and school readiness in the preschool classroom by talking to childrenwith specific learning objectives in mind and planning opportunities for them to talk with each other during small-group activities. Itemphasizes these skills in all children, especially ethnic minority children who may speak a different language or dialect at home. Itdiscusses what makes a good conversation, the role of cultural differences, and how to be a good conversation partner, and how toencourage, plan, and monitor instructional peer conversations to improve social skills, language development, reasoning, and academic talk.Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Review
Dr. Curenton's new book, Conversation Compass: A Teachers Guide to High Quality Language Learning in Young Children, provides the early childhood field with a practical resource to embed evidence-based practices that foster language development in all young children. The teaching strategies discussed are based on research that indicates the "serve and return" or back and forth between adults and children fosters healthy development and impacts brain development from birth. Dr. Curenton promotes the concept of conversation partners”. She provides teachers with activities and resources to encourage richer conversations between peers and authentic opportunities to develop language in the preschool setting. Her discussion of the specific strategies to support African American children and linguistic diversity is particularly rich and addresses a significant gap in our education of teachers so that all children's backgrounds, cultures and ways of learning are honored and respected. I highly recommend Conversation Compass as a must read resource” for all teachers and teacher educators!—Dr. Lori Connors-Tadros, National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers University and the Director of the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes
Synopsis
Help children master oral-language and reasoning skills through high-quality conversations.
About the Author
Stephanie M. Currenton, PhD, is the Associate Editor of Early Childhood Research Quarterly where she shares her knowledge of literacy development and cultural competence. She also serves as an assistant professor at Rutgers Universitys Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy where she studies the social, cognitive, and language development of low-income and minority children. Stephanie received her PhD in Developmental and Community Psychology form the University of Virginia and received a national fellowship from the American Association for Advancement of Science Policy Fellowship. She is a former member of the governing board of NAEYC and a well- known author, professor, and researcher.