What do we do about the ‘Word Gap’?

We know it can be tough to enrich the vocabulary of our students, but Stephen Parsons shows that it can be done with sustained effort and by incorporating fun along the way.

Post-it notes stuck to girl, labelling parts of the body

In staff rooms across the UK, comments about students entering school with weak vocabulary, students not being able to access the vocabulary in the KS2 SATS paper or secondary school students not knowing relatively simple words needed to understand a text are often heard. The so called ‘word gap’ is a concern in many schools, but the question remains: what do we do about it?

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      string(4648) "The Oxford Language Report reveals that the word gap remains stubbornly high throughout primary and secondary schools. This is significant because whilst language development is a key focus in early years education, relatively little research has been conducted into language deficit as children progress through secondary education. Additionally, whilst this issue may historically have been considered to primarily affect specific student groups, such as those receiving free school meal (FSM) funding or those with English as an additional language(EAL), the teachers who took part in this survey were most likely to say that vocabulary deficit is a general problem and is not specific to any one group of pupils. Although teachers mentioned a range of causes given for vocabulary deficiency, they were most likely to believe its root cause can be put down to a lack of opportunities to practise vocabulary in the home, and not enough time spent reading for pleasure. The research shows that schools which have successfully reduced the word gap between school entry and school exit have certain methods in common. Notably, they tackle the problem on three levels. Firstly, by providing support or intervention through either a speech therapist or one-on-one time with a teaching assistant in primary school, or extra literacy lessons, extra resources and mentoring programmes in secondary school. Secondly, by ensuring a whole class focus on vocabulary in both primary and secondary settings, with dedicated reading time and literacy help resources Thirdly, by employing a whole-school literacy policy, which includes giving children access to quality talk and texts, with reading included across the curriculum. Some schools have introduced rewards for the use of rich vocabulary and encourage word games clubs. Teachers are given specific training to help find ways to increase children’s literacy and vocabulary. The OUP conducted the research in order to: quantify the scale of the vocabulary gap in UK primary and secondary schools; explore how schools currently address the issue; and better understand how policy makers, schools, parents, and educational publishers including OUP can work together to support teachers and help pupils overcome vocabulary issues. Main Points: Almost half of five and six-year-olds are at risk underperforming academically because they have a limited vocabulary. In the first year of secondary school, more than four in 10 students still do not know enough words to do well in school. Almost all primary school teachers felt that the word gap resulted in weaker comprehension skills and slower than expected progress in reading and writing. A very high proportion of the teachers said the word gap held back progress in not just English (91%), but in history (90%), geography (86%) and religious studies (78%). The majority of primary and secondary school teachers told researchers there had been a rise in the number of pupils suffering from a “word gap” that could affect their education. Primary school teachers reported that 49 per cent of Year 1 pupils have a limited vocabulary that impacts on their learning. Secondary teachers revealed that 43 per cent of Year 7 children, aged 11 and 12, also have limited vocabulary skills which could affect their school careers. An increase in the number of pupils with a limited vocabulary, compared to previous years, was reported by 69 per cent of the primary teachers and 60 per cent of those in secondary school. Self esteem, behaviour and a child’s ability to make friends were all felt to be negatively affected by low levels of vocabulary. 67% of primary school teachers said that broadening pupils’ vocabulary is a high priority. 80% of secondary school teachers said that improving vocabulary is at least a medium priority for their school. Most teachers believe a lack of time spent reading for pleasure is a root ause of the word gap. Alongside quantity, the quality of parent-child interactions is an important factor. These interactions give children a stronger grasp of language by the time they start school, an advantage which stays with them throughout their education. WEB LINK Why Closing the Word Gap Matters: Oxford Language ReportKeywords Word Gap, children’s learning, language development, primary and secondary schools, language deficit, progress "
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Leadership

Why Closing the Word Gap Matters: Oxford Language Report

24 Apr 2018

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      string(3751) "well as the research literature, and simplified this all into ten principles.5 Make words a priority Expose students to an engaging vocabulary. Celebrate and have fun with words. Maintain a sustained effortThere is no quick fix, so it needs every class in a school to be involved. Work together as a staff team.Link oral and written vocabulary  Spoken language supports early reading and later reading supports spoken language, so aim to develop both. Analyse word components A large part of later vocabulary growth comes from awareness of word components, so awareness and use of prefixes and suffixes is a key skillUse a range of methodsVocabulary teaching is a long-term process so build a repertoire of methods that are appropriate to each age group, but also keep your teaching freshGo with the child (at the right rate) The words that students are exposed to need to offer the right level of challenge. In Word Aware we call these ‘Goldilocks’ words, as they are not too easy, and not too hard, but are just right.Use multiple exposuresWords need to be encountered a number of times in order to be learned. A quick mention will not be enough for children to learn a word.Teach words in contextAs words are such nuanced entities, they need to be taught in real meaningful contexts if they are to be used appropriately. Teach word learning strategies Most word learning happens independently away from any teacher, but equipping students with strategies will help them to build their vocabulary. Active and specific teaching of wordsYou cannot teach every word, but by selecting and teaching important words, you can help to lay the foundations for vocabulary growth.  There are many paths to these principles, but the key to success with vocabulary is to work together as a team to build on your existing good practice. As a school, as yourself, ‘what are we doing now that works and what could we do better?’ Look at each one of the above principles, read more widely around the topic and, over time, build a systematic approach that works for you and your students.  5 simple things to get you started with vocabulary  Read high-quality fiction to your class regularly Show enjoyment of words that you encounter Play word games, from ‘I spy’ to ‘Scattegories ’or any other favourites Make word learning real by providing opportunities for ‘hands on’ experiences, from real objects to trips  Hold a ‘word assembly’ with each class nominating a word they like and the headteacher selecting a word of the week for the whole school. Stephen Parsons is a Speech and Language Therapist, trainer and co-author of the Word Aware books, which are about teaching vocabulary. www.thinkingtalking.co.uk @WordAwareNotesDepartment for Education (2013). The national curriculum in England key stages 1 and 2 framework document.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculumGough, P. & Tunmer, W. (1986). Decoding, reading and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7: 6–10.Bleiman, B. (2018). A dictionary is hard to swallow. TES, July 6. https://www.tes.com/news/tes-magazine/tes-magazine/a-dictionary-a-hard-thing-swallow Department for Education (2017). Unlocking talent, fulfilling potential. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667690/Social_Mobility_Action_Plan_-_for_printing.pdfParsons, S. & Branagan, A. (2013). Word aware: Teaching vocabulary across the day across the curriculum. Speechmark, London."
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Special Needs

What do we do about the ‘Word Gap’?

8 May 2019

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      string(5630) "analysis tools, that is precisely what all staff in the school plan for.Thus, Kingsford has been able to target its lowest twenty per cent of achievers through the thoughtful and personalised support gained from Achievement for All. Kingsford’s cohort has over 70 per cent of pupils who are entitled to the pupil premium and while I celebrate the richly diverse school community, many members of my school community live in complex and chaotic circumstances where their parents are not best able to support and encourage their academic development. For children coming from homes such as these, the school has to take on more than the role of an educator, it has to become family, it has to nurture the aspirations, well-being (emotional, physical, mental and otherwise) and in some cases, the humanity of its children. Where the child’s wellbeing may not be paramount in the home, whether that is due to poverty, disadvantage or special educational needs and disabilities, it has to be in school. It falls to us as educators to encourage personal growth, fuel ambition, nurture confidence and most importantly, inspire excellence. In this way, education becomes the key to overcoming the restrictions that are placed on a child’s success. We strive to make these ideals tantamount to the delivery of teaching, learning, guidance and character development at Kingsford Community School, and we know that it is essential that we consistently recognise and implement these vital ideals because, as previously stated, equality of opportunity begins with education.Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. theorised that ‘the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. 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The Kingsford Observers of Learning project equips pupils with soft skills such as collaboration, analysis and evaluation, the ability to express themselves clearly and it develops self-confidence without arrogance, skills that the pupils involved may not otherwise acquire. Pupil leadership groups such as this target both high- and low-achieving individuals as pupils develop a plethora of skills which contribute to their character, personal and academic development. Character education has acted as a preventative measure too. Through the development of a moral school community, we have found that pupils are less likely to engage in what could be described as antisocial behaviours and attitudes, as they have developed the social skills to resist being drawn into such behaviours. 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Executive Leadership

Raising aspirations through empowerment and leadership

4 Dec 2018

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      string(4516) "positive outcomes for mothers8. One US/UKstudy found that severe postnatal depression in fathers is associated with high levels ofemotional and behavioural problems in their children, especially boys, at three and a halfyears and seven9.SummaryThe circumstances surrounding engagement at schools are complex and interrelated.Seldom does one single issue account for a child beginning to disengage from school.Often it takes three risk factors or more to destabilise a child, although, this will, of coursedepend on the child in question. Risk factors are effectively “stressors” and may includeparental unemployment, parental separation, experience of debt, and ‘cold’ parenting.However, in diagnosing disengagement, a distinction needs to be made betweenchildren who appear not to be concentrating and the signs of disengagements. Althoughthese may overlap, school staff have the additional challenge of identifying a child’sindividual psychological make-up (which may be characterised as “dreamy” or having hisor her “head in the clouds” or simply to find some aspects of school uninteresting) and themore serious disengagement which speaks of a child’s journey into a more marginalisedworld of instability, lack of qualification.In the next edition of Every Child Journal Louise Kinnaird looks at what schools can do toimprove engagement.Louise Kinnaird is a freelance writer, specialising in child development andpsychology.1. See, for example: Singer, R. (2003) The impact of poverty on the health of children and youth. Available at: www.campaign2000.ca/resources/letters/Poverty_healthbackgrounder.pdf2. Spencer, N. (2008) Health consequences of poverty for children. London: End Child Poverty. Available at: www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/files/Health_consequences_of_Poverty_for_children.pdf3. Bynner, J., Elias, P., McKnight, A., Pan, H. and Pierre, G. (2002) Young people’s changing routes to independence. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.4. Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2008) The costs of child poverty for individuals and society. Available at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/costs-child-poverty-individuals-and-society-literature-review5. See, for example, Hooper, C.A., Gorin, S., Cabral, C. and Dyson, C (2007) Living with hardship 24/7: The diverse experiences of families in poverty in England.London: Frank Buttle Trust. Available at: www.york.ac.uk/admin/presspr/features/hardship.pdf6. Hart, B. and Risley, T.R. (2003) The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap. American Educator.7. McCoy, E. (2013) Lost for Words: Poor literacy, the hidden issue in child poverty. The National Literacy Trust. Available at: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0001/7863/Lost_for_Words_-_child_poverty_policy_paper.pdf8. Cox, J.E., Buman, M., Valenzuela, J., Joseph, N.P, Mitchell, A. and Woods, E.R. (2008) Depression, parenting attributes, and social support among adolescentmothers attending a teen tot program. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol, 21(5), 275-81.9. Ramchandani, P.G., Stein, A., O’Connor, T.G., Heron, J., Murray, L., Evans, J. Depression in men in the postnatal period and later child psychopathology: a populationcohort study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 47(4), 390-8.[All web links accessed 15/10/2014]1. Enhancing healthy schools – By supporting children and young people to make positive changes to their behaviourregarding health and wellbeing, we can help them reach their full potential in terms of achievement and fulfilment, as well asencouraging good habits which will benefit them now and in the future.library.teachingtimes.com/articles/ecj_enhancing-healthy-schoolsKnowledge trailsReferenceshttp://www.campaign2000.ca/resources/letters/Poverty_healthbackgrounder.pdfhttp://www.campaign2000.ca/resources/letters/Poverty_healthbackgrounder.pdfhttp://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/files/Health_consequences_of_Poverty_for_children.pdfhttp://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/files/Health_consequences_of_Poverty_for_children.pdfhttp://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/costs-child-poverty-individuals-and-society-literature-reviewhttp://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/costs-child-poverty-individuals-and-society-literature-reviewhttp://www.york.ac.uk/admin/presspr/features/hardship.pdfhttp://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0001/7863/Lost_for_Words_-_child_poverty_policy_paper.pdfhttp://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0001/7863/Lost_for_Words_-_child_poverty_policy_paper.pdfhttp://library.teachingtimes.com/articles/ecj_enhancing-healthy-schools"
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Special Needs

The rules of engagement

11 Dec 2014