Return-Path: <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f3QFuWf04179; Thu, 26 Apr 2001 11:56:32 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 11:56:32 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <003801c0ce67$7f6431c0$885e17cf@oemcomputer> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "A. Schofield/S.Smythe" <andrewsc@interchange.ubc.ca> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:9] Re: NIFL-FAMILY digest 1452 X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 9085 Lines: 249 I am grateful for an opportunity to discuss more deeply the issues that Jan Richler raises about the claims made in the "Early Struggles in Vocab. Development" It seems there are a lot of claims made these days about what mothers absolutely have to do in the first years of her child's life to prevent poverty, criminality, illness and so on. These are compelling arguements, talking to children is a good thing. But I wonder about a couple of things: Why always the mother? Many articles interchange the term parent for mother. Surely there are other people in the children's lives who are also important? Why uni-dimensional solutions? Teaching letters to young babies is not going determine life long success and competence. It seems we are always looking for magic bullets. So, what are some of the political, economical, social factors that shape this rise in research on the importance/responsibility of the mother in producing healthy and successful citizens? Thanks, Suzanne Smythe Vancouver BC ----- Original Message ----- From: <nifl-family@nifl.gov> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 7:16 AM Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:8] NIFL-FAMILY digest 1452 > NIFL-FAMILY Digest 1452 > > Topics covered in this issue include: > > 1) FW: Very helpful: SUDDENLY SINGLE MOM, A Practical Guide to Self- > by "Dudka, Shelly" <DudkaS@board.tec.wi.us> > 2) Re: Early Struggles in Vocabulary Developm > by Jan Richter <jan@benton.org> > 3) Re: Early Struggles in Vocabulary Development > by "Jan Mandernach" <jmander@babytalk.org> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 11:19:08 -0500 > From: "Dudka, Shelly" <DudkaS@board.tec.wi.us> > To: "'nifl-family@nifl.gov'" <nifl-family@nifl.gov> > Subject: FW: Very helpful: SUDDENLY SINGLE MOM, A Practical Guide to Self- > Message-ID: <9A5AC60A915AD411B0B50008C745F2E70BB06C@mis_nt.board.tec.wi.us> > > Here is an interesting book that the family literacy audience may find > useful. > > Michelle Dudka, Ph.D. > Coordinator for Wis. Statewide Family Literacy Initiative > WI Technical College System Board > 310 Price Place, PO Box 7874 > Madison, WI 53707-7874 > dudkas@board.tec.wi.us > (608) 266-5858, (608)266-1690 fax > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Hickok, Patricia > Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 11:11 AM > To: Dudka, Shelly > Subject: FW: Very helpful: SUDDENLY SINGLE MOM, A Practical Guide to > Self-sufficient Survival > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: maria brown [mailto:mariabrown108@hotmail.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 11:10 AM > To: hickokp@board.tec.wi.us > Subject: Very helpful: SUDDENLY SINGLE MOM, A Practical Guide to > Self-sufficient Survival > > > If we want to HELP THE CHILDREN we must HELP THE MOTHERS so I thought, as a > professional, you might be interested in a great book I found on the web > called: > > SUDDENLY SINGLE MOM, A Practical Guide to Self-sufficient Survival > (C) 2001 by T.J.Terry > > It is an EXCELLENT RESOURCE for single mothers. You will find it useful > professionally as well as the fact that OVER HALF of all school-aged > children in America live in single mom homes. It is useful to them, too. > > You can find it via search engine=> "SUDDENLY SINGLE MOM" > The actual site is http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/tjterry > > The author is a well known keynote speaker and also conducts conferences > across the U.S. called: > CELEBRATION OF LIFE > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 16:33:12 -0400 > From: Jan Richter <jan@benton.org> > To: "'nifl-family@nifl.gov'" <nifl-family@nifl.gov> > Subject: Re: Early Struggles in Vocabulary Developm > Message-ID: <1AA13FF9A007D5118FE7009027A8F38D09963D@wx5.benton.org> > > I included a brief summary of this research and the link to the press > release in the Connect for Kids Weekly but focused on the link between early > language environment and kindergarten functioning because the policy > conclusions seemed a stretch from the research. I think someone who works in > this field having a conversation with Farkas on this research and his > findings -- what's close to the data and what is a policy conclusion on his > part -- would be extremely valuable. I'd love to see a posting to this list > of any such conversation. Thanks. > Jan Richter > jan@benton.org > > -----Original Message----- > From: BRmidwest@aol.com [mailto:BRmidwest@aol.com] > Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 12:55 AM > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:3651] Re: Early Struggles in Vocabulary > Development > > > It was interesting to read this article (and I most certainly believe that > it > is valuable and desirable for parents to talk and read or tell stories with > their children), but I have a number of questions and concerns: > > First, I could not see where the article was originally published. I think > I > see a Penn State address for the article in the current issue of Connect for > > Kids, but I'm not sure what the publication is. (Nancy, I'm sure you can > answer this first question... The rest of the questions would need to be > answered by the authors of the study OR the authors of the article.) > > Second, I would like to know more about the validity of the instruments used > > to assess children's vocabulary in the study. > > Third, I'd like to learn whether a direct link has been proven between > children's performance on vocabulary tests and "low-skill and poorly paid > jobs that perpetuate the cycle of poverty" in adulthood. (Quote is from > article.) > > Finally, some of the conclusions cited in the article seem questionable to > me: > > "[The researcher says,] 'It is also necessary for mothers to teach letters > to > their babies....' ....The authors conclude that federal and local programs > and policies must be aimed at improving the early vocabulary development and > > school readiness skills of children from low-income households. In > particular, the Bush > administration's emphasis on improving the letter, sound, word recognition > and pre-reading skills instruction provided by Head Start and similar > programs is well-targeted on an important instructional area." > > What data--in this study or any others--support teaching "letters to babies" > > or "sound recognition" to 3-year-olds? If anything, most studies suggest > that these types of activities are useless and developmentally inappropriate > > for infants and preschoolers. > > Furthermore, assuming that a broad vocabulary is indeed a good thing, how > does teaching letters (and so on) to babies and preschoolers help them > develop their vocabularies? The other suggestions made by the > authors--talking and reading with young children--would seem to be more > likely to be correlated with the development of vocabulary. > > Betsy Rubin > Coordinator, Family Learning Project > Blue Gargoyle Youth Service Center > Chicago, IL > > > > > > > > > << The authors conclude that federal and local programs and policies must be > aimed at improving the early vocabulary development and school readiness > skills of children from low-income households. In particular, the Bush > administration's emphasis on improving the letter, sound, word recognition > and pre-reading skills instruction provided by Head Start and similar > programs is well-targeted on an important instructional area, which is > vital > to the schooling success of low-income children, Farkas notes. >> > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 08:34:07 -0500 > From: "Jan Mandernach" <jmander@babytalk.org> > To: <nifl-family@nifl.gov> > Subject: Re: Early Struggles in Vocabulary Development > Message-ID: <004201c0ce55$926e0640$0401a8c0@family.net.net> > > This discussion on the appropriate type of interaction around language with > young children prompts me to respond. Although the study referred to > interprets the results on the basis of social class, I have seen another > report recently that looks at similar data and analyzes it on the basis of > mother's verbalizations. In other words, how much talking does the parent > engage in with the child. That difference accounted for difference in > vocabulary at kindergarten and first grade regardless of social class. > There does seem to be a correlation between education and talking to a > child. Persons with higher education also tend to be in the higher social > class. Therefore, social class and vocabulary growth in children could be > confounded because of education of the parent. I am searching for the exact > reference to the article above--when I find it I'll post it. My > recollection is that it was reported in Child Development but I haven't come > across it yet. > Jan Mandernach > Baby TALK > Decatur, IL > > > ------------------------------ > > End of NIFL-FAMILY Digest 1452 > ******************************
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