Enhancing Kindergarten Student Teachers’ Conversation Techniques in the Context of their Teaching Practicum

Abstract

Early oral language stimuli that children experience in the school environment play a significant role in their language and literacy development [1]. Supporting children's early oral language skills through appropriate practices is considered crucial [2], since they relate significantly with several aspects of their subsequent literacy achievement, such as reading accuracy, fluency and text comprehension [3] [4]. Classroom conversations are considered an essential practice which kindergarten teachers can use to provide children with rich language experiences and models of appropriate language use [5] [2]. Through classroom conversations children learn how the syntactic and semantic aspects of language work, they enrich their vocabularies, and thus they create the foundation for literacy development [6]. Indicatively, research data have shown that preschoolers benefit in oral language skills development from cognitively challenging discussions guided by adults' effective conversations strategies (e.g. use of rare words, linguistic recasts and open-ended questions) [7] [8] [9]. Furthermore, classroom conversations add to a bigger vision which illustrates children's learning and development [6]. Through classroom conversations, children learn to communicate their ideas and thoughts, develop empathy, participate in group meaning making processes and eventually they learn how to become equal members of a learning community where several educational, social and developmental goals are attained [10]. Given the necessity of early classroom language experiences for children's oral language growth, an important question arises on how future kindergarten teachers can be trained and prepared to implement classroom conversation techniques which can contribute to this end. 1.1. Classroom Conversation Techniques Applied by Teachers in Kindergarten Settings Kindergarten teachers need to be aware of effective techniques and guidelines which facilitate conversations, ensure children's equal participation in these and lay the groundwork for their oral language development [11]. At the beginning of the school year, they may need to introduce children to some essential "no interruption" rules, and practice procedures in taking turns [6]. These guidelines provide the interlocutors the opportunity to build their contributions on each other's answers and