Swings + Roundabouts Autumn 2021

PD for ECE Teachers Ng ā Ara Whai Hua – Teachers & the Quality Indicators Stepping up to Supervisor ECE Teachers – Compliance & the Licensing Criteria Transition & Continuity of Learning in ECE Learning Stories & the Principles of Assessment Annual Appraisal in ECE – Your Blue Book Online Local Curriculum STEAM in ECE Early Literacy Physical Activity & Movement Child Protection in ECE Go to www.ecc.org.nz/events for more information and booking. If you cannot see in our Calendar of Events when your desired workshop is available in your area, contact events@ecc.org.nz , or check out our e-Learning options. Some topics are available as in-house workshops. About the author Katina Beauchamp is an Early Years (0-8) teacher, with a background and special interest in language, literacy, and additional languages. Her position as education specialist with the ECC involves policy advice and research, as well as designing education content and delivering relevant information to ECE professionals throughout New Zealand. Babbles start to sound like words, and adults can recognize the home language in the babble, i.e. it is possible to distinguish the babbling from an English-babbling infant from an infant babbling in Japanese. This is because the infants’ hearing and sounds are being fine-tuned to their surroundings. Children born without hearing acquire sign language in much the same way how hearing children acquire language. They go through the same linguistic stages, including the babbling stage, in fact, deaf children babble on their hands, just as hearing children babble with their vocal tracts. Their vocal sounds differ from the sounds hearing infants make. However, non-hearing infants who are exposed to sign language from birth use hand motions which reflect elements of the sign languages used in the infant’s deaf community (Fromkin et al., 2009). In short, babbling is not simply the playful repetition of consonants and vowels. It is an infant’s systematic preparation for speech, involving purposeful observation and interaction with the environment. The next time you hear yourself going ‘gagagaga’, remind yourself that you’re engaging in serious science. Sources: Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., Hyams, N., Collins, P, Amberber, M., & Harvey, M. (3009). An Introduction to Language (6th ed). Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd. Nixon, D. and Gould, K. (2005). Emerging Child Development in the First Three Years. Thomson Social Science Press. Australia March 2021 { 31 }