Developing Literacy and Language Skills in EAL Childcare Settings

This essay examines the critical role of childcare in fostering literacy and language development in children, particularly those with English as an Additional Language (EAL). It emphasizes the significance of multi-literacy approaches, where teachers act as co-inquirers, mediators, and intellectuals to create language-rich environments. Effective strategies include minimal language use, visual aids, and cultural celebration to support EAL children's transition and language acquisition. The essay concludes that a well-structured learning environment, coupled with appropriate teaching methodologies, significantly aids in the language development and overall growth of children in their early years. Desklib offers a platform for students to access more solved assignments and resources.

ESSAY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Childcare is the process that deals with various important activities important for the
growth of children. It helps in developing the child with safety and assists them in building skills
that are required for them to become successful in school. Children will develop emotional and
communication skills along with pre- literacy and literacy concepts. This essay is about the
discussion involved within literacy and language when English is an additional language.
Language development comprises of various cognitive skills. It involves learning new
words and speaking in the same (Anstey,and Bull, 2018). Language development helps in
supporting the ability of the children to communicate with others as well as to express and
understand their feelings. Multi literacy learning is the process that provides a platform for
teachers to reflect on the various styles involved within learning and use them to produce
numerous learning opportunities. It is important as the technology has created several ways have
endless possibilities for education while helping in aiming at the educational success for the
students.
MAIN BODY
Teachers play an important role in the fundamental changes during the delivery of multi
literacy program for children. They are responsible for establishing various conditions that will
develop the foundation for students to practice language in very meaningful context. It is one of
the main responsibility for the teachers to help student develop positive attitude in learning other
languages. Teacher must predict the needs and demands of students and communicating the same
so as to make these needs readily available. A teacher will continue to serve as a language model
for the children and will discover new ways that will assist in encouraging students to
communicate in very meaningful way. A teacher acts as a facilitator that will provide resources
to the students. Role of teachers includes:
A co- inquirer: This is regarding having strong social skills and assisting the students in
developing thinking practice that is not understandable otherwise. It helps them in having better
analysis of the relations and putt in values for the society (Kellner, 2021). Teachers makes an
expert guide where the students are known to be explorer of the knowledge. Being a co- inquirer
provides the teachers with establishing a social and symbolic interaction. They will be
continuous learners that will help the students develop within their transitions.

Mediator: Teachers are responsible for making a worthwhile experience for the children
apart from being transmitter as well as facilitator of knowledge. They will deal with the
unfinished business and play into role as a mediator in solving problems. They will interact with
the children and help them build social system on mutual basis. Teachers as mediators are
appropriate for the social contexts and relation between knowledge, speech and writing for
children.
Intellectual: Teachers must be intellectual rather than being implementer within various
educational programs. Intellectual will fulfil the need of having strong initiatives that will
eliminate useless things. Teachers must master the use of critical thinking in empowering them
to make decision best for the students. It allows them to play the role of being an initiator of
change.
Multi literacy is the term associated with the wider knowledge of literacy for children. It
influences positively in increasing the ways of communication channels and build cultural and
diverse environment. Literacy is not just limited to text, it is also influenced by various factors
such as social, cultural and even technological (Kümmerling-Meibauer, 2019). Teachers play a
huge role in the early learning stages for children and can use different strategies to support their
development within learning.
Being a good role model helps in setting good examples for the children. It requires to adapt
behaviours according to the children to produce the best outcomes. They must develop a
language- rich environment that will maximise the opportunity for the children to be conducive
by good form of communication. Displaying the wall of the classroom with colourful and
thoughtful sentences might make the children begin to match it with their spoken as well as
written words. Ensuring quite places for learning will make the students easy to develop
communication skills as they will hear properly and understand without any distractions.
Encouraging pretend play helps in broadening the concepts of vocabularies for the children as
they will make their own stories.
Learning environment are important for the purpose of nurturing the children and
supporting their development. It includes having classroom with play spaces, outdoor place and
even a space for following care giving routines (New roles for literacy teachers in the age of
multi literacies: A sociocultural perspective, 2009). Learning environment must be set up in a
well- organised way as it allows a neat approach towards learning along with a managed setting

for the same. Such learning spaces offer a developmental approach that is aligned with the
schedules and lesson plans. In includes developing indoor and outdoor chances of having
experimentation. In addition to this, these environments must include having age- appropriate
equipments and other materials while integrating home based cultures. This helps in providing
flexibility to support the changes in age of children as well as includes the socialising spaces.
Environment is an important aspect for the purpose of literacy development of children
and must be language rich. Children being interested in speaking and learning will be agreeing to
learn the same. Social factors causes hindrance within the language development of children not
having English as the primary language (Serafini, and Gee, 2017). They will lack example on
which they can base their understanding of language. If the significant other in the case of
children is not supporting the multi literacy, it will make the children be less interested in
pursuing the same.
Teachers can follows several strategies to students the students as well as their families in
easing the transition within the childcare setting. Teacher must make minimal language use, this
will s provide the child with learning key vocabulary and simple sentences. This will build their
confidence within using the language and speaking in English. In addition to this, teachers must
keep it visual in understanding the benefits of the putting more emphasis on words. Symbols and
signs will help the child to understand the meaning better and in easy way. It is very important
for the teacher to celebrate the culture of children, it will make them feel welcomed and learn in
their comfortable setting. This will show them respect and make them happy to learn English.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that learning and development plays an important part in the
transition period of children at early age. Multi literacy allows children to learn new things and
develop by learning different languages. Teachers play a vital part in building the multi literacy
in students as well as can come up with various strategies that will help the children in having
easy learning of language development.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Anstey, M. and Bull, G., 2018. Foundations of multiliteracies: Reading, writing and talking in
the 21st century. Routledge.
Kellner, D., 2021. Digital Technologies, Multi-Literacies, and Democracy: Toward a
Reconstruction of Education. In Technology and Democracy: Toward A Critical Theory
of Digital Technologies, Technopolitics, and Technocapitalism (pp. 257-287). Springer
VS, Wiesbaden.
Kümmerling-Meibauer, B., 2019. Emergent challenges for the understanding of children’s digital
literature. In The Routledge Handbook of Digital Literacies in Early Childhood (pp.
430-441). Routledge.
Serafini, F. and Gee, E. eds., 2017. Remixing multiliteracies: Theory and practice from New
London to new times. Teachers College Press.
Online
New roles for literacy teachers in the age of multi literacies: A sociocultural perspective, 2009.
[Online]. Available through:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251256878_New_roles_for_literacy_teachers_i
n_the_age_of_multiliteracies_A_sociocultural_perspective>