Let’s get chatting about practical language strategies for your preschool classroom

By JENNIFER GRANT

PACKED with practical language-building strategies, this course could be a game-changer in your preschool classroom.

Designed for Early Childhood teachers and educators, the Noah’s Ark Let’s Chat: Building Oral Literacy course offers a suite of strategies that you can practice and implement immediately.

And all within your existing routines and activities.

“It gives you practical strategies you can use straight away in your classroom and these are discussed from the very first week of the course,” Noah’s Ark Community Engagement Consultant Lou Ambrosy explains.

“These include how to purposefully build on children’s vocabulary, and a chance to practice book reading strategies too.”

Lou says one of the key takeaways from the course is how educators work in partnerships with parents and caregivers and “this is so very important”.

And if you have questions around what the up-to-date research is telling us about the impacts of screentime and language development, the course also touches on that too.

“At the centre is the evidence base of oral language skills being that strong foundation for literacy skills,” Lou says.

“And the part where we get to deep dive into shared book reading is a little bit magical.

“We know that preschool teachers and educators have so many skills already, so this course aims to complement that by collaboratively adding to your toolkit from an Early Intervention and allied health perspective and evidence base.

“The course has been designed around best practice in Early Intervention.”

Lou says that the course is also an opportunity for the sharing of ideas between participants as that chance to connect with peers.

In Victoria, Let's Chat is a School Readiness Funded item.

This course can contribute towards professional development requirements for teachers. This includes the Victorian Institute of Teaching’s professional development requirements for working with children with disabilities as part of the Special Needs Plan, and NSW Education Standards Authority’s recommended priority area of students/children with a disability.

Contact Noah’s Ark for further information or to enquire about costs, and how to combine this learning with your professional development calendar.