Many new entrant teachers in Christchurch are concerned about the poor oral language some children now have on school entry. In this seminar, I outline research which suggests the solution lies in improving the back-and-forth communication children experience in the first 3 years of their lives.

Come and learn about why oral language in the early preschool years matters; quality teaching strategies to boost oral language development in preschoolers; and how you can develop your practice as an early childhood teacher in this area.

I am an experienced speech language therapist and researcher / lecturer at the University of Canterbury in child language development and disorders (and a mother of a 3 year old!). I enjoy translating key research findings into simple practical changes people can make in their everyday interactions with children.

This seminar is tailored for early childhood teachers (qualified or unqualified) and assumes professional level knowledge and experience working with young children. Other professionals who work with children aged 0-3 years would likely also find the talk is pitched well for them (e.g. Plunkett nurses). While the focus is on the early childhood centre setting, many of the interactive tips are suitable for home or other settings also. This talk will be in the style of seminar, with opportunities for you to participate and to ask questions. Note this talk focuses on broad language development (i.e. words, sentences, stories, early conversational skills), rather than speech production (i.e. speech sounds, articulation, lisps, tongue ties etc).

If you are unable to attend in person, there is an online webinar option for a reduced price of $30 (plus ticket costs) per person. Please purchase the correct type of ticket - "general adminission" to attend in person or "online webinar".

All funds raised go towards the University of Canterbury's Child Language Research Group to fund research projects aiming to support children with language difficulties.

For a map of campus see: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/maps/home and enter "E14" into the search field.

Jayne Newbury, PhD

Lecturer in paediatric speech and language development

School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing

University of Canterbury