Learning is a continuous process that starts from a young age throughout to the old age. Globalization has significantly impacted on the modern learning process. Modern schools constitute students from varying language backgrounds. Some students are natives while others are non-native. The native students are those that the teaching dialect is their primary language while the other category applies it as the second option. It is vital to note that communication forms the basis of education and learning activities. There must be efficient and mutual understanding between the tutor and the students for learning to be efficiently executed. There are ongoing debates on the implications of first language literacy skills on development progression of language and literacy. This element assesses the link between learning to talk and learning to read and the significance on the children academic development. This paper discusses the effects of first language literacy skills on development progression of language and literacy development from early childhood through elementary school years. It assesses that implication which a close reference to my focal students. Finally, the effects of this progression on my work as an educator will be evaluated.According to Genesee and Nicoladis (2006), there have been questions whether children’s ability to learn a language is challenged in any way by the acquisition of two languages at the same time. Genesee and Nicoladis outline that there were discrepancies between early studies on the effects of acquiring two languages simultaneously. A study by Louis indicated minimal confusion while that one by Leopold illustrated significant concussion among learners. The acquisition of literacy skills in children follows a progressive advancement through particular stages. There is no specific relationship between these phases and children progress varying pace through the stages. Additionally, there is the possibility that child can move back and forth between the groups.
However, there is still deferring opinions from scholars on the relationship between development and learning. According to Vygotsky and Cole (1998), the relationship between learning and development remains methodologically unclear due assumptions employed in this studies. Vygotsky outlines that there are those who argue that learning is an external process and is not related in any way to learning. This argument is subject to debate because evaluating the performances of my focal students, the level of language development levels affects their comprehension when reading texts in English. Therefore, it will be wrong to conclude that development and learning are not related.
At early childhood, the students are attracted to visual impressions such as bright drawings and large number. During this stage, the children pay almost not attention to written text. At pre- school level, the students discover that reading and writing are vital activities in human life. It is during this stage student’s start developing in reading stories, and this is where language factor starts to play a defining role. At the elementary school level, the stage of language development becomes the factor in the learning process, as the activity is more on compression, analyzing an application of facts. This is the stage where communication barrier adversely affects the learning capabilities. This view explains the reasons behind Lorena Zapata comprehension skills and Alexis Chavez literacy struggles. According to Menken and Koyama (2013), language affects the performance of students. However, this does not imply that the students are not ready to learn.
Understanding this progression process will make me more strategic planner while designing learning tools for my students. It has made me understand that the progression occurs at varying paces among students. Therefore, it is important to handle students at individual capacities to enhance their literacy developments. Conclusively, it important for educators to understand thoroughly the progression stages so that they can devise effective teaching models.
- Genesee, F., & Nicoladis, E. (2006). Bilingual acquisition. In E. Hoff, & M. Shatz, Handbook of Language Development (pp. 1-34). Blackwell: Oxford.
- Menken, K., & Koyama, J. (2013). Emergent Bilinguals: Framing Students as Statistical Data? Bilingual Research Journal, 82-99.
- Vygotsky, L. S., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
