Language Development in Hearing Children
For the average hearing person it is hard to know the exact moment when language developed inside. For the many though it is known to be early, the natural environment in which one grows up in is continuously surrounded by language. As for me I know that my mother and father talked to me right out of the womb. Talking to me everyday since March sixth!
After reading the first chapter in Language Learning Practices with Deaf Children, Rose greatly introduces the theories behind language development in children who are hearing. The theories I would most agree with Sociocultural Theory and the Behavior Theory. It is the theory that emphasizes that the development of language is attainable by one child's interaction with members of a society. I think this can directly relate to children who or hearing and those who are deaf. Placing a child in a language rich environment enhances their language just simply from the exposure they are receiving. This theory focuses on the power of conversation. I hope as a future teacher to teach and learn through conversation in my classroom. For a child to communicate they must have listening skills to receive and respond but also comprehension skills to simply listen. The strength in ones conversation can show the range of language one contains. In addition, I believe in the influence of the environment on the intake of language. The behavior theory has the idea that the consumption of language is innocently done with the learner being passive who is just responding to stimuli in the environment. Again, a student is learning unknowingly through their environment and the actions of others. If appropriate vocabulary and language are available for children it is received naturally.
Continuing the reading on the subject of Language development, I found interesting the history of where language comes from and the dire need to know where it originates was and has been an every longing question. In the first chapter, Schirmer, is gives the reader a beautiful analogy of language and the growth of a plant. It is worded in a way that creates such a clear statement for those who are hearing and those who are deaf. The child begins life with a seed full of language capability and cognitive potential. The child just needs a fertile environment to help and enable the seed of language to grow and bloom with knowledge.
The chapter also touched on an area of topic that I have been scrambling to figure out in my own mind lately, inner speech. Vygotsky views external speech as speech for others, turning thought into words and internal speech as speech for oneself, turning speech into inward thoughts. I always wondered about the speech with in an individuals mind. I wondered if the same inner thought process occurred in those who were Deaf or hard of hearing. The chapter mentions that as we have inner speech a person who is Deaf has inner sign. They are constantly using their inner eye, which can be another name for their inner speech, to take visual-gestures and turning them into a comprehensible language, ASL or English. I found this point so fascinating and parallel to my own thoughts of inner speech, it mirrors the individual's language.
On the topic of language development there are endless resources to learn from about this interesting topic. I feel as a future educator I will always be learning about the development of language within my own mind and those of my students. The more I can learn the more I can be of benefit to my students.
Language Development in Children who are Deaf
The chapter also touched on an area of topic that I have been scrambling to figure out in my own mind lately, inner speech. Vygotsky views external speech as speech for others, turning thought into words and internal speech as speech for oneself, turning speech into inward thoughts. I always wondered about the speech with in an individuals mind. I wondered if the same inner thought process occurred in those who were Deaf or hard of hearing. The chapter mentions that as we have inner speech a person who is Deaf has inner sign. They are constantly using their inner eye, which can be another name for their inner speech, to take visual-gestures and turning them into a comprehensible language, ASL or English. I found this point so fascinating and parallel to my own thoughts of inner speech, it mirrors the individual's language.
On the topic of language development there are endless resources to learn from about this interesting topic. I feel as a future educator I will always be learning about the development of language within my own mind and those of my students. The more I can learn the more I can be of benefit to my students.
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