Principles in early language learning

To meet Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, please contact Alejandrina Cristia: alejandrina.cristia@ens.fr

Language competence is the single best predictor of children’s social and school success.  Yet, we often pay little attention to how we can foster strong language skills at home and in school.  Using the science of learning as our guide, this presentation offers a twist on the way we do traditional science.  Rather than asking what we do not yet know about language learning, we ask what we have learned in the past 40 years that could guide us in “languagizing” environments for children. Distilling from the language literature, I present 6 principles of language learning that can help parents and educators build a strong foundation for language learning and hence later reading, math and even executive function skills. Throughout, I review the literature on language development and add research generated in our labs to bridge the gap between what we know and how we can make that knowledge actionable.  Our latest studies on evidence-based assessment and intervention demonstrate that using these principles can foster precisely the skills children will need to predict stronger social and academic outcomes.