Julie Radford

Consultation as a model for providing speech and language therapy in schools: a panacea or one step too far?

In recent years there has been a pressure to introduce an indirect “consultative model” to working with children with speech and language needs. It is favoured by educationists because it avoids the need to take children out of class and embeds any support children received in the curriculum. This paper reports the results of a recent study which indicates that Speech and Language Therapists are concerned about the universal application of this model of service delivery. It introduces and discusses a number of interrelated factors which need to be in place before the consultative model can be successfully introduced.

Triadic Dialogue in Oral Communication Tasks: What are the Implications for Language Learning?

Asymmetry in classroom discourse, typified by teachers’ frequent use of inauthentic initiating question turns, does not afford the best opportunities for the learning of language skills. More favourable conditions would appear to be associated with collaborative discourse patterns that display genuine interest in the child’s contribution and build on, and respond to, the child’s turn. Video-recordings were made of consecutive episodes of ‘story-writing’, ‘speaking-book’ and ‘circle-time’ activities to explore the sequential implications of the teachers’ initiations across each task. During speaking-book the teacher initiates with topic initial elicitors which invite news, ideas or opinions from the child. In story-writing the teacher employs invitations, which call for the children to generate ideas or suggestions. Analysis of teacher follow-up turns demonstrates ways in which they recast and reformulate the children’s response turns and elicit further material related to the pupils’ agendas. By contrast, there is limited evidence of negotiation in the circle-time activity. The study demonstrates the potentially facilitative role played by triadic dialogue in language learning and therefore has professional significance for all those involved in the development of oral language skills in classrooms.

How do teachers manage topic and repair

A case study is presented of a 10-year-old child described as having comprehension difficulties, in conversation with a specialist teacher, a mainstream teacher and a peer. Tape recordings of social talk between the child and the adults and peer were made in the school setting. The data are subjected to detailed sequential analysis, drawing on some of the insights gained into the management of topic and repair by researchers working in the tradition of conversation analysis. We find that both our subject’s specialist teacher and the mainstream peer use some helpful devices to extend the topical material produced by the child and to repair ‘troubles’ in the conversation. We consider the language learning potential of these turns and the implications for classroom teachers working with children with language needs.

Attitudes of teachers and headteachers towards inclusion in Lebanon

In the Arabic region, the drive towards inclusive practices in mainstream schools is at a relatively early stage, although, in Lebanon, the recent initiative of the National Inclusion Project (NIP), a project managed by a consortium of four organisations aimed at addressing the exclusion experienced by people with a disability, has the potential to promote rapid change in provision. This study explores the attitudes of teachers and headteachers towards people with a disability in mainstream primary schools in Lebanon, a middle-income Arab country. A mixed method approach was used to collect data. Forty teachers from mainstream schools within the Project completed questionnaires, and key headteachers as well as the consortium managers were interviewed. The sample was purposively selected in order to examine the attitudes of participants with previous experience of students with disabilities. In general, the findings indicate positive attitudes towards the inclusion of students in mainstream schools. However, participants expressed reservations about including all students, especially those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Further challenges include limited training, availability of qualified specialist teachers and the high cost of supporting inclusion. These findings will inform future research, as more studies regarding the implementation of inclusive education in the Middle East are warranted.

Parent-Child Interaction in Nigerian Families: Conversation Analysis, Context and Culture.

This paper uses a conversation analysis (CA) approach to explore parent—child interaction (PCI) within Nigerian families. We illustrate how speech and language therapists (SLTs), by using CA, can tailor recommendations according to the interactional style of each individual family that are consonant with the familys cultural beliefs. Three parent—child dyads were video-taped playing and talking together in their home environments. The analysis uncovered a preference for instructional talk similar to that used in the classroom. Closer examination revealed that this was not inappropriate when considering the context of the activities and their perceived discourse role. Furthermore, this was not necessarily at the expense of responsivity or semantic contingency. The preference for instructional talk appeared to reflect deeply held cultural beliefs about the role of adults and children within the family and it is argued that the cultural paradigm is vitally important to consider when evaluating PCI. Given a potential risk that such young children may be vulnerable in terms of language difficulties, we offer an example of how PCI can be enhanced to encourage language development without disrupting the naturally occurring talk or the underlying purpose of the interaction.

Word searches: on the use of verbal and non‐verbal resources during classroom talk

Word finding difficulties in children are typically characterized by search behaviours such as silence, circumlocution, repetition, and empty words. Yet, how childrens word searches are constructed (including gesture, gaze, and prosody) and the actions accomplished during interaction have not yet been researched. In this study, 8‐year‐old Ciara is interacting with her teacher in the classroom. Thirty‐seven segments containing word searches were analysed according to the procedures used by conversation analysts. Ciaras interactional resources include co‐ordinated deployment of syntax, pitch height, and downward gaze during solitary searching that assist the enterprise of self‐repair. Gaze shift towards the teacher signals a transition relevance place, thus constituting a direct invitation for her to participate in the search. Ciaras interactional resources include semantic category labelling, phonological self‐cuing, and pronominal substitution that supply valuable linguistic information to the teacher and trigger production of the searched‐for item. Recommendations for language teaching and therapy are presented.

Collaboration between LEA and SLT managers for the planning of services to children with speech and language needs

Whereas collaboration between practitioners such as teachers and therapists is relatively well documented, less is known about collaboration between their respective services at managerial level. This article reports on the case-study phase of a national study into provision of services to children with speech, and language needs. The case sites were 15 LEAs and a corresponding health trust partner, 10 self-rated as high collaborators. 57 health and education managers were interviewed about a range of themes relating to the strategic planning of services, collaboration, funding and resource allocation, training and professional development and the involvement of parents. We find extensive recognition of the need for collaboration between agencies, but wide variation in practices across England and Wales. At strategic level, various factors appear to facilitate joint planning, although constraints operate at several levels. Tensions in the current system are explored, with particular reference to how to achieve equitable distribution of resources whilst working towards an agenda of inclusive education.

SLT beliefs about collaborative practice: Implications for education and learning

Effective collaborative practice is expected of newly qualified speech and language therapists (SLTs) in order to achieve the best outcomes for clients. Research into collaborative practice has identified a number of barriers to and facilitators of collaborative practice, but there has been limited research into how well prepared newly qualified SLTs are to carry out collaborative practice or their beliefs about its value. There is emerging research into the teaching of collaborative practice in higher education institutions; however, studies have typically focused on medical professions, with limited research into the teaching of collaborative practice for allied health professionals. This study set out to explore newly qualified SLTs’ beliefs about the value of collaborative practice; barriers to and facilitators of collaborative practice in paediatric work settings; the effectiveness of the teaching of collaborative practice on their pre-registration higher education course; and how the teaching of collaborative practice on SLT university courses could be improved. Semi-structured telephone interviews were carried out with 10 newly qualified speech and language therapists. Responses were analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Results indicated that participants in this study regard collaborative practice as important for effective practice, particularly for the purpose of delivering intervention. The participants typically described their role as a provider and receiver of information about a child, but only as a provider of skills. This lack of reciprocity may be an additional barrier to effective working relationships with school staff. Participants emphasized the need for better links between theory and practice in the teaching of collaborative practice at university, and were disappointed by the variability of opportunities to experience collaboration on placement. Increasing the value of collaborative practice could be addressed by assessing it in line with more traditional clinical skills. Additionally, engagement with other professionals at university through case-based workshops could ensure that all students have equitable opportunities to experience and develop skills in collaborative practice. This study adds to the literature on barriers to and facilitators of collaborative practice. It also serves as a preliminary study to enrich understanding of the beliefs of newly qualified SLTs regarding the current teaching of collaborative practice and indicate how learning opportunities could be improved.

The Teaching Assistant's Guide to Effective Interaction : How to maximise your practice

The Teaching Assistant’s Guide to Effective Interaction is the definitive guide to teaching assistant-pupil interaction and an invaluable professional development tool for classroom support staff and the teachers who work with them.

Teaching assistant and pupil interactions: The role of repair and topic management in scaffolding learning

BACKGROUND Teaching assistants (TAs) are taking increasing responsibility for the learning of pupils. A key instructional skill for TAs is the ability to scaffold learning. AIM To explore the interactions of TAs in relation to scaffolding as a theory of instruction. METHODS Observational data in the form of video were collected. Conversation analysis was used to examine these interactions. RESULTS Examples are explored where repair of troubles and construction of topic are highly led by the TA. As such, these interactions cannot be seen to constitute scaffolding. CONCLUSIONS Teaching assistants require training in scaffolding as an instructional strategy, and educational psychologists (EPs) could play a vital role in this respect.