Use the back button to return to your initial selection.

HOME |  THE NETWORKS |  CANADIAN LANGUAGE AND LITERACY RESEARCH NETWORK

Why wait a decade or longer for good science to reach the classroom? Canadian experts have found an ingenious way to do it in two years.

Literacy increases GDP Investment in human capital, such as education and skills training, is three times as important to economic growth over the long run as investment in physical capital, according to a June 2004 Statistics Canada study. The analysis, based on data for 14 OECD economies between 1960 and 1995, found that a 1% increase in average skills could yield a permanent 1.5% increase in GDP per capita. For Canada, that would equate to an ongoing annual GDP jump of $18.4 million. Source: Statistics Canada "The calendar is very attractive, informative, and reflective of our multicultural population. First Word Preschool Speech and Language Program of Ottawa works in collaboration with the childcare community. It is our pleasure to disseminate this wonderful tool." Sonia Rowe Project Coordinator, Ottawa, ON "Congratulations on a useful, highly relevant tool for caregivers!" Karin Macaulay Centennial Daycare, Victoria, BC "We love it so much that we need more!" Ekwaamjigenang Children's Centre, Hagersville, ON "What a wonderful teaching tool! Great tips, easy to understand words, colourful graphics, diversity, inclusion – it's all there!" Lynn Milligan Childcare coordinator Gagetown Military Family Resource Centre, Oromocto, NB

"Thousands of young children spend most of their waking hours in child care," explains Elaine Weitzman, Executive Director of The Hanen Centre, one of the main partners in the calendar project. "That's why it's critical that the people caring for these children know how to help them develop optimal language, social, and literacy skills. This calendar gives caregivers the tools to prepare children for the social interactions and academic learning they will require later in life."

The 16-month calendar (beginning September 2004) translates cutting-edge research findings into fun, practical activities for childcare professionals to use in the classroom or in small groups. Developed by Ms. Weitzman and staff at The Hanen Centre and by Dr. Luigi Girolametto, a professor at the University of Toronto's Graduate Department of Speech-Language Pathology, the calendar was launched by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network in partnership with these two organizations.

Each week, the calendar features tips and techniques in both English and French that encourage educators to engage children in conversation and foster greater peer interaction. In October, for example, it recommends that educators "have conversations with children while they are engaged in an activity." In August, it suggests that children be encouraged "to tell you personal stories." It also promotes linguistic and cultural diversity.

This practical advice draws upon nearly a decade of comprehensive research on language facilitation in childcare settings that top experts from Canada and the United States shared at an October 2002 symposium sponsored by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network. The proceedings from the symposium set the stage for development of the calendar.

"Journal articles are great for a scientific audience, but they don't address the practical needs of preschool teachers," says Dr. Girolametto. "We're dealing with childcare professionals who have little time for curriculum planning and may have no access to the Internet at work. The calendar seemed like a very practical way to disseminate research findings."

Often, it can take up to 10 years for peer-reviewed scientific papers and conference proceedings to be adopted by frontline childcare educators, clinicians, and teachers. Dr. Girolametto says they wanted to produce something that educators could begin using immediately in a real-world setting. The calendar also lists Web links for educators wanting more details on activities or the research itself.

"For example, a tip for one week suggests educators read a wordless book to the children," says Ms. Weitzman, whose centre provides training to speech language pathologists around the world. "If they go to The Hanen Centre's Web site, we have a link that provides additional ideas, such as examples of wordless books that we think would work well. It turns the calendar into a living resource."

Already, 30,000 copies of the calendar have been distributed to early childhood educators and speech language pathologists across Canada, with another 15,000 copies downloaded from the Network's Web site (www.cllrnet.ca) – making it the largest target audience reached to date by the Network. Demand has been so high that the Network is reprinting another 5,000 copies. An updated version is planned for 2006, as well as an impact study to measure the calendar's effectiveness with caregivers.

"If you can train one educator, you can potentially reach thousands of children who will eventually go through the educator's classroom," says Ms. Weitzman. "By getting these research findings into practice quickly, we're reaching a whole generation of children who might otherwise not have had the advantage of being exposed to this kind of enriched environment."

www.cllrnet.ca