Children’s vocabulary shrinking as reading loses out to screen time, says Susie Dent Exclusive: Countdown lexicographer urges families to read, talk and play word games to help language development

I’ve just read this interesting article about children’s vocabulary development & reading habits, & I have slightly complicated feelings about it.

🔗 tinyurl.com/49nb26ps

🧵👇

#langsky #linguistics #language #languagedevelopment #childlanguage #languageacquisition

Stop the "fun but flat" lesson trap. 🛑

Students don't learn from activity—they learn from processing inside it. Move from busywork to "Linguistic Missions" like Grammar Detectives and Chunk Hunters. 🕵️‍♂️✨

Make every song count. 🚀

#ESL #ELT #TeachingTips #LanguageAcquisition

The Language Learner's Toolbox 10 Core Methods for Acquisition

The Language Learner's Toolbox: 10 Core Methods for Acquisition

italianosoprano.substack.com/p/the-langua...

#languageacquisition #italianlanguage #learnitalian #italian #italy

🧵 7/7

Encouragingly, new tools & research are beginning to close the gap. Innovative assessments are being developed to evaluate children across languages & to focus on learning potential, not just current vocabulary.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

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The article also tackles an important myth: learning multiple languages does not cause or worsen DLD. In fact, multilingualism brings significant social & cognitive benefits.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

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DLD has lifelong consequences for mental health, education, employment & social inclusion. Early, accurate diagnosis can transform outcomes.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

🧵 3/7

True DLD looks different. It affects all of a child’s languages.

Children may struggle to understand instructions, tell stories, express thoughts, or interact with peers, even in their strongest language.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

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Multilingual children often develop each language at different speeds depending on exposure & opportunity. A child might appear behind in English simply because they hear it less at home.

That is not DLD.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

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The difficulty is this: when a child speaks more than one language, it can be hard to tell whether delayed progress is a normal part of bilingual development or a genuine language disorder.

#langsky #linguistics #DLD #childlanguage #languageacquisition

Sioux Falls district to expand co‑teaching for English learners after pilot showed stronger growth District officials presented WIDA access testing data and pilot results showing greater scaled‑score growth for EL students in co‑teaching classrooms; the district plans a three‑year phased rollout to expand co‑planning and co‑teaching.

Sioux Falls School District's pilot program reveals that English learners thrive in co-teaching environments, showing significant growth compared to traditional classrooms—now they're set to expand this successful model!

Click to read more!

#SD #SiouxFallsSchools #LanguageAcquisition

📢 Seminar | Prof. Laura Bosch (Univ. of Barcelona)
🗣️ Adaptation to a bilingual input and variability in early language acquisition
On early bilingual language development & variability.
📅 Feb 6, 10:30 | 📍 LPL, room B011, Aix-en-Provence

#Bilingualism #LanguageAcquisition

Attention #linguists!

#syntax #whIsland #languageAcquisition #linguistics

Bridging the Language Gap: Essential Resources for Newcomer EL Students Join Melissa Grinstead, a lead ESOL contributor to the work of AWB Education, as she dives into a crucial topic for all educators: effective resources for supporting newcomer English Learners (ELs). Addressing the daunting challenge of language barriers in content-area classrooms (math, science, social studies), Melissa shares a curated list of tangible tools, strategies, and supports.Discover a variety of invaluable resources designed to help ELs access rigorous curriculum content and bridge the linguistic gap. Melissa highlights: - The fantastic, comprehensive resources available on the Colorín Colorado website. - The benefit of checking out educational blogs, particularly mentioning the gems found on Larry Ferlazzo's site. - The professional development and assessment frameworks offered by the ELPA21 and WIDA websites. - PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next as game-changers for visual learners, providing linguistically simplified, academic content. - The Noun Project as a quick source for high-quality visuals and icons to supplement instruction. - The power of Newsela for providing content-area articles at adjustable Lexile levels, making differentiation practical for later elementary and secondary students. Melissa emphasizes that while tools are essential, patience and empathy are paramount as you support your learners. Remember to celebrate every piece of progress in their language acquisition journey.

📣 New Podcast! "Bridging the Language Gap: Essential Resources for Newcomer EL Students" on @Spreaker #awbeducation #colorincolorado #curriculum #differentiation #education #elpa21 #els #englishlearners #esol #languageacquisition #newcomerstudents #newsela #pebblego #pedagogy #resources #wida

Leave notes, play games, go shopping: how to boost your child’s multilingual skills these holidays Here are five practical, research-informed tips to help families build kids’ skills in their home language.

Leave notes, play games, go shopping: how to boost your child’s #multilingual skills these holidays
theconversation.com/leave-notes-...
via @theconversation.com
#languageacquisition #children #langsky

#BabyTalk is surprisingly complex and designed to aid #LanguageAcquisition through simplified grammar and vocabulary as well as exaggerated pitch. It's near universal, with virtually all cultures engaging in it in some form.

#linguistics #baby #children #language #languagelearning #parents #speech

Language mixing has no negative effect on toddlers' vocabulary development, study shows Parents in bilingual and multilingual families can wrestle with when and how to expose infants and toddlers to words in different languages. However, a new paper from the Concordia Infant Research Lab...

Language mixing has no negative effect on #toddlers' vocabulary development, study shows
phys.org/news/2025-12...
via @phys.org.web.brid.gy
<Yet another study with the same outcome. No surprise. >
#languageacquisition #children #multilingual #langsky

ELPS Flip Book 2026 Updates This training introduces the updated English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) set to take effect in 2026. Participants will explore key changes and learn…

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! Learn everything you need to know about the new #ELPS & #PLDs taking effect in 2026—& learn key strategies to support #EBs in #LanguageAcquisition. Join @Hand_Allie in DFW for the fantastic #ELPsFlipBook workshop. seidlitzeducation.com/upcoming_eve...

Me: *singing with (over?) the Moana soundtrack*
5yo: stop it Abba! You can’t make me hear the music!
[You make me neg can hear the music]

#parenting #linguistics #syntax #raising #negation #LangAcq #LanguageAcquisition

Nota Bene:

This has been another fun project – with the inevitable @audunrosslund.bsky.social and @nataliakartushina.bsky.social!

As usual – the data is openly available (+ pre-registration + author version): osf.io/s8zrm/.

#LanguageAcquisition #IDS #DevPsy

Seguin ISD reports gains but flags gaps in TELPAS and ESL staffing; 1,093 emergent bilingual students noted District bilingual/ESL staff told trustees the program serves about 1,093 emergent bilingual students (including 226 recent arrivals in the last three years) and presented TELPAS proficiency and growth data, accountability points by campus, and a plan to reduce teacher ESL waivers and exceptions.

Seguin ISD is making strides in serving over 1,000 emergent bilingual students but faces critical challenges in closing achievement gaps and ensuring ESL-certified teachers.

Get the details!

#TX #CitizenPortal #TeacherCertification #LanguageAcquisition #EducationAccess #TexasEmergentBilinguals

My 3-year old son just sternly corrected me that Mickey wasn’t jumping on a macaron but on a “candy burger” #Creativity #LanguageAcquisition

A question for IB Language Acquisition Educators:

Are you seeking authentic, contemporary news content in target languages for your students?

#languageacquisition #spanish #French #Portuguese #LanguageA #LanguageB #myp #DP

TLDR (4/4):

The findings also shed light on why some children struggle with reading & dyslexia: those who rely on piecemeal strategies (focusing on parts, not wholes) may find it harder to distinguish similar letters or process words fluidly.

#langsky #linguistics #languageacquisition

TLDR (2/4):

These same visual skills underpin early reading. When a child learns to tell b from d, they’re not just decoding letters — they’re mentally rotating them, connecting shape, orientation, & meaning.

#langsky #linguistics #languageacquisition #childlanguage

TLDR (1/4):

Developmental psychologists studying “mental rotation” — the ability to picture objects as they spin, flip or turn in space — have found that children as young as three years old already use adult-like strategies to visualise movement & shape.

#langsky #linguistics #languageacquisition

Even before they can read, young children are visualizing letters and other objects with the same strategies adults use Recent research shows that young children typically manipulate and rotate entire objects in their minds to understand challenges such as puzzles.

Ever noticed how young children sometimes mix up b and d — or p and q? New research suggests the answer may lie not just in literacy, but in spatial reasoning.

🔗 tinyurl.com/5f2cvxjd

TLDR 👇

#langsky #languageacquisition #linguistics #childlanguage

#BUCLD50 Symposium: “Language acquisition and generative grammar: The past 50 years”, by Jill de Villiers, William Snyder, Tom Roeper, and Virginia Valian!

Learn more about the symposium at:
www.bu.edu/bucld/

#LanguageAcquisition #GenerativeGrammar #LinguisticsHistory #LanguageDevelopment

Creighton board adopts revised interim measures for English‑learner proficiency goal The Creighton Elementary School District board approved its progress monitoring report for Goal 3 — increasing English proficiency for emerging multilingual learners — and voted to revise two interim measures (3.2 and 3.3) after staff presented fall pretest data and proposed targets and inputs.

The Creighton Elementary School District is on a mission to boost English proficiency for multilingual learners, aiming for an ambitious 40% success rate by 2028!

Learn more here

#AZ #CitizenPortal #StudentProgress #ArizonaMultilingualLearners #EducationEquity #LanguageAcquisition

#BUCLD50 is honored to welcome Dr. Jean Berko Gleason, an esteemed professor from Boston University, as the keynote speaker!

Dr. Gleason will present “Hi, thanks and goodbye: From the Wug Test to AI” on Friday, November 7th, 2025, 5:30 PM-7:00 PM.

#LanguageAcquisition #ChildrenLanguage #WugTest

How to Use AI to Learn a New Language - Article For U Unlock the world of words with AI! From smart chatbots to personalized lessons, AI tailors language learning to your pace and style, making fluency not just a dream but a digital reality.

How to Use AI to Learn a New Language #AI #AILanguageApps #AITools #ArtificialIntelligence #EdTech #languageacquisition #LanguageEducation #languagelearning #languagepractice #languageskills #LearningaNewLanguage #learningtechniques #onlinelearning #studytips #technologyineducation