The young child depends on talking with adults to gain an understanding of the world around him and Focus on Meaning (originally published in 1973) helps the teacher, the parent, and all concerned with growing children to gain insight into the part that language plays during the early years of childhood. The fact that the author is a mother as well as a teacher of international reputation in the language field is apparent in the sympathetic, straight-forward treatment of crucial areas of language and learning development, built on a sound and logical theoretical basis.
First there is a brief account of the early stages of language development and a discussion of the importance of the attitudes of parents towards their children and of the way in which these influence the development of the child’s skill in using language. Through the discussion of recorded conversations, the reader is given a view of the wide range of uses of language which the young child can develop if he meets experiences which encourage him to think and express his ideas. The importance of the part the teacher can play in stimulating the development of these skills in children in the nursery and infant school is discussed and is illustrated by examples. The discussion is always on a practical level, but the samples of recorded talk illustrate the factors which influence the child’s use of language and the part played by language in much of his early learning.