Learning & Development: Attention - Listen with Lucy

The Attention and Listening in the Early Years programme, or 'Listen with Lucy', as it is known in Shropshire, aims to nurture the attention, concentration and listening skills of children aged two to four years.

It was first developed for a Sure Start programme and in response to concerns, both locally and nationally, that children were entering reception classes with inadequate attention skills for accessing the national curriculum (Early Years Language Survey of Head Teachers, National Literacy Trust, 2001).

Many settings in the area already used the SALLEY programme - Structured Activities for Language and Literacy in the Early Years (Boucher et al, 2002) for improving the attention skills of children from three and a half years old. So 'Listen with Lucy' was developed to support the language skills of much younger children.

As the programme grew in popularity, it was gradually introduced in to more and more early years settings across the county. Many of the settings were chosen following a recommendation by the early years support staff, such as area SENCOs, who felt that the programme fitted comfortably alongside the Department of Children, Schools and Families initiatives, 'Letters and Sounds' and 'Communicating Matters'.

In 2008, the importance of the development of children's speech, language and communication skills were highlighted in the Bercow Review, commissioned by the DCSF and Department of Health (DCSF, 2008). As a direct result of the review, the DCSF launched the Every Child A Talker programme (ECAT), which aims to improve the skills and expertise of early years practitioners at supporting children. In Shropshire, 'Listen with Lucy' was included in both of the county's ECAT programmes. In June 2009, the programme was published in my book Attention and Listening in the Early Years.

ALTERNATIVE CIRCLE TIME

'Listen with Lucy' is run as an alternative to the traditional circle time. A session includes song, story and rhymes, but uses proven means of encouraging children's attention skills in a novel way.

Familiar songs and rhymes are adapted to stretch children's skills beyond the commonly used elements of circle time. Listening games might include one where children listen for the name of the animal they are holding in an adapted version of the song 'The animals went in two by two', and place the animal in the Listening Box if they hear its name. In another activity, the children listen for their own name, or the word 'Go', before tossing a beanbag into a basket.

Each session is developed around a theme or story, such as 'The Park' or 'The Farm'. All themes follow the same general format to allow the children to quickly become familiar with what is expected of them. The skill of listening is broken down into easy-to-understand component parts for the children, such as sitting still and looking at who is talking. Early years staff are shown how to create a listening-friendly environment through simple adjustments to the children's surroundings, being aware of and reducing visual distractions (clearing unnecessary toys away before the group commences) and auditory distractions (background noise).

Finally, a puppet ('Lucy' in Shropshire) is added, resulting in a fun and effective means of teaching children how to sit, listen and attend to the best of their abilities.

TRAINING

Early years practitioners are trained to run a 'Listen with Lucy' group in a variety of ways to suit their needs. The most effective way is through weekly visits by the trainer to their early years setting over the course of one term.

At first the group is run by the trainer, then trainer and trainee run it together, and gradually the early years practitioners take on the running of the group alone, but with the trainer observing. By the end of the term, the practitioner is fully trained and able to continue to run 'Listen with Lucy' group, as well as pass the training on to others working in the setting.

Training of early years practitioners can also be carried out during a one-day workshop (for more information visit www.attentionandlisteningintheearlyyears.co.uk).

EVALUATION

More than 20 early years settings have now been trained across Shropshire. At the end of a course, trainees are asked for their comments on the course and the programme itself. Comments have included:

• - 'The training has given me the confidence to try new things, ie. a puppet and props, to engage children's attention'
• - 'I realised what listening really entailed'
• - 'A very good group; I was pleased to be able to take part and gained a lot of new skills'
• - 'This works fantastically in our setting'
• - 'We used skills learned in Listen with Lucy to develop listening at quiet times too'
• - 'Children will sit longer for a task, activities and story time, allowing them to get more out of the sessions'
• - 'There was a significant improvement in the children's concentration and listening skills'
• - 'All the children ask if Lucy is coming today! They all greatly enjoy Listen with Lucy'
• - 'Lucy has really become a valued member of our group'.

The impact on the children who attend the group is also measured. The early years practitioner who receives the training is asked to measure the children's levels of attention, using a specific format, both before and after the term in which the group is run. To date, these measurements have all shown overall progress in the attention skills of the group of children.

The graphs below represent the results of these measurements from one of the settings trained. These graphs show how the children, as a group, made a definite shift towards excellent attention skills by the end of a term of 'Listen with Lucy' sessions, in three different class situations - one-to-one, small group, and large group.

WHY RUN A LISTEN WITH LUCY GROUP?

The ability to pay attention and listen provides a vital foundation for all learning, including the learning of speech, language and communication, and these abilities in turn are necessary for many other life skills. This view is backed by Government-backed research and the resulting initiatives such as the Bercow Review, Rose Review and ECAT.

National Literacy Trust director Jonathan Douglas says, 'Speaking and listening are the very first literacy skills and are a vital part of the combination of literacy skills every individual needs to fulfil their potential' (March 2010).

Early years practitioners are ideally placed to make a difference to the many children who might otherwise struggle to reach their full potential in their attention, concentration and listening skills, with a knock-on effect on their ability to communicate and learn, and ultimately, to get the most out of life. 'Listen with Lucy' is a programme which is proven to work, and which the early years practitioners can, therefore, use as an effective tool to make a difference in their setting.

Sharon Garforth is a speech and language therapist seconded by the Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust to Shropshire Council Sure Start Children's Centre Services

REFERENCES

• Garforth, Sharon, Attention and Listening in the Early Years. Jessica Kingsley Publications, 2009

• Early Years Language Survey of Head Teachers, National Literacy Trust, 2001, www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby/survey

• Boucher et al, Structured Activities for Language and Literacy in the Early Years. Questions Publishing, 2002

• 'National Literacy Trust announces involvement in new campaign to boost children's communication skills', 8 March 2010, www.literacytrust.org.uk

• DCSF, Better Communication: An action plan to improve services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs, http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk, 2008

• DCSF, The Bercow Report - A Review of Services for Children and Young People (0-19) with Speech, Language and Communication Needs, www.dcsf.gov.uk/bercowreview/docs/7771-DCSF-BERCOW.PDF