ONLINE: The Magic of Words: facilitating independent vocabulary learning in children and young people with Speech, Language and Communication Needs: linking research to practice.

Online Learning

Friday 26th February 2027, 6.00pm-9.30pm NZDT

The session will be live and will not be recorded, or available for later viewing due to the interactive nature of the training.

Single registration cost is for each individual, not per site. Zoom will be used to deliver the training with “meeting room” details emailed to participants prior to the event. You will need to download Zoom software to your computer. A webcam and inbuilt microphone on your computer is also preferable so you can fully participate.

Intended Participants

(1)   Speech-Language Therapists working with preschool, primary and secondary-age children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).  

(2)   Teachers, Specialist Teachers, Teaching Assistants and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators working with children and young people with SLCN in schools.

(3)   Other professionals working with children and young people with SLCN looking for strategies to support language and communication.

(4)   Parents of children and young people with SLCN.

Workshop Content

Vocabulary is a powerful driver of language comprehension, academic success, and social participation. This workshop explores how children and young people with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) can be supported to become independent and motivated word learners. The session covers vocabulary and concept learning in children and young people, highlighting the critical role of vocabulary in communication, educational attainment and longer-term mental health and wellbeing. The talk explores typical word learning, and the nature of word learning in children and young people with SLCN. Participants will consider how words are learned, stored, and retrieved, why some learners struggle, and how targeted strategies can promote depth of vocabulary knowledge across spoken, written, and curriculum contexts. Strategies to encourage independent vocabulary and concept learning in children with SLCN in the education context will be highlighted, and principles and strategies for effective word learning for speech and language therapy and teaching staff will be included. The current evidence-base on vocabulary intervention will be explored across the three service delivery models: universal, targeted, specialist. The application of this research to clinical and educational practice will be discussed, and delegates will have the opportunity to consider new approaches for word development with their clients. Practical examples will illustrate how participants can move beyond teaching individual word lists to fostering lifelong independent vocabulary learning skills in collaboration with the children, families and other professionals.

Learning Outcomes:

Following this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand and explain the importance of vocabulary to communication, educational attainment anjd health and wellbeing.

• Explain key research findings on how vocabulary is acquired and organised in children and young people, including those with SLCN.

• Identify factors that support or hinder independent vocabulary learning, such as semantic depth, metalinguistic awareness, and learning context.

• Differentiate between teaching words and teaching word-learning strategies, and understanding the importance of this distinction.

• Understand, describe and apply key principles of evidence-based oral vocabulary intervention to enhance vocabulary growth in children and young people with SLCN.

• Design practical therapy and educational activities that promote generalisation, independence, and sustained vocabulary development.

• Collaborate effectively with other professionals and people in the school and wider social settings to create rich, meaningful word-learning environments.

Readings and References

Key References for this workshop include:

• Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G, & Kucan, L. (2008) Creating Robust Vocabulary. London: Blackwell Publishing.

• Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. New York, NY: Guilford Press Book/Childcraft International.

• Joffe, V.L. and Lowe, H. (2022). Enriching Vocabulary in Secondary Schools. A Practical Resource for Teachers and Speech and Language Therapists. London, Routledge.

• Joffe, V.L. (2011). Vocabulary Enrichment Intervention Programme. Milton Keynes, UK: Speechmark Publishers.

• Lowe, H., Henry, L., & Joffe, V.L. (2022). Teaching Vocabulary in Mainstream Secondary Schools: perspectives from teachers and speech and language therapists. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 38, 1, 95-114.

• Lowe, H., Henry, L., & Joffe, VL (2019) The Effectiveness of Classroom Vocabulary Intervention for Adolescents With Language Disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2829-2846. https://pubs.asha.org/doi/pdf/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-L-18-0337

About Victoria Joffe

Victoria Joffe is Professor of Speech and Language Therapy, and Dean of Integrated Health and Care Partnerships at the University of Essex. Her areas of clinical and research expertise include Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) in children, young people and adults, Developmental Language Disorder, the interface between education and speech and language therapy collaborative practice and the training of therapy and teaching staff, narrative and vocabulary Interventions, language and literacy development, and evidence-based practice. Victoria works with various health trusts, integrated care systems, education authorities and third sector organisations devising and evaluating research into models of service delivery across the lifespan. She provides training and consultancy to professionals working with children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). Victoria is co-editor of the journal, Child Language Teaching and Therapy, and acts as a speech and language therapy partner for the Health and Care Professions Council. She is chair of the RCSLT’s national clinical excellence network for older children and young adults with developmental SLCN. Victoria has recently been working on three National Institute of Health Research-funded research projects looking into new interventions for children with social communication disorder, children with Down Syndrome and children who stutter.