Page 147 - Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook

Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook

Teaching Contrasting Skills 11.4

The ability to compare an object or ac vity to another is a very powerful

communica ve ability. Even as adults, we do not remember or know everything about

everything. We speak in metaphors and say things like “You know, it’s that thing that’s like a

wolf but it’s actually in the cat family. It lives in Africa, I think, or is it Australia? It always looks
like it’s laughing. They were the bad guys in the movie The Lion King.” “Do you mean a

hyena?” “Yes!” For those of us who have studied a foreign language, contras ng abili es

probably made up 50% of your communica on when your second‐language abili es were not

that strong.
Contras ng gives us the ability to lean on descrip ve words, prior knowledge,

metaphors, and all forms of media to try to get our point across. It gives us power because we

can get our needs met, add to conversa ons, answer ques ons, and share our knowledge

while our communica on is limited. When children lack the ability to compare and contrast,
their language can appear extremely limited. If they don’t know the exact answer to a

ques on, they don’t answer at all. They don’t o en explain. They don’t o en predict, ponder,

or guess. We can drama cally enhance their communica on by teaching them how to access

their descrip ve capabili es and make posi ve addi ons to a conversa on.
Contras ve thinking is one of the first pa erns of thought that develops. Infants

differen ate between parents, between voices, and even between tones of voice. They react

emo onally to what they perceive as posi ve or nega ve and ins nc vely display the

appropriate emo on. As children enter school, great a en on is paid to a child’s ability to
compare and contrast because compara ve thinking had the greatest effect on student

achievement. Being able to compare and contrast also leads to epiphanies as students use

their knowledge to come up with answers independently. Hopefully it is plain to see how

important contras ng abili es are. In order to teach contras ng abili es, we are not
necessarily teaching new concepts but are instead helping a child to apply descrip ve

concepts to problem solving and communica on.

1. Yes/No Ques ons – Yes/No ques ons are the easiest way to access the knowledge

of child without having to rely heavily on language abili es. Secondly, if you are
working with a child who has extremely limited language, the ability to say “no” is

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