Translating theory into practice: oral language intervention in action
Discover how the NELI Programme builds early oral language skills by upskilling teachers and enabling effective, easy-to-implement intervention in diverse settings.
This podcast was recorded as part of a series of interviews for the Abu Dhabi Teachers Conference 2025.
In this podcast, our International Business Development Manager, Samina Yasmin, discusses the spark that ignited her passion for early years education. With experience as an Early Years teacher and Head of Year One in an International School in Sharjah, UAE, she has seen first-hand, the importance of ensuring oral language development for successful literacy in later years.
“Reading comprehension at 8 and a half years is predicted by word level literacy at 5 and a half years and language skills at three and a half years,” she says. “So, it does matter: those early years are so important…it’s called the foundation stage for a reason.”
Improvements in oral language can later be seen in improved outcomes across the whole curriculum and in how children interact with their peers and adults, so it is important to intervene early.
Samina also talks about the issues that can arise when turning theory into practice—after all, she has seen the busy day-to-day of educators herself. On the ground, teachers can often face issues with resources and scheduling, and the busyness of everyday life can mean it can be difficult for them to recognise language delays. Schools’ individual circumstances also come into play: International schools, for instance, have additional challenges as bilingual or multi-lingual environments.
Samina considers ways the NELI Programme can help tackle these issues. For example, as well as focusing on early identification and intervention, NELI includes comprehensive professional development to upskill teachers on the foundations of oral language as well as programme delivery. “If you are helping the teacher by giving them the strategies that they need, it’s going to have that positive effect”, she says. “It’s important that the teachers understand the crucial role of oral language.”
Language intervention programmes such as NELI aim to help students and support educators along the way.