Development of phonological awareness and verbal memory through musical activities

Glasba ima pozitiven vpliv na celosten razvoj človeka. Njen vpliv se začne že v prenatalnem obdobju, saj plod že v maternici zaznava glasove in razvija slušni sistem. Prav slednji pa je temelj nadaljnjega razvoja govora in jezika. Percepcija in razumevanje govora sta vodena iz obeh hemisfer. Leva hemisfera je pomembna za semantične in logične znake govora, desna pa za jezikovno prozodijo, ki predstavlja kombinacijo tonov, intonacije, ritma in poudarkov na posameznih besedah ali zlogih, ki predstavljajo misel, ki se prenaša. Vse naštete elemente pa vsebuje tudi glasba. Otroka, še preden razume pomen besed, očarajo ritmi in melodije ter druge glasbene lastnosti govora, ki ga posluša. Kljub temu da sta govor in glasba v možganih ločena, se na določenih področjih dotikata drug drugega in pomembno vplivata na medsebojni razvoj. Namen diplomskega dela je bilo poiskati povezave med elementi govora in jezika ter glasbe. V prvem delu smo skozi preučevanja različne literature poiskali povezave in vplive glasbe na razvoj govora in jezika. V drugem delu smo sestavili predlog programa (vaje) za spodbujanje fonološkega zavedanja in verbalnega spomina s pomočjo glasbenih dejavnosti, ki sta temelj za kasnejše opismenjevanje. Vaje smo razdelili v 6 sklopov. Vsak sklop vsebuje od 3 do 5 vaj. Večina vaj ima različno število podvaj, ki so vsebinsko povezane. Vse vaje smo preizkusili v skupini sedmih otrok ter individualno z učencem z odločbo. Z akcijskim raziskovanjem smo jih sproti evalvirali ter jih na podlagi ugotovitev, pridobljenih pri izvajanju vaj in odzivih učencev, spreminjali in izboljševali. Skozi proces sestavljanja in evalvacije smo prišli do zaključka, da lahko za urjenje fonološkega zavedanja in verbalnega spomina uporabimo različne glasbene elemente ter da jih med seboj težje ločimo, saj se tako kot pri jeziku tudi v glasbi med seboj prelivajo in dopolnjujejo. Izdelani predlog programa (vaje) lahko uporabljajo v poljubnem vrstnem redu ter v različnih učnih situacijah (skupinsko ali individualno). Težavnost vaj se lahko prilagaja posameznikom in njegovim sposobnostim. Prav tako se lahko uporabljajo v različnih delih učne ure, po potrebi pa se prilagaja tudi vsebina.Music has a positive impact on the comprehensive development of man. Its influence starts early in prenatal period, where foetus in the womb perceives sounds and develops auditory system. That is the foundation for the further development of speech and language. Perception and comprehension of speech are guided from both hemispheres. The left hemisphere is important for the semantic and logical signs of speech and the right hemisphere for linguistic prosody, which is a combination of tones, intonation, rhythm and emphasis on certain words or syllables that represent the transmitted thought. All these elements are also present in music. Before understanding the meaning of words a child is fascinated by rhythms, melodies and other musical characteristics of speech. Despite the fact that both speech and music are separated in the brain, there are areas touching each other and having a significant impact on the mutual development. The purpose of the thesis was to find connections between the speech, language and music. In the first part we studied a variety of literature to find links and effects of music on the development of speech and language. In the second part, we put together a program (exercises) to promote the development of phonological awareness and verbal memory, through musical activities which are the foundation for later literacy. The exercises are divided into six sections. Each section contains from three to five exercises. All exercises were tested in a group of seven children and with one child in individual learning situation. Through the research we continuously evaluated the exercises and according to the obtained findings and children responses we changed and improved the exercises. Through the process of drafting and evaluation, we came to the conclusion that for practicing phonological awareness and verbal memory various musical elements can be used and that it is difficult to distinguish between them since, as in the language and in music, they blend and complement each other. The program (exercises) can be used in any order and in different learning situations (group or individual). The difficulty of the exercises can be adapted to the individual and his abilities. It can also be used in different parts of the lesson