teaching english to young learners

Introduction

The number of teachers of young learners is increasing as children start to learn English at a younger age around the world. The term young learners can be used to describe:

·         Pre-school learners

·         Primary school learners and

·         Secondary school or teenage learners.


Carol Read (2003) proposes some of the optimal conditions for helping young learners to learn:

·         learning is natural

·         learning is contextualized and part of a real event

·         learning is interesting and enjoyable

·         learning is relevant

·         learning is social

·         learning belongs to the child

·         learning has a purpose for the child

·         learning builds on things the child knows

·         learning makes sense to the child

·         the child is challenged appropriately

·         learning is supported appropriately

·         learning is part of a coherent whole

·         learning is multi-sensory

·         the child wants to learn

·         learning is active and experiential

·         learning is memorable

·         learning allows for personal, divergent responses

·         learning takes account of multiple intelligences

·         the learning atmosphere is relaxed and warm

·         the child has a sense of achievement.

Read (2005) also suggests that the seven Rs provide an integrated framework for managing children positively and creating a happy working environment:

·         Relationships - creating and maintaining a positive relationship with learners is at the heart of establishing a happy learning environment.

·         Rules - establish a limited number of rules and make sure they are clear, as well as the reasons for having them.

·         Routines - classroom routines make it clear to everyone what is expected of them and what they should do.

·         Rights and Responsibilities - although these may not be stated explicitly with very young learners, teachers can model through their own actions which of these they value.

·         Respect - students who are treated respectfully by the teacher will respond in a similar way to the teacher. If the children feel that the teacher treats them as individuals, they will also respond to the teacher as an individual and not with a collective group mentality.

·         Rewards - reward systems can be an effective way of reinforcing appropriate behaviour e.g. using stars, stickers, points, smiley faces, raffle tickets or marbles in a jar.


On her website Shelley Vernon presents some of the problems many preschool teachers face. Preschool learners:

·         have very short attention spans

·         forget things quickly

·         may not be fully confident in their first language

·         may not be motivated to learn

·         may be fearful

·         develop at very different rates which leads to mixed ability groups

·         can be easily overwhelmed

·         need to be taught with effective language learning techniques and not just with time fillers to keep them busy.
(http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/3-5.htm)


The solutions she proposes include:

·         Change your games and activities every 5-10 minutes.

·         Vary the pace during the lesson, mixing up energetic games with quiet ones.

·         Repeat, review and revise. Use short games to review vocabulary and phrases you have already taught.

·         Make lessons playful and full of physical movement. Children will find them more enjoyable, be more motivated and remember the language better.

·         Teach in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with plenty of encouragement.

·         Avoid competition with preschool learners. It can be stressful and overwhelm them. Play games where everyone wins, or where you do not single out a winner.

·         Encourage and support young learners.

·         Use chants, rhymes and songs. These are great for movement and frequent repetition of vocabulary and phrases. 
Do not focus on reading and writing - leave those for when children are older.

·         Focus on listening and understanding, building vocabulary and the acquisition of short phrases.

·         Concentrate also on speaking practice, starting with single words and short phrases, and gradually moving onto longer sentences and questions.

·         Avoid abstract concepts and focus on concrete items that children understand and relate to. For example, start with familiar topics such as colors, numbers, greetings, animals, fruit, food and drink, families, body parts, shapes, clothing, the weather, days of the week and everyday sentences and phrases.

·         Use please and thank you and be positive. Focus on positive behavior rather than telling children what not to do.

·         Be prepared - practice telling stories before you go into class and have your picture flashcards and materials ready. 
Mix up active participation and listening. If the children become restless do something active.

·         Be flexible. If something is not working then change the game or activity.

·         Involve shy children - help them to express themselves.

·         Bring in real objects whenever possible, such as clothes to dress up in, or props for acting out little plays or stories. When you cannot bring in realia use whatever objects are available in your class, and use colorful pictures of real items.

·         Use stories. Stories are a great resource for preschool learners, who will want to hear the same tales told repeatedly.


Lynne Cameron (2003) argues that the continuing growth of teaching English to young learners brings a number of challenges. Starting to learn English at an earlier age may not bring automatic improvements to proficiency levels, unless teacher education and secondary language teaching both adapt to meet the challenges of the new situation. According to Cameron, amongst other knowledge and skills, teachers of young learners need:

·         an awareness of how children think and learn

·         skills and knowledge in spoken English to conduct whole lessons orally

·         an ability to identify children's interests and use them for language teaching

·         to be equipped to teach initial literacy in English.


Other current issues in teaching young learners include:

·         the use of learners' first language in the language classroom

·         teaching other subjects through the medium of English e.g. CLIL

·         developing appropriate assessment of young learners

·         young learner teacher education.


In the rest of this section you will find ways in which you can develop your knowledge and skills to teach English to young learners through reading articles and books, attending workshops and courses, visiting websites, and joining Special Interest Groups and discussion forums.

References
Cameron, L (2003) ‘Challenges for ELT from the expansion in teaching children' in 
ELT Journal, April, Issue 57, Oxford University Press
Read, C (2003) ‘Is younger better?' in English Teaching Professional, Issue 28, Modern English Publishing.
Read, C (2005) ‘Managing Children Positively' in English Teaching Professional, Issue 38, Modern English Publishing.

Websites:  http://www.ihes.com/bcn/tt/yl-sites.html