How to teach very young learners successfully(Herbert Puchta)
Language Learning in educational settings
8 powerful strategies
Best age for learning another languagetext
CPH the best time for learning a language is between 2 and 12.
Humans are unable to learn a foreign language to a native speaker standard after the puberty.
there is no agreement on the existence of CPH or how age influences L.L
pronunciation is an area where there is CPH to acquire native-like competence.
the teaching of young learners needs to be based on a certain set of quality criteria to be successful.
Multi-sensory vocabulary drilling.
Rhythm and auditory sub-modalities for memorising difficult words.
Word revision through memory games.
Word revision through ‘odd one out’ activities.
Novel instructions (Total Physical Response).
Task listening.
Backward chaining.
6 priciples of teaching pre-primary children
There is no evidence that learning a language ‘too early’ might have a negative impact on L1 development.
Young children need more time than adolescents and adults to learn a new language.
They benefit from meaning-focused activities and natural language use – not from explicit rules.
Early language learning can have a positive influence on children’s cognition.
‘Sandwiching’.
An early start can foster children’s attitudes and motivation, and so have a positive effect on their proficiency later on.
Teachers need to apply an age-appropriate methodology.
Quantity and quality
Relaxed atmosphere
Relationship between teacher and students
An accurate use of language of the teacher
Learning happening with an active participation of the classroom
Scaffold the children's language accordingly
Applying an age-appropiate methodology
multi-sensory learning
children learn better when their senses are active
songs, chants and rhymes
stories
learning to interact
playing games
learning to think
say a word and make a typical hand movement
saying a word rythmically
we can revise what we have learnt previously
help children to make decisions
imitating
carrying out
carrying out in jumbled order
novel instructions (behaviosistic learning)
use task listening to check children's comprehension
listen and point
listen and colour
listen and say yes/no
listen and use yes/no cards
make students repeat backwards long sentences
teachers should use a bit of students own language
the quantity of teaching hours