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TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS - Coggle Diagram
TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DEVELOPING ACTIVITIES
WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH
The language activities presented in class should be accompanied by the kinaesthetic movement, including as many senses as possible.
Teacher can take the children outside the class and engage them in the physical activities along with the words and sentences targeted in the lesson.
PLAY WITH THE LANGUAGE
Children love experiments, and they want to try new things.
When presenting language, teacher can ask children to play with the language the way they like. “Let them talk nonsense, experiment with words and sounds: ‘Let’s go – pet’s go.’ ‘Blue eyes – blue pies’. By doing this, they will practice the language.
LANGUAGE AS LANGUAGE
Encourage children to read something and write whatever they can write or draw. The reading could be very simple with a lot of pictures and very few words. Even if they cannot read the words and sentences, they can read the pictures.
Similarly, ask them to draw something and write down what they can. They might draw something and give the drawing names and make sense out of it.
VARIETY IN THE CLASSROOM
Teachers can do this by dividing the lesson into a series of activities incorporating the varieties of tasks in them.
Children can be given the tasks of talking, playing, reading, writing, playing with words, drawing, etc., so that they keep their enthusiasm in learning the language by being involved in the varieties of tasks.
GRAMMAR
Children are good at picking up grammar rather than consciously learn the rules of language.
Therefore, do not focus too much on grammar but inbuilt the structures into the language they will use in completing the task(s).
Focusing too much on grammar may hinder their fluency, and they might not be proactive to contribute to the discussion if you talk about grammar in class.
HOW TO UNDERSTAND AND TEACH YOUNG LEARNERS BETTER
WHAT YOUNG LEARNERS WANT
Make the class relaxing and fun. Create students’ progress in a safe, stress-free environment that everyone can enjoy learning in.
Young learners usually learn very basic material, but teachers can design creative lessons that get students to move around and speak with one another.
Young learners are generally very enthusiastic about songs, especially singing along and active games. Be sure to provide lots of encouragement and positive feedback. You want to create a safe, stress-free environment that everyone can enjoy learning in.
HOW YOUNG LEARNERS BEHAVE
Keep exercises fun and short because students have short attention spans and are easily distracted. Overacting and projection will help keep the focus on you.
Teach students how to behave in a classroom by asking them to be quiet while teachers are talking and raise their hands if they have questions or want to answer a question.
Teach them to respond to basic classroom English phrases such as “Please sit down.” because these are expressions that they will repeatedly hear throughout their study of English.
Students will perform better in their classes if they behave well and understand basic principles
WHAT TO FOCUS ON
Students should practice the different sounds of the English language and learn material such as the alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes.
Introduce vocabulary words gradually and may choose to study some simple structures that relate to everyday life too.
Focus on teaching four basic language skills for the students.
TIPS TO TEACH YOUNG LEARNERS
There is no need to assign homework at this stage but be sure to track individual and class progress to visually see what they have learned and how they are doing.
Encourage students to try their best and create a constructive learning environment where students do not need to worry about making mistakes.
Create activities and exercises that are entertaining.
Help students learn how to interact with one another as well as how to speak English.
Constantly review and avoid introducing too much new vocabulary at a time. Students may not remember material from one day to the next, so repetition is essential.
The more students are exposed to certain material, the faster they will learn it.