An Introduction to Teaching English to Children

7/30/2019 An Introduction to Teaching English to Children

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An Introduction to

Teaching English

to children

Practical Ideas


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Asesora Pedaggica Richmond Publishing2

Language learning & Language acquisition

L1 is acquiredand L2 is learned.

This is because we understand that the

first language is acquired through

experience while the second language

usually comes with formal teaching.


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The order of acquisition

We

present the language orally; the child listens

then ask the children to reproduce the language orally; the child speaks

then present language in the written form; the child reads

finally ask then to reproduce this language in a written form; the child

writes


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Learning English


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English pronunciation

Most vowels can be pronounced in two or more ways and brought together

in different combinations, they form different sounds.

20 different vowels sounds, all produced by just five letters

There are many consonant combinations which produce different sounds

e.g. th can be // (as in think) or // (as in this)

Silent letters, in words ending in -e, such as take and hope; -b such as

comb and lamb

English does not use accent to show where a word should be stressed


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English structure

At primary levels we are usually concerned with simple structures, such as

basic verb tenses, adjective/noun combinations, prepositions and so on.

They should be very limited and should be practised and recycled

continually

Structure should not be taught independently from the whole language

context, e.g. the possessives (Demonstrations)

Our ultimate aim in the classroom is to teach our students effective

communication


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Motivation

An important element of successful teaching is knowing how to

motivate your students.

The main motivation for language learning has to be the desire to

communicate.


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Methods and Approaches


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Total physical response - TPR

It is based upon the way that children learn their mother tongue.

Parents have 'language-body conversations' with their children, the

parent instructs and the child physically responds to this.

It allows the students to move and react meaningful to language


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Steps in TPR

The teacher starts by saying a word ('jump') or a phrase ('look at the board') and

demonstrating an action.

The teacher then says the command and both, the students and the teacher do the action.

The teacher says the command and the students do the action.

The teacher asks the student to do the action.

After repeating a few times it is possible to extend this by asking the students to repeat the

word as they do the action.

When they feel confident with the word or phrase you can then ask the students to

direct each other or the whole class.


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TPR can be used to teach and

practice many things

Vocabulary connected with actions (smile, chop, headache, wriggle)

Tenses past/present/future and continuous aspects (Every morning I

clean my teeth, I make my bed, I eat breakfast)

Classroom language (Open your books)

Imperatives/Instructions (Stand up, close you eyes)

Story-telling


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The communicative approach

Language is taught as a tool for communicating.

The focus is more on meaning than on form.

Errors are a natural part of learning

The classroom should provide students with the opportunity to

rehearse real-life situations using natural language

Emphasis on oral and listening development

Language emerges in stages


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Asesora Pedaggica Richmond Publishing 13

The natural approach

Stage 1 PreproductionChildren understand but do not verbalize language. They may respondnot verbally.

Stage 2 Early ProductionChildren begin to produce familiar words or short phrases.

Stage 3 Speech Emergence

Children have a limited vocabulary and respond in short phrases orsentences. Students begin to use dialogue and can ask simplequestions

Stage 4 Intermediate Fluency

Children begin to make complex statements, state opinions, ask forclarification, share their thoughts, and speak at greater length.

Stage 5 Advanced Fluency

Students have developed some specialized content-area vocabulary andcan participate fully in grade-level classroom activities.


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Stage 1

Use of visual aids and gestures

Slow speech emphasizing key words

Do not force oral production

Write key words on the board with students copying them as they

are presented

Use pictures and manipulatives to help illustrate concepts

Use multimedia language role models

Use interactive dialogue journals

Encourage choral readings

Use Total Physical Response (TPR) techniques


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Stage 2

Engage students in charades and linguistic guessing games

Do role-playing activities

Present open-ended sentences

Promote open dialogues

Conduct student interviews with the guidelines written out

Use charts, tables, graphs, and other conceptual visuals

Use newspaper ads and other mainstream materials to encourage

language interaction

Encourage partner and trio readings


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Stage 3

Keep on using the same strategies of stages 1 and 2

Model standard structures of the language

Ask WH questions

Make the students to participate in duet, pair and choral reading

activities.

Write and illustrate riddles

Use explanations and two-step directions.

Avoid public correction


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Task-based learning

Learning is more meaningful if student can focus on completing a

task using the target language rather than concentrating on using

the language correctly.


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Immersion

The best way to learn a language is to be surrounded by it -as much

as possible.

Student participate actively in an English speaking environment

Children are exposed to functional language, which they quickly

learn to understand and respond to with the help of modeling, visual

aids, and contextual clues.

Documents

An Introduction to Teaching English to Children