TEACHING ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION

1.2.Children´s creative use of limited language

resources

Cecilia Maller, 2014

In early stages of mother tongue development

Children (=ch.). very creative with:

1. Concepts

2. Grammatical forms.

Ex.

1.Don´t unring? (= wait, hold on) ( knowledge of

UN, as a negative prefix).

2. Switch off the dark.

FUNDAMENTAL PHENOMENON TO LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT.

A. Creation of words by analogy.

B. Invention of new words.

It´s also present in people who are learning a L2.

IF T H E Y U N D E R S TA N D M E S S A G E …T H E Y U N D E R S TA N D L A N G UA G E

To maintain this first source of understanding is

fundamental part of human communication.

Highly developed ability in primary for this, but difficult

for them to follow purely verbal instructions and info.

How do we know it´s not working? They get it wrong.

Ch. have interpreting skills ability to

understand messages.

That´s how they learn new words ,concepts and

expressions in L1.

How do they learn a new lg.?

Ch. call on same skills to interpret new:

sounds, words and

structures.

WHAT TO DO TO SUPPORT AND DEVELOP THIS?

Use: gestures, intonation, demonstration, actions,

facial expressions.

What for?

To convey meaning of what said.

Ch. abilities:

Perceive meaning

Have great skill in producing meaningful lg. from

limited sources.

WHAT IF A ? GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE IS ?

Different ways to convey meaning:

Make up new words-

Say words from their mother tongue in a foreign

accent.

May produce temporarily inexact and inept lg.

manage to communicate

WHAT´S THIS?

A way to build up our grasp (= ability to

understand a complicated idea or situation, to take

sth. and hold it firmly) of the lg.

We are building up our grasp of the lg.

Why?

We are actively recombining and constructing it for

ourselves.

WHEN DOES THE PHENOMENON APPEAR?

Always and naturally, when there´s need to

communicate..

To make the most of the creative lg. Skill, we

should provide occasions where:

1. the urge to communicate makes ch. find some

way of expressing themselves.

2. The lg. demanded by the activity is

impredictable, it´s not only asking to repeat set

phrases, but is encouraging kids/ learners to

construct lg. Actively for themselves.

What can we do, then?

GAMES

Use

WHY GAMES?

They are fun

Create desire to

communicate

Create unpredictability

Fun eleme

nts

WHAT NOT TO FORGET…

Close T´s guidance should not be avoided, it´s also

an important partof learning.

Freer activities: give the chance to make mistakes.

Ch. are impatient to communicate, so…more not

fewer mistakes.

WHAT DOES THE DESIRE TO

COMMUNICATE BRING?

Brings next capacity….

Which one?

Their aptitude for indirect

learning

HOMEWORK

Read and summarize ( study)

1.3. Children´s capacity for indirect

learning

Pgs. 5 and 6, Chapter 1. Teaching

English in the Primary Classroom