Module 1-introduction to the course

Course overviewThe course provides a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding the teaching of young learners:  theory and practice;  classroom techniques;  clear examples, ta

Instructor: Nguyen Thi Hoai Minh, M.A in TESOL

Course overview

What do you expect to learn from the course?

2

Course overview

The course provides a comprehensive

overview of the issues surrounding the teaching of young learners:

 theory and practice;

 classroom techniques;

 clear examples, tasks.

Course objectives

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

 understand the special characteristics of children

as language learners;

 manage children language classes;

 create, adapt and analyse activities and resources for YL

 apply theoretical background into practice of

teaching language skills.

4

Course requirement

The students have to:

 attend 80% of class time

 participate into class activities

 bring blank paper, a pencil, a rubber,

color crayons/pencils to class

 do homework assignments

 Pinter, Annamaria 2006 Teaching Young

Language Learners Oxford University Press.

 Moon, Jayne 2000 Children Learning

English Macmillan Publishers Limited.

6

Course assessment

 Attendance : 10%

 Group teaching practice: 20%

 Final exam: 70%

(true/false, multiple choice, ordering,

matching, lesson planning)

Defining a young learner

 Age: 5/6 – 11/ 12 years old (Philips

1993);

 Starting formal schooling

Characteristics of young learners

 What characteristics do children

bring to class?

 What do you know about how

children learn languages?

 Brewster 2002, task 1, p 13

 Moon 2000, task 1, p 2

10

Contexts for learning English

 Time for learning English

Children as language learners

 Using language creatively

 Going for meaning

 Using chunks of the language

 Having fun

 Joining in the action

 Talking their heads off

 Feeling at home

12

Supporting young language learners

 Create a real need and desire to use English

 Provide sufficient time for English

 Provide exposure to varied and meaningful input

 Provide opportunities for language practice and

use in context

 Create a friendly atmosphere

 Provide feedback on learning

 Help children notice the underlying patterns in

language

Teaching Demonstration

(Moon 2000, p 11)

 What did I do to…

 create a real need and desire to use English

 provide exposure to varied and meaningful input

 provide opportunities for language practice and use

in context

 create a friendly atmosphere

 provide feedback on learning

 help children notice the underlying patterns in

language

14

Techniques – using language

 repeating pupils’ answers

 rephrasing pupil’s answers

 prompting through a rise in intonation

 framing sentences

 using gestures and actions

 …

16

More techniques

language

 …

(Moon 2000, p 75)

18

The wheels on the bus

Go round and round

Round and round

Round and round

The wheels on the bus

Go round and round

All day long

The driver on the bus Turns right and left

Right and left

Right and left

The driver on the bus Turns right and left

All day long

20

The children on the bus

Jump up and down

Up and down

Up and down

The children on the bus

Jump up and down

All day long

The driver on the bus

What influences children’s attitude

 Teachers and teaching methods

 Seeing the needs for English outside school

 Parental and peer influences

 Personal preferences, interest in language

Ways of developing positive

attitude towards English

 Identify the problems  Find

solutions

(Moon 2000, tasks 4 & 5, p.p 20 – 23)

26