ENGLISH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD 

BRITISH COUNCIL

NOTES

OBSERVATION JOURNAL
An observation journal is a tool to help you record your
thoughts and note down different things about the children in
your care, such as their interests and abilities.
Surprisingly Simple Techniques for Challenging Behaviour

https://www.kathybrodie.com/articles/behaviour/

NOTES
The heart of play and behaviour is that the play is child led and that
children are allowed to play ‘freely’. By this I mean that there is no
judgement on their choices or manner of play. For example, if your
child chooses blue paint for a pig, that is fine and should not be
criticised. You may wish to look at real pigs or pictures to compare
these, but in a positive way.

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/alexenoamen/classroom-management-young-learners

Definition of Classroom Management

Classroom management refers to the ways in which student behaviour, movement

and interaction during a lesson are organized and controlled by the teacher”
Richards (1990, 10) .

Class Rules

 At the beginning of the school year, establish the class rules.

 Discuss Classroom rules with the students and consequences of

misbehavior.

 Post room rules and consequences of misbehavior.

DISCIPLINE***
 The best teachers anticipate when misbehaviours are likely to occur and intervene
early to prevent them. The most effective interventions are subtle, brief and
almost private. They do not, therefore interfere with classroom activities.

Students’ Seating

The way the students are seated in the classroom will often determine the
dynamics of the lesson. Indeed, a simple change in the seating pattern can make
an incredible difference to group coherence and student satisfaction.

In many cases the seating has been a crucial element in the success or failure of
the lesson.
In some cases, the desks are fixed to the ground or the school has strict rules
about not moving the furniture.

Teachers have different preferences for seating arrangements – each group is

seated round small tables is often one choice. This is probably the best option for
the larger classes.

For smaller numbers and with adult or teenage students I think the horseshoe
shape, which I find has all of the advantages of groups, and none of the
disadvantages. A horseshoe may be desks in a U-shape with a hollow centre,
students in a semicircle on chairs with arm-rests and no desks, or students seated
around three sides of a large table, with the teacher at one end.

In any case, whatever seating pattern you choose or is imposed on you, the class
is likely to be more successful if you keep the following principles in mind:

Students’ Names

 Make two sets of name tags – one for the child's table space or desk, and
one for the child to wear around the neck to special classes.

 Hang name tags on a hook by the door.

 Make it private: call to desk, whisper, nonverbal cues.

 Briefly talk to student/assess penalties.

 Time out at desk or another room.

 Communicate positive expectations to students: convey confidence in

students’ ability to do well and maintain high expectations.

Teacher Talk & Drawing Attention

 Don't speak when children aren't listening and ready. Wait.

 Establish a signal for getting the group's attention:

1. turn off the lights

2. clap a pattern with your hands
3. Say “Freeze!” and everyone halts right where they are, like a statue. Then
say “Melt!” when you are ready for them to move again.

 Practice numbers, in the beginning, even when children are doing well, just
so they get the idea of how to respond to your signals. Then praise them.

Example: “One, two, three

eyes on me”

Tasks for Early Finishers

 This especially happens when students finish an assignment while other

students are still working on it. That’s why you need to include an “early finisher”
activity with every assignment.

 Think in advance for possible activities, options including extension activities

related to the current topic, journal writing, silent reading, and educational games

DICTIONARY

Carer: the child’s parent, guardian or another important person in

their life such as a grandparent.

 Early Years: the period from birth to 8 years old as defined

by UNESCO. The Early Years are also referred to as early
childhood. They both mean the same thing.
 L1: a person’s first language, home language or mother
tongue.
 L2: a person’s second language, or a language that is not
the mother tongue.
 Practitioner: the general term to describe people who work
with young children, such as teacher, educator, childminder,
nursery manager, classroom assistant, nursery nurse, room
leader, assistant nursery nurse, crèche worker, nanny, etc.
  Setting: the general term to describe the early years
environment, such as nursery, pre-school, crèche,
classroom, child-minding facilities.
 Repeats words or phrases from familiar stories.
 Holds books the correct way up and turns pages.
 Constructs with a purpose in mind, using a variety of
resources.
 Explores and experiments using senses and whole body.

Recommendations and advice

Based on what we’ve seen this week, here is some advice for
parents and educators.

 A child who is not speaking may be actively listening and

may need time to process what they are hearing before
saying anything. It is important to value listening as well as
speaking by giving the child lots of exposure to the language.

 Non verbal responses from young children are perfectly

acceptable. They show that the child has understood the
message.

 Don’t force a child to speak, they will when they are ready.
Forcing a child to speak before they are ready could actually
delay language development.

 Be genuine in your interactions with young children.

 Use mime and gesture as you would if you were talking to

the child in their home language.

 https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/42177/what-parents-can-gain-from-learning-the-
science-of-talking-to-kids
  https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/ten-ways-support-your-childs-
english-learning-home

 Value the home language. The skills that children develop

while learning their home language are transferable to an
additional language.


https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/how-can-young-children-best-learn-languages

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150921103539.htm

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/

https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/does-being-bilingual-make-you-smarter

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/301-tips-on-learning-to-talk

WATCH OUT https://www.ted.com/talks/alison_gopnik_what_do_babies_think?

language=en

Different types of play

There are many different types of play.

You may have heard terms like heuristic play, solitary play,

parallel play and cooperative play. However, for the purposes of
this week, the following definitions might be useful:

Adult-led activity: the adult has planned the activity and is in

control, staying with the child while the activity takes place

Adult-initiated activity or play: the adult sets up the resources or

the activity and guides the experience
Child-led play: the activity or resources are freely chosen by the
child. The child is in control of the activity. This type of play is often
referred to as open-ended play.

https://blog.optimus-education.com/getting-right-balance-between-adult-led-and-child-
initiated-learning

What did you do at school today?’ ‘We just played.’

We’ve talked about why children play and the benefits of play, but
the idea still persists that if it’s too much fun, children are not
learning.

However, the evidence suggests the opposite. Research shows

that children actually learn through play. Play is learning.

Internationally renowned expert on early childhood and p

When playing with plasticine children develop their fine

motor skills. Children are working on hand-eye coordination and
building up the muscles in their hands and fingers when modelling
plasticine. These are valuable pre-writing skills, as good muscle
strength and hand-eye coordination will help children hold and use
writing tools properly later on. By playing with plasticine, children
are also experimenting with things like colour, shape and texture.
Five important tips for teachers who are new to this age group:

 Establish a set of classroom rules from day one. This will help you control
behaviour within the classroom. Remind them of the rules regularly.
 Use procedures to organise the class. Children at this stage need to
know what to do before activities begin. Remember that instructions need to
be straightforward, and activities should be demonstrated (modelled) in
advance.
 When conflicts arise, do not panic. Show yourself at ease and approach
the students at their level, making eye contact. Speak to them with a soft tone
of voice.
 Show enthusiasm about the activities they are going to participate in. Be
part of the activities as well.
 Have a set of songs, chants and quick games to hand to keep their
attention. You can use them at any moment in the class to change from one
activity to the other.

the importance of play

Play is central to your child’s learning and development. When your child plays, it gives
her lots of different ways and times to learn.

Play also helps your child:

 build confidence
 feel loved, happy and safe
 develop social skills, language and communication
 learn about caring for others and the environment
 develop physical skills.

“Play is not a specific activity, it’s an approach to learning, an

engaged, fun, curious way of discovering your world,” Dr.
Tamis-LeMonda said.
PLANNING LESSONS
https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/es/helping-your-child/practical-tips

https://www.happinessishomemade.net/

https://teaching2and3yearolds.com/music-and-movement-activities-for-toddlers-and-
preschoolers/

https://www.zerotothree.org/early-learning/play

http://www.transformchallengingbehavior.com/blog/preventing-challenging-behavior-
play-strategies

https://www.idponline.org.uk/downloads/ey-besd.pdf

https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/faq-raising-bilingual-children