Phase 7 - Teaching Young Learners

Objectives
• To identify characteristics of young learners.
• To identify learning needs of young learners.
• To recognize that learning a second language is different from learning the native
tongue and may be dependent on factors linked to the learner’sdevelopmental levels
and readiness.
• To prepare and use level appropriate teaching methods and tools.
• To develop sensitivity towards the learner’saffective filter.
• To use meaningful language and contextualize learning.
• To use a wide variety and varied aids, for teaching.
• To make learning fun and enjoyable for young learners in language learning.
• To teach the four skills to young learners effectively.
• To reflect on methods and tools used during the process.
• To evaluate the process and take appropriate action.

The Current Phase:

The basic principles of teaching remain the same no matter who you teach, but how and

what to teach varies according to the learner. Linguists say children acquire their first

language in the same way and at the same rate irrespective of the language they are

learning, but teaching a second language is different and the teacher needs to be aware

of the physical, intellectual, social and emotional development of young learners to

make learning an enjoyable experience. This Phase is all about how to teach Young

learners.

Introduction

Learning a language is one of the most impressive and fascinating aspects of human

development. The first sounds produced by a baby and the first word uttered by a one

year old fascinates us. Indeed, learning a language is an amazing feat. How does a child

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learn words and put them together in meaningful sentences? How does this

development of complex grammatical language continue even though one can serve

most purposes by simple early communication skills?

It is generally accepted that by age four children are able to master the basic structures

of the language that they have been exposed to from birth. Some research shows that

children are able to apply rules to the words which they have never heard before. In

this test the children were shown pictures of imaginary creatures or people performing

strange actions. For example, ‘Here is a wug. Now there are two of them. So, there are

two ______.’ ‘Here is a man who knows how to bod. Yesterday he was ________.’ The

children were able to use ‘wugs’ and ‘bodded’ to fill in the blanks. This shows that they

knew the rules for the formation of plural and simple past in English.

Children’s ability to understand and to use language to express themselves develops

rapidly in the pre-school years. Metalinguistic awareness i.e., the ability to treat

language as an object, separate from its meaning develops more slowly. However, this

changes dramatically when children learn to read. Seeing words represented by letters

on a page leads child to a new level of awareness. A child who can read, understands

that the word ‘caterpillar’ is longer than the word ‘train’ even though the object it

represents is considerably shorter. Metalinguistic awareness also includes the discovery

of such things as --- words and sentences may have multiple meanings and this gives

children access to jokes, riddles which they enjoy and love to share with others.

There is no evidence to suggest that a child’s brain has a limited capacity for languages

and that the knowledge of one language will shrink if the knowledge of another grows.

The majority of children in the world are exposed to more than one language in early

childhood. Stages of language acquisition are related to children’s cognitive

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development. For example, a child who does not have an adequate understanding of

time will not be able to use temporal adverbs such as ‘tomorrow’ and ‘last week’

correctly.

All second language learners regardless of age have already acquired at least one

language. This prior knowledge can be an advantage in the sense that the learner has an

idea of how languages work. On the other hand, knowledge of other languages can lead

learners to make incorrect guesses about how the second language works. Young

learners begin to learn a language without the benefit of some of the skills, knowledge,

cognitive maturity and world knowledge that older second language learners have.

Therefore, most children do not feel nervous about using the new language unlike

adults who find it very stressful. Young learners are at an advantage in the sense that

they are not forced to speak until they are ready, whereas an adult is often forced to do

so to meet the demands of everyday dealings.

In this Phase, we have tried to look at teaching English from the perspective of what

works better with children in the classroom rather than any ESL class. However, some

aspects of teaching are universal irrespective of the age and level of the learners.

How do children learn English?

Popular tradition would make you believe that children are effortless second language

learners and far superior to adults in their eventual success. The difference between

children and adults lies primarily in the contrast between the child’s spontaneous,

peripheral attention to language forms and the adult’s overt, focal awareness of and

attention to those forms. While children’s fluency and naturalness are often the envy of

adult’s struggling with second languages, the context of classroom instruction may

introduce some difficulties to children learning a second language.

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Therefore, to successfully teach a language to children, requires specific skills and

intuitions that differ from those appropriate for adult teaching. The following five

categories may help give some practical approaches to teaching children.

• Intellectual Development

A little boy, when asked to write something, told his primary school teacher, “I ain’t got

no pencil.” The teacher noticed the error in grammar and tried to correct, “I don’t have

a pencil. You don’t have a pencil. We don’t have pencils”. Confused the child

responded, “Ain’t nobody got any pencil?”

Since children are still in an intellectual stage of what Piaget called “concrete

operations” we need to know their limitations. Rules, explanations and other even

slightly abstract talk about language can leave the child confused and bewildered.

Children are centered on the here and now, on the functional purposes of language.

They have little appreciation for our adult notions of correctness and cannot understand

our explanations of linguistic concepts. It will be wise to remember certain points:

• Don’t explain using grammar terms like ‘relative clause’ or ‘past

progressive’.

• Rules stated in abstract terms should be avoided.

• Some grammatical concepts can be highlighted by showing certain

patterns and examples (notice the ing at the end of the word or this is

what we say when it is happening right now)

• Certain patterns and concepts require more repetition than adults.

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• Attention Span

One of the salient differences between adults and children is attention span. This

becomes more pronounced if they have to deal with material which they find boring,

useless or too difficult. So our job as teachers is to make learning interesting, lively and

fun.

• Since children are focused on the immediate here and now, activities

should be designed to capture their immediate attention.

• Lessons should have a variety of activities to keep the interest and

attention alive.

• The teacher needs to be animated, lively, and enthusiastic about the

subject matter. The teacher’s energy levels need to be high.

• A sense of humor will go a long way, but should be at their level.

• Children have a lot of natural curiosity; the teacher needs to tap into this

whenever possible, which will help to maintain attention and focus.

• Sensory Input

Children need to have all five senses stimulated. Therefore, the teacher’s activities

should go well beyond the visual and auditory modes.

• Physical activities are a must in a young learner classroom. Make them get

out of their seats and act out things (role play), play games or do other

physical activities.

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 • Projects and hands-on activities go a long way toward helping children

internalize the language.

• Sensory aids like touch, feel, smell and taste apart from hear and see – are

all important elements in children’s language learning.

• The teacher’s non-verbal language is important because children keenly

observe and imitate the teacher’s facial expressions, gestures and touch.

• Affective Filter

It is not always right to say children are unaffected by inhibitions unlike adults. They

are extremely sensitive, especially to peers and sometimes the slightest nuances in

communication can be negatively interpreted. The teacher needs to help them overcome

such barriers to learning.

• Be patient and supportive to build self-esteem.

• Elicit as much oral participation as possible from students to give them

plenty of opportunities for trying things out.

• Encourage group and pair work.

• Help them realize mistakes are a part of the learning process.

• Authentic, Meaningful Language

Children are focused on what this new language can actually be used for here and now.

They want immediate rewards and success.

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 • The Language needs to be firmly context embedded. Story lines, familiar

situations, real-life conversations - will establish a context within which

language can be received and sent and thereby improve retention.

• A whole language approach is essential. If it is broken into too many bits

and pieces, students won’t see the relationship to the whole.

LEVELS

The term Young Learner generally refers to children between five and twelve years old.

These are some of the most vital years in a child’s development.

We can divide the young learners into:

The Very Young Learners: (3 to 6 years)

Very young learners refer to children who have not yet started compulsory schooling

and have not yet started to read. Generally speaking, children between three and six,

fall into this category. There is a growing trend in many countries for children to start

their language learning at a much younger age.

Characteristics

• The very young learners need the teacher’s individual attention.

• It is very difficult to hold the attention of a whole group of small children and the

best way to do so is to change learning activities every five to ten minutes unless

they are engrossed in an activity which can then go on longer.

• Young children may spend a lot of timing absorbing language before they can

actually produce anything. Even if they are not saying anything, they are taking

it in.

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 • They can do simple jigsaw puzzles, sort, classify and match things, recognize

similarities and differences.

• They are able to follow stories and enjoy looking at books with pictures.

• Though most of them are self-centered and will want to play alone, they should

be encouraged to participate in organized games.

• Emphasis should be on the type of activities which children normally do at pre-

school adapted to language learning- songs, chants, rhymes, stories, drawing,

coloring and, Let’s Pretend are among the tasks most suited for this age group.

• They learn through direct experience via the five senses and do not understand

abstract concepts. Therefore, following instructions, miming and doing what is

being said are all ways to coach language development.

Young Learners (6 to 8 years)

Characteristics:

• They can talk about what they are doing and tell you what they have done or

heard.

• They can plan activities.

• They can use logical reasoning and their vivid imagination.

• They know that rules need to be followed and derive a sense of security from

them.

• They understand situations faster than they understand language.

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 • Their own understanding comes through the eyes, hands and ears; the physical

world is dominant at all times.

• They have a short attention span and concentration level.

• The dividing line between the real and the imaginary is not always very clear.

• They cannot decide for themselves what to learn.

• They may not ask questions; instead they either pretend to understand or

understand in their own terms.

• They love to play and learn best when they are enjoying themselves.

• They are enthusiastic and positive about learning; however, they need to be

praised and experience some amount of success in order to take them forward.

Second Stage Young Learners (9 to 12 years)

Children in this age group are relatively mature with an adult, but a childish side when

they are with their peers.

• Their basic concepts are formed. They have very opinionated views of the world.

• They can tell the difference between fact and fiction.

• They ask questions all the time.

• They rely on the spoken word as well as the physical world to convey and

understand meaning.

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 • They have definite views about what they like and dislike.

• They are able to work with others and learn from others.

• They can understand abstracts, symbols, generalize and systematize.

A different Orientation:

• Teaching Listening Skills

Listening in the classroom

• It is clear that listening is the skill that children acquire first, especially if they

have not learned to read. When the students start to learn a foreign language, it

is going in through their ears and what the pupils hear is their main source of

language. We also try to give them as much as visual back up as possible

through facial expression, movement, mime and pictures.

• If you are reading you can go back and check or you can reread. This isn’t

possible while you are listening. So, it is important to say things clearly and to

repeat them with young learners.

• One has to concentrate while listening but Young Learners have a short attention

span; so, it is important not to overload children when you are working on

listening tasks.

• When we are listening to someone speak, we usually nod, comment or show

some signs of understanding and if we don’t follow then we also say so. We very

seldom wait until the end of the conversation or announcement and then start

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 asking questions regarding what we have heard. So, when we present activities

to children, it is always better to ask them "Do you understand this?" or "Can you

follow me?" instead of presuming that the learners have followed the

instructions.

• Some listening activities will wake your students up, make them move about,

create movement or noise. Others will calm them down, make them concentrate

and create a peaceful atmosphere.

Different types of listening activities in the classroom

• Listen and Do activities

• Classroom Instructions—any classroom instruction like – sit, stand, make a line

etc.

• Physical Movements—pull, push, hop, run etc.

• Raise your hand—when they hear a particular word or sound.

• Mime stories—teacher tells story while students do the action.

• Drawing— listen and draw is a favorite classroom activity.

• Listening for information

Listening for information is a phrase that nearly covers every aspect of listening but

here we will narrow it down to mean listening for specific information and for

detail.

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• Listen and repeat activities

Listen and repeat activities are a great fun and give the pupils the chance to get a feel

for the language – the stress, sound, rhythm and intonation. When done in

combination with movements objects or pictures it helps to establish the link

between form and meaning.

• Rhymes and Songs

Most children love rhymes and like to repeat them over and over again. Rhymes are

repetitive and have a natural rhythm. They are fun and play with the language.

Songs have universal appeal.

• Teaching Oral skills

Speaking is perhaps the most difficult skill for the teacher to teach. Children can express

their emotions, communicate intentions, explore and make fun in their own language so

the same is expected to be done in English. Children will often and naturally insert their

native language when they can’t find the words in English.

What is important with beginners is finding the balance between providing language

through controlled and guided activities and at the same time letting them enjoy

natural conversation. Most of them have little opportunity to practice speaking English

outside the classroom and therefore need lots of practice.

When the students are working with controlled and guided activities, we want them to

produce correct language. During such activities the pupils are using the teacher’s

language or the text book language and therefore are only imitating or giving an

alternative, so correction is straightforward. With young learners, correction should

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always be positive in tone and word content. “You’re wrong again, Johnny!” in a stern or

punishing tone of voice is not the way to encourage learning.

However, when students are working on free oral activities, we want them to say what

they want to say, to express themselves and their personalities. The emphasis for the

pupils should be content, and then the correction should not be done while the activity

is going on.

• At the beginning:

The pupils: A good teacher knows what his or her students are capable of doing.

So, one says things like ‘Susan can sing, Tom can draw, Joe can ride a bike’ etc.

However, the sentence should be true and accompanied by appropriate action

and sounds.

Using a puppet: One of the most successful ways of presenting language to

young children is through puppets or a class mascot. Having someone familiar

all the time helps to develop conversation and introduce new language to

children. Once the teacher has given the model the children can ask the puppet

all sorts of questions and it will answer. In this way its name, address, identity,

likes and dislikes will be built up in cooperation with the children.

• Drawings and Silhouettes

The teacher can use very simple drawings, even stick figures to tell an event or a

conversation or use silhouettes on the overhead projector.

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 Others

The teacher can use simple clear pictures to present new language; mime/act the

situation; realia – clothes, telephone, animals, toy furniture etc.

• Controlled practice

Controlled practice goes hand in hand with presentation since it is important that

children try out new language a soon as they have heard it. In controlled

practice, there is very little chance that the pupils can make a mistake. Example:

One pupil asks : “What’s the time?” The other answers: “It’s ______”. Or “What’s he

doing?” “ He’s ______ing.”

Activities like these provide the basis for oral work. Their purpose is to use

correct, simple, useful language within a situation or context. Learners may have

to repeat sentences, be corrected and go over the same thing several times.

Familiarity and safety are necessary to help build security in the language.

• Guided practice

Guided practice follows on directly from controlled practice and will often be

done either in pairs or in groups. It gives the pupils some sort of choice, but the

choice of language is limited. Textbooks are full of such exercises and along with

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 it, the teacher can use mime, pictures or objects to make the content clearer and

practice the words.

Example: Chain work

The teacher puts a number of picture cards or word cards face down on the table. Pupil A

picks up one card which has a picture of apples and says: “Do you like apples?” Pupil B

picks up another card on which there are some bananas and answers, “No, I don’t like

apples, but I like bananas.” It continues with other students and other cards. This

activity can be used to practice whatever vocabulary or structure the teacher is working

on at that time.

• Dialogues and Role play

Working with dialogues is a useful way to bridge the gap between guided

practice and freer activities when the students are ready for it. First the teacher

has to present the dialogue in whatever way possible. Dialogues with some

action or movement work well with children. After they have heard the dialogue

a number of times, the teacher then does it with a few students. After this the

teacher instructs a student-to-student interaction. They practice in pairs.

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Example:

Using objects : Physical movements and objects make the language come alive for

children. The teacher can ask the children to bring something to class and keep it in

their pockets. The children can choose the following dialogue and go through it with as

many others as possible.

A: What have you got in your pocket?

B: I’m not telling you.

A: Oh, please?

B: O.K. It’s a _______.

There is a lot more involved than language alone in these exchanges. There are also

endless ways in which this dialogue can be developed. This type of activity works well

with children from age five upwards.

Role-play: In a role-play the students pretend to be someone else. At the beginning ,

pupils can role play dialogues by learning them by heart, repeating after the teacher

and then practice in pairs. In the next stage the pupils may substitute variables in the

same core structure.

In the next stage the pupils use their own language for a given situation with cue cards.

However, children in the ten and above age group will be suitable for this.

Importance of Dialogues and Role-play:

• Spoken in first and second person. Texts are often in third person.

• Learn to ask and answer.

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 • Learn to use short complete chunks of language and to respond appropriately.

• Learn to use right tone, stress, intonation, facial expression etc.

• Gives an opportunity to use natural language.

Free activities

Free activities focus attention on the message/content and not on the language.

• There is genuine communication even though the situations are

sometimes artificial.

• They will really show whether the pupils can or cannot use the language,

this cannot be assessed in a guided activity.

• Free activities concentrate more on meaning than on correctness – fluency

rather than accuracy.

• Teacher control is minimal during the activity.

• The atmosphere is informal and non-competitive.

• There is fun and game element in the activity.

The range of free activities is endless and goes from playing card games to giving mini-

talks. For young children it is based on the information gap principle.

C. Teaching Reading Skills

Listening is the main source of language acquisition when children start to learn a

language; print is the second main source. As they learn the language, printed words

become the main source of expanding and strengthening the language. Books open up a

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new and different world to young children, so making reading an important part of

their language learning experience becomes the teacher’s responsibility.

Approaches to reading

• Phonics:

This approach is based on letters and sounds. We teach the pupils the letters of

the alphabet, and the combination of letters, as they are actually pronounced.

Although phonics can become very complicated as all the pronunciation rules

are introduced, it can be useful for those who are unfamiliar with the Roman

alphabet. It is not recommended for those who are already familiar with the

Roman alphabets and should not be used for those who are learning to read

using phonics in their own language. This could lead to great confusion in

pronunciation.

• Look and Say:

This approach is based on words and phrases and makes a lot of use of flash

cards. The teacher starts by using everyday words which are already familiar to

the students. The teacher shows the word and says it while pointing to the object.

The children repeat the word. This is done several times with each word. The

teacher might spend five minutes out of each period to introduce four new

words. Word recognition games like – matching words and pictures, pointing to

objects, guessing the word can be done at this stage. It actually works as a pre

reading exercise.

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 • Whole Sentence Reading:

Here the teacher teaches recognition of whole phrases and sentences which have

meaning in themselves. This often means a story which is familiar to them, but

which the children read for the first time. The words are not presented in

isolation, but as whole phrases or sentences. Reading for meaning should be

encouraged as much as possible.

• Language Experience Approach:

This approach is based on a child’s spoken language. The teacher writes down a

sentence for the child to read which is based on what the child has said this is a

good, pupil-centered approach to reading. No matter which approach to reading

you take as your basic approach, you should remember that all these approaches

are a means to read and not an end. It is favorable to adopt an approach that

concentrates on meaning from the beginning.

Five to seven year olds

• Five to seven year olds are likely to take longer to read in a foreign language than

eight to ten year olds. They have to go through the process of reading-like

activities first – reading from left to right, turning the pages at the right place,

going back and reading the same pages again. Picture books with and without

text are invaluable at this stage. If the children have not learned to read in their

own language then they will not know the connection between the spoken and

written word

• Sentence structure, paragraphing and grammar will not mean anything at this

stage.

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 • Decoding, reading—making sense of what we see on the page—is a very

involved process. Adults make use of clues such as punctuation, paragraphing,

references to things, predicting what has happened or going to happen, etc. Five

to seven year olds depend on visual clues which are vital to determining

meaning. Illustrations in a book for young children matter almost as much as the

words themselves.

Eight to ten-year olds

• The majority of eight to ten-year olds will already be able to read a bit in their

own language and most seem to have little difficulty in transferring their reading

skills to English. This means that less time needs to be spent on teaching the

mechanics of reading and more time can be spent on content.

A word on ‘Reading Aloud’:

It is a skill which does not have much use outside the classroom. Throughout life one

would be reading extensively or intensively and that reading will be done silently. But

it can be helpful to beginners in a language.

It is not recommended as:

• It gives little pleasure and is of little interest to the listeners.

• It encourages stumbling and mistakes in tone, emphasis and expression.

• It may disturb the silent reading techniques of other pupils.

• It is an inefficient way of utilizing teaching time.

However, reading aloud can be useful if applied a little differently:

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 • At the beginner stage, the teacher needs to give full attention to reading aloud by

individual student. The teacher may ask questions about meaning, what the

student thinks of the book, smooth out any language difficulty that may arise.

• The teacher can use reading aloud to train and check rhythm and pronunciation

as well as the growth and development of reading recognition fluency.

• Reading dialogues aloud in pairs helps to check pronunciation and expression.

• Listening to a student reading aloud should be a treat for the whole class. The

pupil should be well prepared and others should want to hear him read.

Silent Reading

Silent reading is what most people will use for the rest of their lives. Not everyone will

turn out to be a voracious reader but a positive attitude towards books and reading

from the beginning is desirable. The teacher should make as much use as possible of her

‘English corner’. Have print posters everywhere, writing on the notice board, try to give

them their own books, give messages in writing, make books easily available. Let the

children read books for understanding and pleasure.

Confidence Building

• Some children are natural readers and will require no encouragement but the

teacher needs to spend some time building up confidence with the rest about

silent reading. Give them a story that they have heard before. Give them a little

while to read. Then talk about the story, clear up any difficulties. The emphasis is

on the content and the language should not be a hurdle. Let them finish the story

at leisure.

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 • The teacher can give pupils half of an interesting story and then discuss what

happens next. There will be different endings and then the teacher can give them

the rest of the story to see whether they were right. This encourages anticipation.

• For the eight to ten year olds who are not beginners,

• the teacher can use silent reading as the starting point for role-play for the whole

class or for groups.

• Teaching Writing Skills

Writing skills and oral skills are often combined in the classroom and one benefits from

the other. Writing however has certain characteristics, which makes it difficult for

children:

• You can’t make the same use of body language, intonation, tone, eye contact and

all other features which makes it easier to convey meaning when we speak.

• Very little of what children write is concerned with the here and now, which is

where many children exist for a period of time.

• Writing in a foreign language is often associated with correcting errors.

Handwriting, grammar, spelling and punctuation are given priority over

content. If we try to make writing meaningful, with the emphasis on content then

errors can be gently corrected and rewritten in cooperation with the teacher.

Writing is an integral and essential part of a language lesson. It adds dimension to the

learning process. It lets pupils express their personalities. Writing activities help to

consolidate learning in the other skill areas and allows for conscious development of the

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language. When we speak, we don’t always need to use a large vocabulary because our

meaning is often conveyed with the help of the situation. Lots of structures appear more

frequently in writing and most importantly when we write we have the time to go back

and think about what we have written. Writing provides great sense of satisfaction to

pupils to see their work in print, so never underestimate the value of making pupil’s

work public, but with their consent.

Get them to write!!!

Controlled writing activities:

Writing activities, like oral activities, go from being tightly controlled to being

completely free. Guided activities are done more with beginners. In general, controlled

activities are done to practice language while free activities allow for self-expression at

however low a level and content is what matters.

• Straight copying

Straight copying is the starting point for writing and gives the teacher the

chance to reinforce language that has been presented orally or through

reading. It is a good idea to ask pupils to read aloud quietly to themselves

when they are copying the words because this helps them to connect between

the written and spoken word. The sound-symbol combination in English is

quite complicated so those who find copying difficult you can start them off

by tracing words.

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• Matching

Pupils can match pictures and text or choose which sentence they want to

write about the text. For example:

Write one sentence –

• He likes cooking.

• He is a good cook.

• He is making a meal with eggs.

• Organizing and copying

Copying can also be a good introduction to structured writing.

For example: Complete Susan’s letter using the sentences below the letter

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 120 Belle Avenue
New York City, NY 10012
July 26th2012

Dear Mike,

New York is
beautiful______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Yesterday_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Tomorrow_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Love, Susan

We went to the cinema. It’s got beautiful parks. There are lots of hotels and restaurants. We ate
at a Japanese restaurant. We are going to visit a famous museum. We saw a very good film. The
trees are big and tall.

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