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Teaching English to Young Learners: Critical Issues in Language Teaching with

3-12 Year Olds. Janice Bland (Ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2015, Pp. ix +
301.

Article in Asian EFL Journal · September 2019

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 Teaching English to Young Learners: Critical Issues in Language
Teaching with 3-12 Year Olds
J. Bland (Ed.). London: Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2015. Pp. ix+301,
$40.95, ISBN: 9781472588562
Sylvia Liu*
University of Macau

Barry Lee Reynolds

University of Macau

Bioprofile:

Sylvia Liu currently is a Ph.D. student of English Education, University of Macau. Sylvia
does research with Professor Reynolds in ICT in Early Childhood Education, L1/L2
Vocabulary Acquisition/Instruction, and L2 Vocabulary Learning Strategies. Email:
yb77105@connect.um.edu.mo

Barry Lee Reynolds PhD is Assistant Professor of English Education in the Faculty of
Education at the University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. He has taught EGP, EAP, ESP
and trained language teachers in the USA, Taiwan, and Macau. Web:
https://www.um.edu.mo/fed/staff/BarryReynolds/index.htm Email:
BarryReynolds@um.edu.mo

English teachers of young children spend a great deal of effort ensuring they are providing

*corresponding author a child centered learning

Ms. Sylvia Liu, Room 2052, Faculty of Education,
environment. It is important for
University of Macau, E33, Av. da Universidade, Taipa,
Macau, China novice and seasoned teachers

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alike to reflect back upon the holistic approach that sets the tone for teaching English to

young children. Teaching English to Young Learners: Critical Issues in Language

Teaching with 3-12 Year Olds edited by Janice Bland aims to encourage reflective practice

amongst English teachers of young children. The book has laid a foundation for English

teachers to move from traditional English education approaches of teaching and assessment

to becoming more actively involved in the process of building and facilitating English

competency in young learners. English learning is understood in this book as the supplier

of opportunities for the widening of young language learners’ horizons. More specifically,

the aim of this 15 chapter volume is to provide readers with knowledge and skills about the

teaching of English to young learners in the school setting. Each chapter addresses a key

aspect of teaching language to young learners.

Chapters one through three lay out a complex historical perspective of English as a

global language. It also covers theoretical issues of English teaching, thus provides the

background information necessary to understand contemporary English teaching. For

example, Enever (ch. 1) discusses the advantages and disadvantages of an earlier start of

teaching English in both the classroom and home context, while Rixon (ch. 2) presents a

number of critical issues in contemporary worldwide contexts which emphasize optimizing

English teaching situations. As stressed by Mourão (ch. 3), who takes an in-depth look into

what it means for pre-primary second language education to be effective, both pre-service

and in-service teachers have to be equipped with both qualifications and competences

before teaching pre-primary leaners.

Chapters four through seven are logically organized, building an optimal condition

for holistic English instruction for young learners. Kersten and Rohde (ch. 4) cover

immersion education. They synthesize the current literature from different angles such as

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types of programs (i.e., early immersion, middle or delayed entry, and late entry), cognitive

effects (i.e., mental flexibility, thinking skills, metalinguistic awareness, and

communicative sensitivity), young learners with special needs, and bilingual pre-schools.

The core aspects of cognitive effects are also rooted in content and language-integrated

learning (CLIL), as supported by Bentley (ch. 5), who claims that “CLIL teachers must

therefore analyze the cognitive demands of subject tasks to ascertain what kind of thinking

is involved…Content, communication and cognition are therefore interrelated” (p. 94).

Likewise, when discussing task-based language teaching (TBLT), Pinter (ch. 6)

emphasizes that in addition to meeting young learners’ linguistic and social demands,

teachers also have to meet their students’ cognitive and meta-cognitive demands.

Immersion, CLIL, and TBLT represent the ideals of bilingual approaches. Kersten (ch.7)

then sets up the argument that young learners’ second language development can greatly

benefit from implicit and explicit exposure to formulaic language.

In the remaining chapters of the volume, English teaching is viewed as rooted in

what comes naturally to young learners. In chapters 8, 10, and 12, Bland offers up

children’s poetry, storytelling, and drama as pattern-rich language learning content for the

young learner classroom. Driscoll and Simpson (ch. 9) provide an insight into intercultural

practices in English teaching. They claim that when the focus of curriculum is on

establishing intercultural understanding, teachers foster the essential features (i.e., an open

mindset, tolerance, cultural sensitivity, and an understanding of diversity) for preparing

young leaners’ future lives. Mourão (ch. 11) highlights the untapped potential of picture

books for second language learning which can be used to encourage active engagement and

various meaning-making experiences. Schmid and Whyte (ch. 13) also highlight the

potential of technology for language acquisition. They provide readers concrete examples

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of how technologies can be adapted in early childhood classrooms for task-based language

learning. To assess the quality of teaching and learning, Becker (ch. 14) claims that teachers

need to have various competencies including a proficient level of English, knowledge of

young leaners’ needs, and familiarity with various types of assessment and portfolio

techniques. Regardless of one’s preferred teaching and assessment methods, Tomlinson

(ch. 15) claims materials used for said teaching and assessment must be designed not only

to motivate young children but should also adhere to local and universal criteria.

This book is a must-read for researchers and teachers looking to expand their

knowledge of young learner language education. What sets this book apart from other

books on the subject is the examples provided of real classroom practice, which may make

it more accessible to teachers of young learners. This volume offers readers a useful

summary of current theories, research, and classroom practices. The writing style of the

chapters is easy to understand without ambiguities, yet palpably intense. The above-

mentioned points make it clear why many professionals in early childhood education have

recommended this work as a reference for second language teacher training programs.

However, it may be a bit difficult for those not familiar with language teaching. For

example, it may be a challenge for novice teachers to increase their self-awareness

regarding the various issues covered by this volume if they are trying to teach English to

young leaners while simultaneously acquiring new knowledge from the book. We

encourage such readers to consider companion reading of other volumes such as Teaching

English by the book: putting literature at the heart of the primary curriculum (2018) and

Young Learner Education (2018).

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 References

Clements, J. (2018). Teaching English by the book: Putting literature at the heart of the

primary curriculum. New York: Routledge.

Copland, F., & Garton, S. (Eds.). (2018). Young learner education. Virginia, USA: TESOL

International Association, TESOL Press.

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