YOUNG LEARNERS (Daniela Castillo)
YOUNG LEARNERS REFLEXTION
In the first class we reviewed the
three stages of teaching the first stage is the young learners in this stage
the ages are from 5 to 12 years old, the second stage is about teenagers from
13 to 18+ years old and the last stage is about adults like professionals,
college students but we concentrated just in young learner stage.
Some years ago I worked with young
learners (5 to 9 years old) for me this stage is very hard to the teachers, is
very demanding because the students need more attention and with these learners
as teachers we need more activities to catch their attention to understand the
second language in a better way. As you know an English teacher need to domain
the subject to teach and need be very creative and also to don´t have a boring
class, because they lose the attention easily.
In the young learners stage the
students learn in a better way using technology like video games, or also using
YouTube to listen music they love and for the rhythm or their favorite singers,
when I was working with young learners I used chants like head shoulders knees
and toes or Johny Jonhy yes papa lyrics they love associate the different
topics with songs and mimics, in my case they were cooperative and collaborative
learners when worked with songs or when we go out to the classroom to work in
the yard they love those activities.
I had a problem when a was working
with the young learners they didn´t like speak in English I would like to know
how can the young learners improve their speaking and how they could have
fluidity when speaking.
In conclusion the first class for me
was interesting because I knew somethings about the young learners like how
they can learn a new languages using new trends like technology and how we can
use with them the different skills in the classroom.
BY: ( Daniela Castillo )
If you have a comment about my task let me know please .
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be that many of us consider that work with young learner is a difficult task however, nothing is impossible.
DeleteDaniella, according to your problem: when you are working with young learners and they don’t like speak in English. My advice is that you have to foment confidence because the majority of them must be afraid to speak. So, you have to reduce their fears of making a fool of themselves in front of their partners.
Besides, your duty is motivate them to speak and participate and for sure this motivation will reduce their fears and promote a comfortable environment.
I totally agree, Daniela it is really hard to work with young learners. Definitely, children need more attention, and of course educator has to be creative, and dynamic. Based on my own experience if the educator is creative and dynamic, young learners are going to learn in a better way, besides, they will be motivated to learn.
ReplyDeleteHi Byron, Can you give Daniela a specific example of how the teacher of young learners can be creative and dynamic?
DeleteDuring the last class that I have about teaching young learners between 5 and 12, I could remember when I tought my students during 4 years ago, I had troubles keeping my students engaged during the lesson because as a teacher we have to be very quikly with them,we have to find different strategies to teach them and young learner classroom should be visual, hand activities and strong community help young students learn, is a litle diffficult but no imposible.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher should have goals with the young learners like gaing a better underdtanding, provide
examples for implementing some strategies in the language classroom, during the class our teacher said that Teacher need to know how children learn and how they make sense of the world also Teacher need to know about language, language learning and keeping students on task as a teacher.
I think that videos help to engage students in their learning because young learners can see different pictures character in which they are going to assimilate better the language, using videos is helpful because learners can produce the language in a better way and
improve their pronounciation. They could be adapted according to the learners age, a teacher has to be creative in the classroom using videos as a stepping stone to fun and communicative activities. It is necessary to challenge young learners to listen when dealing with features of pronunciation. Moreover, we can find videos to provide a good source of authentic listening materials for the practice of pronunciation and we can use for accordingly because English is a global language is necessary to learn It in order to communicate with other people around the world.
Hi Isabel,
DeleteThis is a very good comment - reflective and specific. Thank you for sharing some of your thoughts and some of your own experiences.
When I had the opportunity to work with children. I did not how to do in class, because my previous experience was just with adults. Well, I am going to share one of my experiences with young learners, when I entered into young learners’ classroom I could see the classroom completely full of pictures, posters etc. everything was labeled with their names, of course in Spanish, so I labeled everything, but in English, for example next to the board was its name in Spanish and English, I Think that I was a little creative, and dynamic too. Because I could catch young learner’s attention, every time that children entered to the classroom, I always said, how do you say this (……. ) In English, for instance, I pointed the door, my children said by turns or everybody door and so on. At the end they learned many vocabulary. I believe that I was not a traditional teacher that only use some pictures of the book at that is all. I used real objects of the class. I can say that this activity worked in my class.
ReplyDelete(this stage is very hard to the teachers, is very demanding because the students need more attention and with these learners as teachers)
ReplyDeleteaccording with this part I would like to express that it it very difficult to teach young learners because of the system .First,we can not give time to interact and take out outcome of students because in the classroom there are 45 students and only just 45 minutes we have to much students inside of the classroom.Second,we can not review homework assigned because of the time.The ministerie says that there should be 25 or 35 inside of the class but it is not true.
Hi Daniela,
ReplyDeleteYou ask a very pertinent question: How to get young learners to SPEAK in English? I don't believe there is an easy answer, but I have a few suggestions that I think would help if implemented systematically and consistently by the teacher:
1. The teacher uses English as much as possible: for giving instructions, explaining tasks, etc. Of course the language will have to be graded for the level of the students (as well as their age), but all too often I hear teachers telling me that they have to give the class in Spanish because the students "don't understand". I get it, but I think Spanish should be used more for disciplinary actions or things of a metacognitive nature. Mostly, students could learn the language through teacher's gestures and repetition of familiar phrases and words, and in time start repeating the words themselves. But (in my opinion) when teachers start resorting to an overuse of L1 (Spanish), the students do the same, and there becomes very little need for them (students) to actually use the language to speak.
2. Making sure activities are graded and scaffolded properly. We can't expect six year olds to speak in complete sentences, but they can say the colors, numbers, names of toys. They can count and sing songs (learned by heart) and do actions as they say them. They can repeat after the teacher. As students get more fluency and proficiency (and older), of course, they can talk about family, pets, school, likes/dislikes, etc. The key, in my opinion, is to make sure things are done slowly so students can get confidence in their speaking abilities - step by step.
It isn't an easy job, but I do believe we shouldn't think of it as impossible, either, because at some point we need to believe in our students and their abilities (as well as the abilities as us as teachers!)