The idea of teaching young children English is gaining wide currency here in Kazakhstan. In the Ministry of Education’s recent report, “Conception of the Development ofEducation in Kazakhstan”, a target of beginning English instruction at the first form was set. Nevertheless, how can we teach such young children a second language? In addition, how can we teach or explain correct pronunciation, grammar, speaking and so on? Thus, it is our task to search for the useful and suitable challenge at the work. Moreover, what will be suitable and useful for such learners?
The power to learn a foreign language at the early age is so great and urgent in the young child that it does not seem to matter in what way and how you try to do it. Nevertheless, the point is that they can learn as many not foreign but spoken languages as you can allow them to hear systematically and regularly.
Вы уже знаете о суперспособностях современного учителя?
Тратить минимум сил на подготовку и проведение уроков.
Быстро и объективно проверять знания учащихся.
Сделать изучение нового материала максимально понятным.
Избавить себя от подбора заданий и их проверки после уроков.
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«Teaching English For Young Learners »
Astana city
Gymnasium №67
English Teacher
Rysbayeva Raya Binarbekovna
Teaching English For Young Learners
The idea of teaching young children English is gaining wide currency here in Kazakhstan. In the Ministry of Education’s recent report, “Conception of the Development ofEducation in Kazakhstan”, a target of beginning English instruction at the first form was set. Nevertheless, how can we teach such young children a second language? In addition, how can we teach or explain correct pronunciation, grammar, speaking and so on? Thus, it is our task to search for the useful and suitable challenge at the work. Moreover, what will be suitable and useful for such learners?
The power to learn a foreign language at the early age is so great and urgent in the young child that it does not seem to matter in what way and how you try to do it. Nevertheless, the point is that they can learn as many not foreign but spoken languages as you can allow them to hear systematically and regularly.
Taking into account this very peculiar feature of the child of the early age, I put forward the following tasks:
- to teach the correct pronunciation and speaking with the help of dialogue
and games;
- to encourage pupils to feel free, motivated and autonomous.
In her article Professor of Linguistics, Dr.Susan Curtiss quotes that the young learners can learn as many spoken languages as you can allow them to hear systematically and regularly. Here she might use “systematically and regularly” to calling for language teachers and learners to practice language activities, to experience over and over and to have our children to accept the language as one of the spoken languages.
When forming a base to any foreign language, we begin with and pay attention to the correct pronunciation of its sounds. So we, English teachers also start our classes with phonetic drills. I always try to take tongue twisters, rhymes for exercises directed to correct pronunciation, and I found it fun for children.
The teaching approach, which is suitable and appropriate for young learners, is communicative and physical ones. In this case, a teacher might take games or make their learners have a dialogue. It is up to the conductor of the class to provide as many opportunities as possible for children to absorb the language in its appropriate context.
To the theme “Family”, children may bring photos of the members of their families and introduce them. At the lesson “My Family”, I gave a dummy to my children and ask them to introduce to the newborn baby all the members of the family. They should decide who would be who. This approach I would call a new one – but the dialogue. I stayed aside and let them have an opportunity to divide the roles among themselves and observed waiting for the result. They began to argue, because each wanted to be a baby, then they understood that they were short of time and at the end each had a role. (Video)It was very fun and the children enjoyed the play.
So we used to consider a research a thoroughly searched, studied and highlighted theme. But in this very case you can see a research, a debate and a group work for at the beginning each wanted to be a baby and at the end they chose one of them who were best suited for the role. They well studied each other, knew who was capable of what role, though each of them wanted to be the newborn. It is a research. And when they argued while choosing a person to be a newborn or preparing their speeches how each should introduce himself / herself, there is the second phase of the dialogue – a debate. And when all the work was ready, they performed at the boards, in front of their classmates. The last moment is called a group work.
When I saw first that a dialogue is divided into three groups, I was afraid of thinking of the problem how I can have my children conduct a research. They are very young to do such a serious work. Then we were introduced with the next model – Age Training / Age Learningat school. And it helped me to get out of a difficult situation. Yes, we need to have an approach according to the age of our children. Therefore, we are also like children, but, sorry, I hope that you won’t be against of the fact that they are real kids? Why not take advantage of this category? You can always find the easy way out of any situation if you can behave yourself as a child or at least remember your childhood.
As an entertaining moment we always take songs “I’m a Little Teapot”, “If you’re Happy”, “Greeting Song” and so on.
As a result, Pupils learn
* to work in group friendly;
* to listen to each other attentively;
* to speak on the point, on the theme;
* to concentrate their activity.
Teachers learn
* to motivate learners to speak on the point;
* to give correct directions due to the age;
* to form a base of interlingual communication and to help to beable to use it in practice.
