The Teacher Development Series Editor: Adrian Underhill | | Children | pea ehhBt too BBTV Uy ebestorts RTS ety Pee Grec URS loaily De ene eta See Pier Rog ere Pee ee ee nenesca nee Peet meet Prt reg ents hts Pern Tas eer peters Bro Terenas tere geste le Children Learning English A guidebook for English DT Sen etree ele Children Learning English is for teachers of English to young learners. It offers you discussion, discovery activities, and real-life examples from classrooms Ere RC Cn RTs ee OLE eee eR Rid Tost ela Rene CRS CERT etc! Cras Ree nee te Roce tatc rc language-learners. Cee ae CeO er eC Redd Seem ote Coan © Gain insights into your own beliefs and practice. © Understand the theory and practice of teaching English to children. eI MACMILLAN HEINEMANN eee cy 1M,Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Epilogue Contents About the author The Teacher Development Series Introduction to Children Learning Englis = Children learning English Children as language learners Do you like learning English? aghsh Pupils’ attitudes to learning Are they the same? Children come in all types We've found our partners, Miss ‘Managing pupils’ language learning Who has some good news for today? Effective teacher-pupil mteraction Do you need a hand? Supporung children’s language learning Can we do ‘Poker Creating, adapting and evaluating acuyites for face’ again, Miss? Janguage learning Why did I do it like this? Planning for children’s language learning What's your topic? Using a cross-curricular approach for organizing Tanguage learning, Can we make a spinner? Involving children in making and using resources Learning to see Assessing learning and teaching How can I be a better language learner? Learning to learn Looking forwards Glossary Index 15, 26 41 60 86 99 118 135 148 163 77 182 184About the author Tam a lecturer m the School of Education, Unversity of Leeds, where I have taught for 13. years on postgraduate and short courses for experienced TESOL teachers, teacher trainers and matenial developers from all over the world One of the most rewarding aspects of my work1s the opportumty to work with TESOL teachers and tramners from many different international contexts, and to recognize both our shared concerns as well as our differences Before I came to Leeds, I worked for many years in different parts of Asia, such as Hong Kong, the Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Indonesta, imtually teaching and then later working as a teacher trainer and a curriculum developer Tam very interested 1n children’s second language development, and, in particular, how children develop their ability to wnite stories and other texts in Enghsh I would hike to dedicate this book to all the children, teachers and tramers [have worked with around the world, from whom I have gained immense insights about teaching and learning They come from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Colombia, Hong Kong; Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Malta, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka and many other countries Author’s acknowledgements Many people have contnbuted in different ways to this book I would like to thank all of them Dugald for supporting me through the whole process, Marilyn for giving me the mitial push, Adrian Underhill (series editor) and Jill Florent (commissioning editor) for their helpful and msightful comments in the early stages of the book, Lynne Cameron, Jenny Jarvis, William Gibbs, Gary Knamuller and Angi Maldere2 for commenting on early drafis of chapters, Alyson Maskell, who has come in with a fresh eye and done a wonderful job on the final edmang of the book Last, but not least, I would like to thank all the teachers I have worked with in different countries and my students at Leeds, in particular, BA Tesol teachers from Malaysia, who have contributed 1n different ways to the development of my ideas for this bookThe Teacher Development Series ‘TEACHER DEVELOPMENT 1 the process of becoming the best teacher you can be It means becomung a student of learning, your own as well as that of others It represents a widening of the focus of teaching to include not only the subject matter and the teaching methods, but also the people who are working with the subject and using the methods It means taking a step back to see the larger picture of what goes on in learning, and how the relationshap between students and teachers influences learning It also means attending to small details which can in turn change the bigger picture Teacher development 1s a continuous process of transforming human potential into human performance, a process that is never finished ‘The Teacher Development Series offers perspectives on learning that embrace topic, method and person as parts of one larger interacting whole We am to help you, the teacher, tramer or academic manager to stretch your awareness not only of what you do and how you do it, but also of how you affect your learners and colleagues. This will enable you to extract more from your own experience, both ast happens and in retrospect, and to become more acuvely nvolved in your own continuous learning The books themselves will focus on new treatments of familiar subjects as well as areas that are just emerging as subjects of the future ‘The series represents work that 1s n progress rather than finished or closed The authors are themselves exploring, and invite you to bring your own experience to the study of these books while at the same tume learning from the experiences of others We encourage you to observe, value and understand your own experience, and to evaluate and integrate relevant external practice and knowledge into your own internal evolving model of effective teaching and learning Adrian Underintt Other titles in the Teacher Development Series Inside Teachmg ‘Tim Bowen and Jonathan Marks Learning Teachmg Jum Scrivener Sound Foundations Adrian Underhill Readings in Teacher Development Katie Head and Pauline Taylor The ELT Manager's Handbook Graham Impey and Nic UnderhullIntroduction to Children Learning English Who is the book for? Thave written this book for teachers It will be suitable, in particular © for those of you already teaching English to children, who want to consider your teaching m new ways © for those of you who are general primary teachers in your own countries, but are now going to teach English as well © for those of you who are already specialist Enghsh language teachers of secondary school students or adults, who are now going to teach English to children What is the book for? Thave written this book because of my interest n teaching languages to children. T would luke to share with you something of my own fascination and enjoyment in working with them But this real interest took time to develop When I first began teaching, I was busy trying to survive and cover the syllabus, My focus was on the subject matter, the methods and keeping the children quuet. It was only gradually that I began to understand the importance of observing what children do and talking to them. It was only later that I began to see them as real people with preferences, ideas and views of their own. As I responded to them as human beings, they responded to me As I observed them closely, 1 realized what an amazmg capacity they had for learning and how many abihiues the already had which I could draw on in the classroom. These changes in my understanding and beliefs led to changes in my practice and also made me feel much more excited about and involved in teaching children. In this book, I want to help you to examine your own teaching and beefs about teaching in the context of teaching English to children, Change can only take place if we become more aware of the assumptions and beliefs which underpin our practice. This new awareness may lead to change. I hope that the book will provide you with different ways of doing this, ¢ The new challenge (for some of you) of teaching children Enghsh may provide an opportunity to re-examine your practice and the reasons for your practice. ¢ Learning from children, observing what children do and say, and talking to them as people rather than pupils ina class can influence your teaching in new and exciting ways. © Considering the points of view of specialists and of other primary teachers may help to give you new ideas or different perspectives to consider so that you have more options to think about in your teaching. Thope that this book will enable you to feel excited about teaching Enghsh to children, both professionally and personally What is the book about? This book focuses on the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) that means where English is @ subject taught at school and where the child generally does not use English outside of school However we have also inchided examples from second language (ESL) teaching situations where this helps to illuminate the way children’s language develops The book 1s concerned with children from stx to twelve years of age but atalso includes examples from older children where this seems relevant, to illustrate the way children’s language and attitudes to language develop and change.Incroducton Its a book which provides insights into the special characteristics, abilities and attitudes chtldren. boring to the classroom ¢ which helps you to think about how you can learn from children and make use of this informacion in planning your teaching and your work with children ¢ which offers vou ideas and frameworks for teaching English as opuons to consider carefully in relation to your own context © which encourages you to develop yourself as a teacher Itis not a book of teaching tps, though it does contain teaching ideas for you to consider and try out a book for beginning teachers @ a book which recommends a universal method for teaching children “There are many ways of teaching children, but these need to be considered mm relation to your own context and the needs of your pupils ‘Teaching situations around the world vary considerably, and yours may differ from the ones I describe in this book However, [hope that no matter what your teaching situation 1s ike, you may acquire ways of examming your own teaching contexts and beliefs which will help you to see your own teaching and your pupils in new ways Finding your way through the book ‘The book 1s organized into two parts In the first three chapters, the focus 18 on children and their special characteristics, and how they think and learn From Chapter 4 onwards, the focus 1s on teaching English and how teachers can assist and support children’s language learning The book can be used m different ways It1s possible to work through the chapters in sequence Itis equally possible to focus only on the chapters which interest you There are cross references m the text so that you can find other chapters which may deal with the topic again, eg managing groupwork Reader tasks are mcluded to help you to reflect on and actively engage with the material in the book Starting points Changing the level at which you teach from adults to children or beginning to teach a new subject, eg moving from teaching general primary subjects to teaching English, can be quite stressful In this situation 1t1s natural to have secret fears or worries about whether you wall bbe successful So it can help to begin by writing down all the things you can do already (credits) and think about which of these things you can make use of or adapt for the new teaching situation (credit transfers) ‘You may be quite pleasantly surprised to find that there are many skills or abihties which you can make use of in your new teaching situation Try writing down your credits, as an the example below from Abdulgader, a Libyan teacher who had previously taught adults umIntroduction Credits Credit transfers [Knowledge or experience |Teaching English |Teaching of children, eg relatives, your own children My young cousin: My experience is with adults: 4 He 1s cunous. 6 Language 's best’ learned when learners attempt 2 When it comes to playing, he is very creative, He creates touse itto games that are suitable | TO ag forthe place he 1s in and) eo ething the resources available. | 7 A focus on form 3 He likes going to new ive nesienl places. way does heip 4 He likes stones. nterlanguage d 5 He plays alot. evelopment, 8 The teacher needs to accommodate | students” explicit needs as they have a clear vision of what they want to learn. 9 Adults lke to feel rapid progress in learning. 10 The language we teach to adults is sometimes specific (work related). 14 We need to help learners to learn how to learn. children |Which credits can | be transferred /adapted? | was thinking of adults as different from children. But now | am puzzled! Differences now seem a matter of degree. Many aspects of adult teaching have similanties to teaching children, eg points 6 and 7 | | » My knowledge of children in 1-5. Many of the examples given in this book are taken from real classrooms and from teachers I have worked with. Other examples are drawn from real classroom data but have been altered in some way, eg names, contexts, etc to preserve anonymnty of to illustrate particular poms There are examples from all around the world to show that you belong to an international community of English teachers who share many common concerns.Chapter 1 Children learning English Children as language learners hhe child in the example here’ speaks English as hus first language What about the other But we can tell that he 1s still learning by the errors in his speech By shoe? about four and a half years of age, however, he will have acquired the basic grammar system needed for everyday communication, though there will be some more complex aspects of grammar, eg sentence connectors, which he will only finally acquire in his teens. Children earning English as a foreign language also make errors which can be seen as a sign of active learning These errors give us evidence that both first and second language children are not just smitauing what they hear like parrots, but are working out how the language system operates The errors give us windows to look through and see what they have discovered about Ianguage so far But there 1s one important difference between children learning therr first language and children learning a second language at school second language children have already learned one language So they bring with them to the language classroom a great deal of experience of language, of hife and many other natural abilities which help them to learn and to learn English As teachers, we need to make use of and build on these abilities and characteristics In this chapter, we will consider 1 Contexts for learning English 2. Children as language learners 3 How teachers’ beliefs about learning affect their teaching 4 Ways of observing children’s language learning ‘The aum of this chapter 1s to help you to reflect on your own teaching so that you can consider to what extent you take account of the ways in which children learn and learn languages 1 Contexts for learning English Many teachers I have talked to believe that the ideal situation for children learming a second language 18 to hive in the country where the language 18 spoken, to be surrounded by 1t and to acquire st naturally through using it every day If we analyse this suggestion, we can identify a number of different conditions which are associated with this ideal learning situation Children will have plenty of ume for learning English and it can be spread over several y © Exposure ‘They are exposed to English all around them, both mn and outside of school © A real need for English ‘They have a need to use English in order to survive on a daily basis, eg to make friends, to study in school, to shop, to travel, etc © Variety of mput ‘They are exposed to a wide vanety of uses of English, eg spoken and wntten, Enghsh for thinking, for interacung, for getting things done, for magining 1Chapter 1 Children learmng Enghsh © Meamnefud mpur ‘They wall recetve plenty of meaningful language mput through experience of Enghsh not 8 a subject to be learned, but as a means of communication, where the focus 18 on the ‘meaning not the form of the language. Task Companng situations Here are three different situations for learning English. Which situation 1s closest to the fone in which you teach? Junko \s an eightyear-old Japanese girl Her parents are working in England. She attends a Japanese school. After one year, she has picked up quite a lot of English from the au pair {irl who works for the family and from the children who live next door. She can chat away quite happily with other children and she often translates for her mother when they go shopping to the market, Her mother finds it difficult to speak English. Rosa 1s an eight year-old giri who lives in Colombia in South America. She learns English at school. She does not hear or use any English outside school, She is not sure why she is learnung English, except that her parents think (tis «mportant At the end of ane year of English, she knows a few words of English. Dori 1s an eight year-old boy from Bhutan in the Himalayas. He 1s in Class 2 and he is learning all his subyects through English. Outside school, he will see Some shop signs in English and he may watch English films at home on his video wrth his parents. By the end of two years, he already knows a lot of English and can use it to communicate with his, teachers, who speak to him in English. = Compare the three situations and tick the chart to show which points in the left column apply to each learning situation. = Which situation do you think is the most favourable for language learning for young, learners and why? = Which situation is the least favourable and why? Can you identify three ways in which tt could be made into a more favourable environment? Situation A Junko) Situation B (Rosa) Situation C (Dorp) Plenty of time for English Exposure to English inside /outside school Need to use English Exposure to a variety of different uses of English Meaningful input ~ focus on meaning and communication