Teaching English to young learners

The main aim of the course is to prepare the students for the role of a YL language teacher.

The trainees will be provided with background information regarding children's development and educational implications, involved in the teaching English to children at pre-primary and lower primary level. An overview of a variety of teaching methods, approaches and techniques appropriate for young learners will be presented. The students will be familiar with various techniques used to develop 4 language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. They will be equipped with the knowledge concerning the selection of appropriate techniques to introduce and consolidate vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Using games, songs, rhymes, chants and stories is one of the key areas, the course focuses on. Other themes that will be discussed during the course are as follows: selecting, evaluating and designing teaching materials, exploiting art and craft activities, projects and drama to develop linguistic skills, implementing educational technologies to enhance the teaching process, assessing the learners' progress, developing learning strategies in children, teacher-parents cooperation. The students will learn how to plan lessons for both age groups. The course also aims at raising student’s awareness of the need for continuing professional development and reflection on their own teaching practice.

Course Bibliography:

Antonaros S., Couri L. 2003. Teaching Young Learners. Newbury: Express Publishing.

Appel M., Zarańska J. , Piotrowska E. 2012. Program nauczania języka angielskiego dla przedszkoli. Warszawa: Macmillan.

Bentley K. 2009. Primary Curriculum Box. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bogdanowicz K., Butkiewicz A. 2004. Dyslexia in the English Classroom. Gdańsk: Harmonia.

Brewster J., Ellis G., Girard D. 2010. The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Suffolk: Penguin Books.

Calabrese I., Rampone S. 2007. Cross -Curricular Resources. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Cant A., Superfine W. 1997. Developing Resources for Primary. London: Richmond Publishing.

Edelenbos, P., R. Johnstone and A. Kubanek. 2006. The main pedagogical principles underlying the teaching of languages to very young learners. Languages for the children of Europe. Published Research, Good Practice and Main Principles. Final Report of the EAC 89/04, Lot 1 study.

Ellis G., Brewster J. 2003. The Storytelling Handbook. London: Penguin.

Feunteun A., Vale D. 2000. Teaching Children English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Halliwell S. 2006. Teaching English in the Primary Classroom. London: Longman.

House S. 1997. An Introduction to Teaching English to Children. London: Richmond Publishing.

Iluk, J. 2006. Jak uczyć małe dzieci języków obcych? Częstochowa: Wydawnictwo Wyższej Szkoły Lingwistycznej.

Ioannou-Georgiou S., Pavlou P. 2003. Assessing Young Learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jaros I. 2006. Język angielski z klockami Cuisenaire’a. Kielce: Wydawnictwo Pedagogiczne ZNP.

KE. 2011. Language Learning at Pre-Primary School Level: Making it Efficient and Sustainable. A Policy Handbook. KE. SEC(2011) 928 final.

Lauder N. 2006. Projects Across the Curriculum. London: Scholastic.

Lewis G., Bedson G. 1999. Games for Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Nelson G., Winters T., Clark R. C. 2004. Do As I Say. Brattleboro: Pro Lingua Associates.

Pamuła M. 2003. Metodyka nauczania języków obcych w kształceniu zintegrowanym. Warszawa: Fraszka Edukacyjna.

Pamuła M., Sikora-Banasik D. 2008. Inteligencje wielorakie na zajęciach języka angielskiego czyli jak skutecznie i ciekawie uczyć dzieci w młodszym wieku szkolnym. Warszawa: CODN.

Philips S. 2001. Young Learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Puchta H., Williams M. 2011. Teaching Young Learners to Think. Helbling Languages.

Read C. 2007. 500 Activities for the Primary Classroom. Oxford: Macmillan Publishers.

Reilly V., Ward S. M. 2002. Very Young Learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Roth G. 1998. Teaching Very Young Children. London: Richmond Publishing.

Scott W. A., Ytreberg L. H. 2002. Teaching English to Children. Harlow: Longman.

Sikora-Banasik D.(red). 2009. Wczesnoszkolne nauczanie języków obcych. Warszawa: CODN.

Slattery M. 2008. Teaching with Bear. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Slattery M., Willis, J. 2001 English for Primary Teachers. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Szpotowicz M., Szulc-Kurpaska M. 2011. Teaching English to Young Learners. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

Szpotowicz M., Szulc-Kurpaska M. 2014. Język angielski w wychowaniu przedszkolnym. Program nauczania 3-, 4- i 5-latków. Warszawa: Oxford University Press.

Educational journals on language teaching and learning:

Języki Obce w Szkole

Poliglota. Edukacja językowa dzieci

The Teacher

English Teaching Professional

Selected Internet resources:

Carol Read’s blog https://carolread.wordpress.com/

Fundacja Rozwoju Systemu Edukacji www.frse.org.pl

Early childhood education and care http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/school/early-childhood_en.htm

LearnEnglish Kids http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/

Super Simple Learning http://supersimplelearning.com/

One Stop English http://www.onestopenglish.com/children/

Macmillan Young Learners http://www.macmillanyounglearners.com/

Oxford parents https://elt.oup.com/parents/resources/oxfordparents/?cc=pl&selLanguage=pl&mode=hub

Praca z cyklem „Angielski dla starszaków”

http://www.wsip.pl/e-spotkania/praca-z-cyklem-angielski-dla-starszakow/

Upon finishing the course, the participants:

Knowledge:

- Know the main pedagogical principles underlying the teaching of languages to children

- Are familiar with the developmental differences of young learners as well as educational implications, appropriate for their stage of development

- Know a variety of techniques suitable for children at pre-primary and lower primary level to introduce and consolidate vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation

- Are aware of the benefits of storytelling, games, songs, rhymes, chants, art and craft activities, projects and know the principles of using them while teaching English to children

- Know the principles of lesson planning and class management

- Know how to implement educational technology to enhance the teaching/learning process

Skills:

- Evaluate and design teaching materials for various age groups

- Plan lessons focused on selected themes, vocabulary items, grammatical structures and pronunciation

- Select appropriate activities to develop language skills in children

- Add digital technology to improve the effectiveness of the teaching process

- Assess the teaching/learning outcomes

Social competences:

- Are aware of the need for continuing professional development

- Reflect on the teaching process while analyzing sample lessons

- Evaluate the usefulness of innovative initiatives in teaching English to young learners

- Are open towards cooperation with and learning from other language teachers

- Are prepared to collaborate with children’s parents to maximize the learning outcomes

Teaching Portfolio Tasks:

Students are expected to select one topic - A or B - from each assignment and comment on it/ provide the answer to the question.

Assignment 1

A: Which age group(s) would you like to work with as a language teacher? Provide a few reasons to support your choice.

B: How can you exploit the theory of Multiple Intelligences in the language classroom? Refer to most commonly used language teaching activities and try to determine which intelligences they work on.

Assignment 2

A: Plan a story-based lesson aimed at grades 2 or 3 (focusing on pre-story, while-story and after-story activities)

B: Think about the use of games, songs, rhymes and chants. What are the benefits of using them?

Assignment 3

A: Select 2 coursebooks: one for pre-primary and one for lower primary children. Choose one unit in each of them and analyse the vocabulary items included in them. Draw conclusions referring to vocabulary presentation techniques and techniques for practising lexical items.

B: Find a grammatical structure in a coursebook for lower primary children and design activities to present and practise this structure.

Assignment 4

A: How can educational technology enhance English language teaching? Provide a few reasons and refer to specific software and/or selected applications

B: What is the recipe for successful teacher-parent cooperation?