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 TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS
 * Task 1: consider the following: how much overt language teaching do you think happens in a typical YL classroom? How important is it that YLs are interested in the lesson?**


 * Write down some of your own ideas and then scroll down and read what some famous linguists have said on the subject.**
 * Some background to teaching young learners **

Typically children are very active and absorbed when they are interested in a learning situation; whether it be a ‘game’ they are playing with some new vocabulary or listening to the teacher telling a story, for example.

Piaget suggested that children construct knowledge for themselves (hence **Constructivism**)by active involvement in processes. Vygotsky added to this idea by suggesting that learning is enhanced by social interaction, or, in other words the support of a more experienced onlooker such as a parent, teacher or more knowledgeable child (hence **Social Constructivism**).

Vygotsky suggested the concept of the **Zone of Proximal Development** (ZPD) which means that a child is at a given current knowledge level and there is new knowledge just over the horizon that the child is close to acquiring.

In order to do so he suggests the teacher (in our case as teachers, rather than parents) need to guide the child to an understanding of this new knowledge – typically by asking guiding questions.


 * Implications for the language teacher **


 * //The implications for the teacher’s role here are clear: rather than trying to force feed new language in to children who may not be ready for it, we need to assess where they are in their own learning development and do our best to identify what is next in terms of their ZPD, ie what is just over the horizon. Of course this is further complicated in the average class with children at different stages in their individual development. However, two clues are given above: playing ‘games’ and storytelling. //**


 * //source: IH Barcelona //**