Teach English in Longgang Zhen - Jincheng Shi

I have chosen Mexico and the first language of Spanish to focus on correcting pronunciation errors. English language learners whose first language is Spanish have difficulty with some common consonant sounds simply because they have not used the muscles needed to make these sounds. When children grow up speaking only one language, many of the muscles in the mouth and throat atrophy, making pronunciation more challenging. The same is true for English speakers who try to learn a new language. This problem is much easier to correct in young learners than older learners. The primary goal of a good English Pronunciation Lesson is to encourage students to practice these sounds over and over again in order to strengthen those muscles by creating a fun, safe place in which to do so. To do this I incorporate a number of yoga and drama exercises, in addition to a lot of singing and dancing. Since the group I will be focusing on is Second Graders, (Ages 7 - 9), I will be discussing how I foster kinesthetic activities in a very multi-sensory way and my rationale for doing so. At this age the brain needs movement. The more movement I incorporate into my lessons the more retention my students have. Creating and Maintaining a Positive Classroom Climate Entering a new classroom and meeting a new teacher can be stressful for some students. I begin creating a fun, safe, positive climate immediately through anti-bullying posters on my walls, a positive morning song to begin the day and greeting every child at my door with a smile. Making Connections At this age children are bouncing between Pre-operational and Concrete Operational thinking, (Bandura). The more connections I can spark in their rapidly developing brains, the more they learn and retain. (Montessori) To catch and stretch their brains’ many already existing connections I use everything from old clips from The Electric Company, to assigning children different animals to act out, If I am focusing on the ‘s’ sound I might give students cards with snakes on them. Another few random students will have cards with and owl, bird, or bee and students need to find the students making that sound I am focusing on for the day. For example, I recently taught a unit on birds of South America. While students were making bird mobiles I projected the Jackson Five singing “Rockin’ Robin onto the screen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-OteAgvINc. The second time I played it with only the lyrics projected onto the screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JkMyyEAbrk The music video activate their curiosity the first time I played it, and engaged their reading skills the second time I played it. After children finish cutting and decorating their bird they hung up their birds and completed a worksheet requiring them to color all the words that use the T sound. Giving the children an opportunity to dance and sing along as they read the lyrics on the screen involves reading, listening, and speaking skills in addition to increasing the oxygenated blood going to the brain and allowing children to “shake out their wigglies,” as I like to tell them. Too Shy to Speak English? If you have ever ridden the SkyTrain in Bangkok, Thailand, you may have noticed large billboards at the boarding platforms asking passers by if they are, “Too shy to speak English?” Although most First and Second Graders are less shy than older language learners, there is still some performance anxiety that is important to deal with. “Loud and proud,” I remind them whenever asking students to read or speak in front of the class, but not before I model for them exactly what loud sounds like and what soft sounds like. Using Levels one through four helps tremendously with this problem. Also, when the teacher isn’t afraid to be weird, even the shyest children will loosen up once they start giggling at the teachers exaggerated facial expressions as she teaches her phonics lesson or demonstrates a yoga asana. For example, there is a series of yoga stretches specifically for the face that not only strengthens some of those muscles you need to make new sounds, but looks pretty silly when I do it in front of 20 Eight-Year-Olds. Pretty soon children begin to giggle and feel more comfortable in the classroom. Conclusion Regardless of what you are teaching, or where you are teaching it, the kinder and more compassionate you are with your students, the more successful they will all be. Classroom space needs to be sacred space where children never have to fear being bullied by their classmates or their teachers. Throughout my lessons I keep my praise public and individual corrections quiet and private. Even if they are not able to articulate it, children know when they are being treated with respect, and they respond in kind. They won’t tell you, but when you correct a child publicly, they lose motivation to challenge themselves.