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Teaching young learners is something many individuals would shy away from, maybe because they feel inadequate to teach children, or they feel that they won´t have enough patience to deal with these types of students. But if you learn how to engage with them, it could be very satisfying. First of all I would like to highlight some important aspects. Teaching in general will bring challenges, no matter if the students are young or adults, so a very good knowledge on how to engage with these ones is essential. Motivation is also an important aspect to consider, if you are not motivated to engage into teaching then it would be very difficult for you to enjoy this kind of activity. Having these points clear in our minds, we can discuss some aspects of teaching young learners. Class arrangement as I never thought it could be, it’s very important before engaging in whatever lesson or activity was planned ahead. Depending on the circumstances it is advisable to take different seating methods, such as if engaging in discussion among students, a squared shape seating arrangement in class is best, or if trying to teach children using the whiteboard, a row style arrangement is the better option in order for everyone in the class to see the whiteboard and the teacher. Also while engaging in songs or other fun activities the row style is advisable. Another key factor is using different teaching styles depending on the age group of the students, for example, singing songs and role play are best for younger learners than the more adult ones (9 to 12 years), as the latter ones tend to be shyer and prefer in engaging into activities that use personal preferences and interests. What about teaching tools? Don´t panic if the school or language academy does not provide any, you may be surprised on the amount of material for teaching young learners are available online, this gives the teacher a huge advantage, you won´t have the need to create them as they are readily available to download even for free at some websites. But be aware of the countries customs and etiquette, not every country has the same rules and customs, one material acceptable in a country may be inappropriate to another, making research is vital for an effective lesson. So in this case, extensive research about its laws and customs of the country were you would like to teach is part of creating a successful teaching career abroad. Finally the importance of lesson planning. Planning anything is essential in order to achieve your goals. And planning for a lesson is equally important. To have a general guide on what the lesson will be and the goal it wants to achieve is very useful. In lesson planning for young learners you should include the age group of your students, the possible problems you may face during the activity and its solutions, and based on this information, planning the procedure with the ESA or EP methods will be easier. Obviously much more is involved and taking a proper study course on Young Learners is the best course of action, but do not shy away from teaching children, it has its advantages over adults in a sense that it’s a more dynamic and fun experience, you get to feel how they learn and improve their language skills and this gives huge satisfaction as not only do you feel a sense of achievement, but you are contributing to the their future success.
