Teach English in Rivière du Loup - TEFL Courses

children are naturally very skilled language learners. Their brain development in Kindergarten is at point which allows them to be like sponges in acquiring a new language. children of that age are a blank slate and do not likely have any english language skills. While this might serve as a challenge in some ways, it also ensures that they will not have any bad habits or misconceptions to unlearn. A short review of three tefl teachers' experiences in Kindergarten classrooms has indicated a teaching experience that is worthwhile, rewarding, and sometimes challenging. It is always important to meets students at their level and work with them in a way that is disciplined, encouraging, compassionate, and engaging. Language immersions programs in which students are exposed to a new language for certain amount of time each day have been proven to be highly successful in developing a new language. (Leal) In this setting, consistency and practice are important to supporting the young child's language development. The author references the “critical period hypothesis” which states that a child's brain is more flexible than an adult learner and has an increased number of synapses occurring. (Leal) This flexibility makes language learning in kindergarten ideal. Furthermore, students at that age range have less social inhibitions and are more likely to be willing to play with new language by talking with their classmates and teacher. (Leal) Teaching english to children at the Kindergarten level can help improve their brain function and ability to learn for the rest of their life. This skill will make them a “better global citizen” and most likely a successful one as well. (Leal) Another tefl teacher notes that in order for this success to occur, it is essential that the teacher makes the learning environment nurturing, engaging, and comforting to young students. (Williams-Pugh) Kindergarten students are notably different than older students in their abilities to focus on a particular lesson. Students at this age are high energy and lose interest in topics easily. It is important to have a variety of activities planned for each day. The activities should incorporate movement, color, and creativity so as to successfully engage the students. (Williams- Pugh) “Play” is an integral part of teaching Kindergarteners english. However, just as in any class, there will be different levels of language learners and different needs to be assessed. The use of audio and visual equipment should be considered as well as the use of pictures to demonstrate ideas. (Williams- Pugh) There are phonics programs that have been specifically developed to meet the needs of Kindergarten students. (William- Pugh) Teaching Kindergarten children requires a dedication to creativity. By utilizing guided play, a teacher can facilitate learning by meeting the students where their brains are at developmentally. (Swafford) teachers should use carefully planned phonics material which focus on activities that hold children's attention. Activities such as singing songs, learning rhymes, listening to music, and learning riddles help young students learn the sounds of english. (Swafford) This author reiterates that young children learn and retain language skills better than older learners. They also emphasize that the young learner must not only learn sounds and vocabulary but also must learn foundation grammar. (Swafford) When teaching students letter sounds, it is recommended to give them a visual of the letter or word so that they become familiar with reading and writing. (Swafford) Utilizing visual aids in the Kindergarten setting is of extreme importance and will constitute a large part of the teaching tools for a classroom. Visual aids such as pictures, toys, movies, coloring books, story books, etc. are helpful language tools and are appropriate for a young child's brain. (Swafford) All of the experienced Kindergarten tefl teachers noted that teaching young children has unique challenges when compared to teaching older students. They also noted that when you understand that the natural way young children learn things is through play, interaction, and visualization, these challenges become less daunting. Teaching Kindergarten children should inspire creativity, enthusiasm, a nurturing approach, and patience. These attributes are imperative for the success of any teacher wishing to work with young students.