STARTBODY

TEFL Wuxue

Check out Tesolcourse.com about TEFL Wuxue and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad.

You could also be interested in:

This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:

K.M. - Canada said:
Learning one’s mother tongue comes up naturally through prosody; Infants first repeat sounds, rhythms and intonations before saying their first words. This is picked up by parents who instinctively speak “baby talk” or “parentese” to their babies, exaggerating intonations, accents, modulations and tone of voice. Learning a new language is simplified if based on the same pattern, imitating the sounds and “music of the new language”, rather than through empirical studies (grammar rules, vocabulary, translation etc…). Multiple exposures to a foreign language from a young age is the most effective way to learn it. So what age is best to introduce a second language? “The ideal age”: before 12 months, babies are showing an extraordinary ability to learn new language that will never be recovered. They reproduce every single sound they hear; later they’ll select those relevant to their mother tongue. ( Troubetskoy, 1949) “The happy age”: Up to 6 years old. kids show amazing capacities to learn a foreign language through imitation and assimilation. They reproduce basic sentences and perfect accent. (Johnson and Newport in 1989 and 1991) “The critical age” from 7 yo, kids’ ability to reproduce perfect sounds start to lessen and from 10 yo, kids lose all flexibility to learn new language… Kindergarten kids love to play, they are eager to discover new things without making a conscious effort! Very fast learners, kids’ brains are sponges retaining amazing amounts of information. They have an innate ability to pick up language through activities, by making sense of what they are doing, what they’re looking at and the language from adults. They develop various kinds of intelligence. Howard Gardner has classified them in 9 groups as follows: Linguistic Intelligence: read, write, and communicate with words. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: reason and calculate. Musical Intelligence: musical ability. Visual-Spatial Intelligence: master position in space. Visual Intelligence: memorize visually, use the imagination. Kinesthetic Intelligence: physical intelligence. Social Intelligence: relate to others. Introspective Intelligence: know one's inner feelings, wants, and needs. Natural Intelligence: learn by exploring nature. However teaching to kids can be very challenging: -kids have a very short attention span and get bored quickly. Activities must be challenging, varied, FUN and changed every 5 to 10 minutes. It is as easy to lose them as it was to motivate them! - kids get over excited and keeping control of the group can be difficult. Mix high-energy activities (stirrers) to enthuse, and low-energy activities (settlers) to calm down and achieve a balanced session. -They forget quickly; if the language is not repeated overtime, kids will forget it. Parents can be involved in the material learned and practise it at home. -kids learn from repetition: this can be boring for the teacher! - Very young kids won’t have mastered their own mother tongue yet! -Building rapport with the kids can be difficult. teachers have to “feel good” amongst kids and love to teach them. 2- How to teach a foreign language to Kindergarten When learning a new language first comes oral comprehension and listening, then talking (sounds, words then simple sentences) before reading and writing. There are therefore plenty of activities suitable for kids even if they have not yet completely mastered all those skills in their mother tongue, targeting different intelligences: Learn by doing. Activities, games, arts & crafts, and roleplay: While playing, kids use a second language as a communication tool. Reinforce with pictures and sounds. Say the sounds of the language that accompany a picture in a playful way. For example, "A is for apple" using flashcards & visual aids. kids also like a good story, if they have something visual to focus on; a picture book, a flashcard etc…don’t forget to reinforce the “music of the new language” . Learning should be fun. The more fun it is to learn a language, the more a child will want to stay with it. Learning while playing is the best way to learn as it creates an emotional attachment. Learn in a relaxed but challenging state. Never stress a child. children set the pace to the learning process, respect it! kids respond very well to reward; they love collecting points and doing well: make the most of it. Learn by reflecting. It is important to let children take time to "simmer." There is a dormant stage to language learning. First children absorb the language. Later they begin to speak. The more exposure, the better. Note the gender difference, girls will often be quicker to produce language than boys. Learn with music and rhythm. Music is one way to use the whole brain. We still remember the songs we learned in early childhood! Lyrics combined with music are easier to learn and remember. Learn with lots of movement—use the body and the mind together. The brain and the body are one. We learn more when we move as we learn. Encourage children to dance and move to the rhythm, a little bit of “control chaos” will get you a long way! Link numbers and words in a playful way. The more you link, the more you learn. Anything can be linked when learning a second language, including numbers and new vocabulary words. Learn by touching. Do little finger rhymes in a second language. While you sing or say "Itsy, bitsy spider" have the fingers of each hand touch another finger, as if the spider is climbing. Teaching to Kindergarten is a varied, rich and interesting “experience”. english needs to be presented as FUN; Parents and teachers alike should not refer to english as “learning” but as “Playing”. Learning english as a foreign Language (LEFL) = Playing english as a Communication Language (PECL). References PRINCIPLES OF PHONOLOGIE, Nikolaï Sergueïevitch Troubetzkoy FRAME OF MINDS, Howard Gardner, Work on Multiple intelligences THE CRITICAL PERIOD EFFECTS IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING ; Jacqueline .S . Johnson and Elissa.L. Newport THE CRITICAL PERIOD HYPOTHESIS, Ellis(1994) CRITICAL PERIOD FOR FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION, Eric, Lenneberg (1967) BRITISH COUNCIL various reports and articles - Opal Dunn, educational consultant and author - Kim Ashmore, teacher and writer, UK


ENDBODY