Muhammad Bilal Anwar
Lecturer in English
FC College
(A Chartered University)
Lahore, Pakistan
Helpful Ideas
for
Learning Teaching
Teaching English
to
Young Learners

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It is widely believed that starting the study of
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) before the
age of 12 or 13 years will build more proficient
speakers of English.
But this statement has no evidence.

1.
2.
3.
Levels of proficiency depends on many other
factors:
type of program and curriculum;
number of hours spent in English class
and techniques and activities used.
Before we go ahead, it is necessary to know as
to what is young learner?
 Young Learners (YL) are 7-12 years old
 And Very Young Learners (VYL) are under 7
years of age.
Helpful Ideas for
Teaching English
to Young Learners
1.
Supplement activities
with visuals, realia,
and movement.

Young learners tend to have short attention spans
and a lot of physical energy. In addition, children
are very much linked to their surroundings and
are more interested in the physical and the
tangible. As Scott and Ytreberg (1990) describe,
“Their own understanding comes through hands
and eyes and ears. The physical world is dominant
at all times.”
Disciplines Work on a Child


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Discipline of Society
Discipline of Nature
Discipline of Self
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Use brightly colored visuals, toys, puppets or
objects
Community donations for toys and objects
Create a“Visuals and Realia Bank”
Use Total Physical Response (TPR) by James
Asher (1977)
In TPR, students listen to the teacher and
physically respond to his/her instructions.
What is TPR?
Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method
developed by Dr. James J. Asher, a professor
emeritus of psychology at Sa José State
University, to aid learning second languages.

The method relies on the assumption that
when learning a second or additional
language, language is internalized through a
process of code breaking similar to first
language development and that the process
allows for a long period of listening and
developing
comprehension
prior
to
production.

Students respond to commands that require
physical movement. TPR is primarily
intended for ESL/EAL teacher, although the
method is used in teaching other languages
as well.

According to Asher, TPR is based on the
premise that the human brain has a
biological program for acquiring any natural
language on earth - including the sign
language of the deaf. The process is visible
when we observe how infants internalize
their first language.

In the classroom the teacher and students
take on roles similar to that of the parent and
child respectively. Students must respond
physically to the words of the teacher. The
activity may be a simple game such as
‘Simon Says’ or may involve more complex
grammar and more detailed scenarios.
What is SIMON SAYS?

Simon says is a game for three or more players
(most often children). One of the people is "it" – i.e.,
Simon. The others must do what Simon tells them to
do when asked with a phrase beginning with "Simon
says". If Simon says "Simon says jump", the players
must jump (players that do not jump are out).
However, if Simon says simply "jump", without first
saying "Simon says", players do not jump; those that
do jump are out.

In general, it is the spirit of the command, not
the actions that matters; if Simon says
"Simon says touch your toes", players only
have to show that they are trying to touch
their toes. It is the ability to distinguish
between valid and invalid commands, rather
than physical ability, that matters here.
Advantages of TPR


Students will enjoy getting up out of their
chairs and moving around.
TPR is aptitude-free, working well with a
mixed ability class, and with students having
various disabilities.


It is good for kinesthetic learners who need
to be active in the class.
Class size need not be a problem, and it
works effectively for children and adults.

A recent psychological study found that the
game can be a healthy way to help children
to improve self-control and restraint of
impulsive behavior.
Example of TPR
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Example - Making a Sandwich
slice some bread - spread butter on both slices
spread the butter to all corners of the bread
(Teacher Joe doesn't like dry bread!)
put a piece of meat on one slice of bread
put lettuce, tomatoes and cheese on top of the meat
place the second slice of bread on top
and close the sandwich
cut the sandwich in half
(Teacher Joe prefers to cut diagonally - it's more artistic!)
take a bite - Mmmmmm!
2.
Involve students in
making visuals and
realia.

Having children involved in creating the
visuals that are related to the lesson helps
engage students in the learning process by
introducing them to the context as well as to
relevant vocabulary items.

Students are more likely to feel interested
and invested in the lesson and will probably
take better care of the materials
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Students draw different characters for a story or
make puppets, masks, play-do sculptures
Collaborate with the art teacher to make the
visuals you need for you activities.
Students contribute their own toys for the lesson.
You can have students draw the different
animal characters for a story or even create
Puppets.

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For Example, if the story is Goldilocks and
the Three Bears, you may want to use
puppets to help show the action of the story.
To get students more excited about the story,
have them make little pencil puppets of the
three bears and Goldilocks before the
storytelling.
•
It’s a nice little art project that doesn’t have to
take up too much time. If your students are
too young to draw well, make copies of the
characters on paper and have students color
the characters and cut them out.

After the storytelling, you can use the
puppets to check comprehension of the story
plot and have students practice the language
by retelling the story using their puppets.

If you cannot spare the time in class to make
the visuals you want to use, another idea is
to consult the art teacher at your school (if
you have one) and combine your efforts.

If the art teacher is making some objects,
pictures, or puppets, you could ask the
teacher to make them for use in a particular
storytelling or game in your class. Then,
when students come to English class, they
will bring their art projects to use.

In addition, before the lesson, you can warm
up by having students explain in English
what they made in art class
3.
Move from
activity to
activity.
Young learners have short attention spans. For
ages 5–7, Keep activities around 5 and 10 minutes
long. For ages 8–10, keep activities 10 to 15
minutes long.
•
Scott and Ytreberg (1990) suggest creating a
balance between the activities in the column on
the right side.
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Quiet/noisy exercises
Different skills: listening/talking/reading/writing
Individual/ pair work/ group work/ whole class
activities
Teacher-pupil/ pupil-pupil activities
4.
Teach in
themes.

A thematic unit, a series of lessons on the same
topic or subject, can create broader contexts in
which to teach language, recycle language from
lesson to lesson.

Allow students to focus more on content and
communication than on language structure.

Common themes for YLs: animals, friends, family,
environment, citizenship, shopping, or units
revolving around a storybooks, websites,
celebrities, or movies students like

Themes based on curricula from students’ other
subjects are also effective e.g. a scientific topic
can be given to improve the English language
skills of the students.
5.
Use stories and
contexts familiar
to students.

Use of stories and contexts in home country or
culture can help YLs connect English with their
background knowledge, which is limited because
of their young age and inexperience.
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Take a favorite story in the L1 and translate it into
English
Allow students a chance to personalize content
every lesson.
Why
Stories?
All learners, from babies to grandmothers,
learn better with stories.
 Stories are energizers.
 Even hard truths can be taught through
stories.
 Stories told and read at home and school
both entertain and educate young learners.
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Using stories in the classroom is fun, but the activity
should not be considered trivial or frivolous.
Story telling is fundamental to education and specifically
to language teaching.
Reading or telling stories in a class is a natural way to
learn a new language.
Stories can also lead to harmony, understanding, and
peaceful resolution of conflict.
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Stories from around the world are excellent to use
in classroom, but the teachers also need to use the
stories from students’ own culture and heritage.
Using local and national stories insure that the
students know the background culture and may
already know the story.
This familiarity lowers the young learners’ stress
and reduces anxiety in the classroom.
1.
Stories as Culture
Bearers
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Unfortunately, radio, television, and other
technologies are fast replacing the elders who, in
traditional family huts, used to tell folktales and
fables by the fireplace.
But today, parents, children, and grandchildren
listening to radio or watching television.
In fact, very little of their heritage is being
transmitted.
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But the teachers can make an effort to continue
the tradition of storytelling,
Today’s children will have little of their culture
and heritage to pass on to the next generation.
2.
Stories as solutions to
large classes and
limited resources
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In many countries, a shortage of teaching/learning
resources is a major constraint.
Teachers can use stories to teach language and to
introduce other subjects, such as HIV/AIDS
problem.
Storytelling can enable the teachers to handle
large classes of 60 100 pupils even in the absence
of books.
3.
For Speaking
Skills
a.
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Storytelling with objects.
Use objects such as toys, forks, cups to start the
stories.
For example, divide the students in the groups of
three to five and distribute four to five objects to
each group.
Ask each of the group to make a story that
includes all of their objects.
Storytelling with pictures.
 Use pictures in the same way as objects were used
in the previous activity.
 Distribute four to five pictures to each group.
 Make sure each student has one picture.
 Ask each group to make up a story that includes
all the pictures.
4.
For Listening
Skills
a.
b.
c.
d.
Read or tell simple stories to the students. You can use
pictures or small objects.
After initial storytelling, ask the learners tell the story.
This technique is the most effective if it involve several
students.
Choose one person to re-tell the story, then ask others to
continue the story.
Let all the students tell the story unless it is finished. In
short, let each student tell two or three sentences of the
story.
5.
For Reading
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Find an easy version of story that the children can read.
Read the story aloud the first time, or let the readers read
it silently.
Or let the students read the story aloud with each student
reading one sentence.
One method of introducing a story is Choral Reading, in
which the teacher reads a sentence or phrase and the class
repeat it.
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Caution: After the first reading, ask
comprehension questions to find out what the
students understood. Help them with the parts
they do not understand.
Important: Use the same story for several
different activities. One story provides rich
material for other activities, for example,
discussion of values, role play, creating small
playlet, even creating individual books.
6.
For Writing
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Have the learners draw or paint a scene from a
story and then write at least one line from the
story under the picture.
Use the variation of the speaking activities above
(storytelling with objects or storytelling with
pictures).

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After the learners create the story, have the group
dictate it as one person writes it down.
Have the students write individual stories, using
objects or pictures. Then they can compare their
stories within small groups.
6.
Establish
classroom routines
in English.

YLs function well within a structured
environment and enjoy repetition of certain
routines and activities. Having basic routines in
the classroom can help to manage young learners.
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Clap short rhythms for students to repeat.
Start the lesson with song or chant
Add classroom language to the routines as well.
7.
Use L1 as a
resource when
necessary.

Use L1 in the classroom as a resource for
forwarding the learning process without
becoming too reliant on it. Concentrate on
building communicative skills. Save your time for
the target language actually within students’ reach.

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Quickly
make
a
difficult
expression
comprehensible by translating into L1.
Use L1 for complicated directions for activities.
8.
Bring in helpers
from the
community

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If possible, bring helpers—parents, student
teachers from the local university, or older
students studying English—to tell a story or help
with some fun activities.
Collaborate with the others who are studying
English , studying to be English teachers, or who
speak English well in order to expand the English
learning community.

Collaborate with the others who are studying
English , studying to be English teachers, or who
speak English well in order to expand the English
learning community.
Activity: The Hand Flower Craft
This craft involves tracing the hand or doing
individual handprints of each member in the
family. These handprint tracings or paint
handprints are placed to form a flower. Here
are the instructions to make it. On the
materials column is the template for the
leaves and stem.
Have fun with this family project.
9.
Collaborate with
other teachers
in your school.

It us useful to find what your students are learning
in other classes, in their native language.

Collaborate with teachers in your school to make
the learning experience richer for your students.

Connect your lessons to the topics, activities and
stories your students are learning in their native
language by planning related thematic units that
parallel the learning in other subjects.

Visit other teachers’ classrooms can be wonderful
way to get to know what is being learnt in each
others’ classes and how.
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It can help the teacher to create more effective
lessons for students.
It can also increase the students’ ability to make
connections between language and content.
10.
Communicate with
other TEYL
professionals.

Along with collaborating with the other teachers
at your school, it is important to keep in touch
with other TEYL professionals, both in your local
area and internationally.

Doing so helps to keep you aware of the current
trends in the field.

Above all, keeping in touch with other TEYL
professionals helps to keep your classroom fresh
with new ideas, and collaboration can help to
construct new ideas and solutions to the common
problems that teachers are faced with.
Any
Questions???
Thank
You!!!