English for Young Learners

A.    Language Choice and Language Learning

1.      When do usually teachers and pupils use the first language in classroom?

Teachers:

-          Explaining aspects of the foreign language

-          Translating words or sentences

-          Giving instructions

-          Checking understanding of concept, talk, text, instructions

-          Eliciting language

-          Focusing pupils attention

-          Testing

-          Talking about learning

-          Giving feedback

-          Disciplining and control

-          Informal, friendly talk with pupils

Pupils:

-          Asking for help from teachers or peers

-          Responding to teacher questions

2.      What is language switching?

A way in teaching learning foreign language by “switch” or change the first language to the second/foreign language. It means that teachers and pupils must use two languages in teaching learning, especially in speaking class. They may change languages during their talk.

3.      What are helpful principles about which language to use in teaching in the classroom?

a.       Use as much of the target language as possible

b.      Ensure that use of first language supports the children’s language learning.

4.      In what condition the use of first language is important?

The FL is important when teachers give an understanding to the pupils about the meaning of English or other second language. The teachers must use the FL in mastering the material concerned with the second language for example, English.

5.      What is your own opinion about the first language in English classroom?

The first language in English classroom shouldn’t be used in frequent because the pupil’s are learning “the English”. The FL will only use to make and give mastery meaning for the English. And the teachers should decrease their using FL in English classroom. If the teachers speak English a lot in English class, the children will also speak English a lot too, although will not much as what teachers said.

B.     Assessment and Language Learning

1.      The assessment for English Young Learners is different with adult one. What are the differences?

-          Age: children’s motor, linguistic, social and conceptual development must be taken into account in designing and implementing assessment.

-          Content of language learning: a focus on oral skills, vocabulary development and language use at discourse level.

-          Methods of teaching: interactive use of games, songs, rhymes, stories to carry language content and practice

-          Aims: programmes for young learners often cite social and cross-cultural aims, as well as language learning aims.

-          Learning theories: e. g. zone of proximal development; learning through social interaction, able to do more with helpful other.

2.      a. What are the negative impact of assessment on individual learners, teachers and wider system?

-            Stress is placed on children by the demands of assessments

-            Individual children’s learning needs are down graded in the push to cover the syllabus or course book before the next assessment

-            Classroom activity is restricted to test preparation

-            Educational change is limited by the power of the assessment machinery

b.   What are the positive effects?

-            The children will encounter stress anyway in their educational lives

-            Well designed assessment may help children learn how to cope with more stressful examinations later in life

-            Good assessment may prevent damage to children’s learning opportunities from irresponsible change

-            Test result provide useful feedback to stake-holders-governments and parents – about how well children are being thought, and about the effectiveness of policy and schools

3.      Explain about formative and summative assessment!

Formative assessment     : aims to inform on-going teaching and learning by providing immediate feedback which should influence the teaching learning to the teachers and learners.

Summative assessment    : aim to assess learning at the end of a unit term, year, or course and does not feedback into the next round of teaching.

4.      Assessment is more than testing. What does it mean?

A skilled teacher continuously assesses pupils’ learning through what they notice and how they interpret these observations in the light of experience and knowledge. There are, other, supportive ways to assess language learning that go beyond testing, other the simple classroom test or the more stringent national or international test.

5.      Make an assessment of student assessment!

a.         Oral skills        à Pronunciation of words and chunks; understanding of oral text – songs.

The students are listened two or three simple songs like twinkle-twinkle little star and Marry had a little lamb or others. Then they replay the songs together and one by one.

b.        Reading skill   à Understanding of stories

·         The students are given a short narrative story with some questions about it. They may answer the questions in written or spoken.

·         The students find some key words then find the meaning. After that, find the synonyms or antonyms of the key words in the story.