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This unit gave an introduction of the Teaching English to Young Learners course. It clearly outlined what topics will be covered under each unit. There are six units in total: Course Introduction (i.e. how the course works, what to expect, aims and objectives, terminology, prospects, what is a young learner?), Teaching and Learning (i.e. learning and developmental theories, Native language and second language acquisition, learning environment, skills, maturation), Course development (i.e. lesson planning, syllabus design, assessments and examinations), Materials and management (i.e. classroom management, designing non-authentic material, authentic versus non-authentic material for young learners, resources), Teaching themes (i.e. songs/chants, stories, activities, the arts, putting it all together), and Professional development (i.e. CV/resume construction, employment services, cultural issues, additional qualifications etc). This unit also provided a short definition of a young learner: \"Anyone between the ages of 5-13 years,\" a time during which great changes are taking place in our learners' minds. Therefore, being aware of and applying developmental theories can be very helpful in your teaching of young learners. Furthermore, young learners give a lot of positives to teaching. For example, children tend to be more imaginative and creative, lively and excited to learn, as well as curious. With this comes some challenges such as age differences, group conflict, and shorter attention spans or less motivation to complete work. This means it is important to establish good teacher-student rapport, as well as ensure that your classroom is a safe, inviting, and accepting environment for young learners to learn and explore. As I have learned in Teacher's College, young learners generally perform better when they trust and respect their teacher. You can establish this by clearly outlining your expectations of your students and asking them if they have any expectations for you as a teacher. Other ways of establishing trust and respect (good rapport) is through showing interest in your students and what they are interested in, caring about their emotional and social needs in addition to their academic needs, and by being approachable, encouraging, and enthusiastic towards your teaching and activities. Lastly, this unit went over the objectives of this course and what course participants should be able to successfully do after completion. A list of these objectives are provided for on page seven of this unit.
