Teach English in Dawang GuzhuAng Zhen - Tianjin

Child developmentWhile teaching children can be a rewarding experience, it poses great challenges as well. As children develop at varying stages, they must learn to adapt and adjust to different learning structures and environments. There are significant factors that a language teacher must take into consideration when handling children from different age groups. Most notably are the physical and mental changes that occur between school aged and adolescent children. Children spend a significant amount of time at school therefore is not a surprise that the teachers have a great insight on how children develop and what their learning capabilities are. It is important for language teachers to understand child development in order to plan lessons that better suit their students? needs. Having been a language teacher in South Korea, I have had the opportunity to observe the differences between school aged and adolescent children. I have taught fourth grade and sixth grade for four consecutive years at the same elementary school. After developing and adjusting lesson plans for these different groups of students, I believe that their physical and mental growth greatly affects their ability to learn a language. The following are details of my observations. Development observed Children in the fourth grade are categorized as school aged and range from eight to nine years old. They are easily amused, curious about everything and eager to volunteer for demonstrations. When encountering difficulties on exercises or assignments, school aged children give up quite easily. Often, they do not understand language instructions the first time around. School aged children have a lot of energy and therefore have trouble staying focused. When they are bored, students doodle or play games with their friends. Children cry, scream and hit when they do not get their way. Physically there are no major changes and children are comfortable interacting with peers of the opposite sex. Children in the sixth grade are categorized as adolescent and range from eleven to twelve years old. In adolescents, physical changes as a result of puberty are apparent. Many students are self conscious of their appearances and do not volunteer or participate. Students are highly aggressive and competitive while doing physical activities. Many adolescents are uncomfortable with peers of the opposite sex and refuse to cooperate during activities. At the same time, other students are very involved with the opposite sex and can be heard talking about dating. Their hormones are imbalanced which causes moodiness and results in disinterest or argumentative behavior. Adolescents are highly unmotivated to do simple tasks and often replace vocabulary words with curse words. Students play games or text message their friends when they are bored in class. Needs conscious teaching When teaching language to school aged children, language teachers must be active and engaging. Being playful, creative and stepping out of your own comfort zone is crucial. Opening a lesson with an elaborate costume and exaggerated acting, stimulates the students? minds and encourages them to participate. Always use hand gestures and animated facial expressions for explanations and maintain eye contact at all times. The children require multiple explanations and close monitoring. Teachers must prepare plenty of exercises and activities in order to channel the students? energy. Use the children?s names as examples and give encouragement and positive reinforcement such as, ?Jenny, you?re doing a great job with spelling? and include a high five. Another way to channel energy is through singing and dancing. Using catchy songs and chants will keep the students entertained and focused. Lastly when teaching language to school aged children, you must be exceptionally patient. Adolescent students are the hardest group to teach language to, therefore building rapport is crucial. Teachers must take the time to get to know their students and be able to share personal experiences. Opening a class with stories or pictures of your parents embarrassing you, will engage the students and help them relate. Adolescent students need to feel validated and acknowledged so give them plenty of opportunities for expression through drawing, singing or dancing. I can paint, sing and play the guitar so I have incorporated these skills in my lessons. Even when my students are moody and not motivated to learn, they are quite impressed by my abilities and can not help but follow along. Also, having a great sense of humor goes a long way. Adolescents feel that they are quite knowledgeable in everything, so finding ways to challenge them would enhance their learning experience. Ultimately, language teachers should take the time to find materials that interest adolescents and act as a useful guide to life. After my observations, I have been able to adjust and plan my lessons according to the children?s developmental needs and it has greatly enhanced my experience teaching language.