Teach English in Heisongyi Zhen - Wuwei Shi

This unit went over teaching and learning, outlining the different developmental and learning theories that are applicable to teaching English to Young Learners. These theories are as follows: Maturation Theory (natural biological processes are fundamental; natural sequence of events that take place over time regardless of other stimuli such as the environment/immediate surroundings), Environmental Theory (our behaviour stems from a reaction to our environments/surroundings; development is not pre-programmed), Constructivism Theory (a combination of maturation and environmental theory; we interact with our environment and make our own surroundings in which learning takes place), and an \"other\" category called Cognitive Developmentalist Theory (states that there are stages to our intellectual development). Being aware of these learning and developmental theories can prove very useful in setting up classroom environments and dealing with classroom dynamics as a teacher of young learners. Being more knowledgeable about how children learn and the developmental changes that they are going through at different ages can help a teacher understand what will be most effective in helping their students learn. By five years old, we have a reasonable vocabulary of our Native (L1) language. We develop this understanding through role models (hearing), trying out the language for ourselves (noting positive and negative results), listening to stories/songs/etc, interaction and the need to communicate, and through inanimate objects such as television and books. Research findings about language acquisition show that it is not a linear process and that language is learned through its use (i.e. L1 through total immersion). L2 then draws on the learning experiences of L1, however, direct translation from L1 to L2 can be problematic. It was also mentioned that young learners do not learn language as quickly as older students. There is an obvious need to learn L1 but this may not be the case for L2. Therefore, this unit defined language learning as a dynamic process which must be used in meaningful contexts. Children should have opportunities to solve problems using language and must have constant interaction with peers (i.e. problem solving with groups). Total immersion is the most effective method to learn a language, and we must not completely exclude L1 in the classroom (especially when teaching lower levels). We must also try to make L2 learning as similar to L1 as we can. There is no magical age for learning a language, but we need to show a relevance of, and give reasons for, learning L2 to help motivate students to learn. This unit mentioned that teachers must adopt a teaching approach/methodology in order to create a syllabus. The unit gave an example for Group 1, which was for students 5-9 years of age, and for Group 2, which was for students 9-13 years old. This unit further went over the ESA method of teaching, as well as the boomerang ESA model and the Patchwork ESA model for review. Additionally, this unit provided examples of what activities to conduce during each stage - activate (i.e. games such as Simon Says, Hangman), study - (gap fill, matching exercises) and activate - (role play, student centered dialogue, game element helps increase motivation to participate and complete tasks). Moreover, this unit went over the learning environment of a classroom, which was defined as the classroom atmosphere and organization of physical surroundings. Different arrangements were given, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of such organization (i.e. circular, rows, groups, semi-circular). The different roles of teacher (i.e. counsellor, policeman, psychologist, facilitator, mentor, instructor) were stated with examples, and a chart explaining different levels of skill development for groups 5-9 and 9-13 were provided for in this unit on pages 13-14.Lastly, this unit went over the topic of maturation, which in the learning sense refers to psycholinguistic development involving students' ability to understand more concrete concepts and theories. A starting point to considering maturation may be physical rather than intellectual when designing a syllabus for young learners (i.e. speaking should come first then listening and reading/writing should come last; approach should be integrative in nature and goal). It is also important to consider what character traits go with different age groups (i.e. likes and dislikes of students) plus the skills that tend to vary in strength depending on age and experience. For example, when teaching younger groups (5-9), activities should be shorter and more active than for older groups.