Early language learning Methods and good practice

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Early language learning Methods and good
practice

• Dr Magdalena Szpotowicz, University of Warsaw

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Areas to consider

• Children as eager learners
• Children as language learners (L1)
• Children as foreign/second language learners (L2)
• How do projects fit in this?

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Integration of FL and the primary curriculum

• Through the topic - topic-centred learning
• Through the method - activity-based learning
• Through the teacher generalist/classroom
  teacher of FL
• Through CLiL (Content and Language Integrated
  Learning)

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Topic-centred learning

• context language learning takes place in
  context to fit into childrens experience, new
  words or sentences are part of a wide situation
• meaning topic relevant to childrens experience
  and interests is also meaningful and challenge
  students to explore them further
• purpose the above two create a genuine purpose
  for using the language to use knowledge of
  different areas (cross-curricular way).

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Activity-based learning

• Develops cognitive abilities, e.g. describing,
  identifying and recognizing, matching
• Uses open-ended activities

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Primary teacher and language

• One person responsible for primary curriculum and
  FL development
• - clear advantages
• - some problems

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CLIL (Content and Languge Integrated Learning)

• Soft CLIL (cross-curricular teaching)
• Hard CLIL (bilingual education)

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Project as a teaching method

• A project can be called a teaching method if it
• has a complex nature
• reaches beyond the existing organisational forms
  and procedures
• has its own unique character
• introduces changes
• takes place within defined time
• accomplishes specific aims
• consists of pre-planned phases
• uses defined means and resources
• is constantly monitored and evaluated

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How does project work fit into primary curriculum?

• Promotes discovery
• Encourages the production of concrete outcomes
• Promotes creativity (learners and teachers)
• Encourages using extra resources
• Promotes independent outside school work
• (the difficulty for the teacher of doing all in
  class and balancing autonomy to reasonable
  degree)

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Projects not at once

• Before you start a long-term project, get the
  students familiar with the most typical
  techniques used in this method
• Working in pairs or groups
• Searching for information
• Producing language-related materials
• Presenting own work in front of others
• Evaluating and self-evaluating

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Aim setting

• Project-based teaching is very effective in
  attaining the aims referring to students
• cognitive development
• emotional development
• motivation
• active involvement and ownership

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Projects with children and older learners

• The main difference between language projects
  with children and older learners is in the degree
  of learner autonomy and the amount of work they
  are able to do independently or outside the
  classroom.

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Projects with children

• The teacher
• responsible for decision-making in more areas
• closer monitoring of work
• more frequent reviewing of plans
• planing more and shorter stages
• less flexibility with staging of the final
  product
• Less L2 communication with learners

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FL progress in YL projects

• It is easy to lose the opportunity of teaching
  and communicating in L2 while doing projects with
  children who speak little English (or other FL).
• Every phase of the project should incorporate an
  element of language presentation or practice.
• Every phase should be evaluated for its language
  development usefulness.