(P/B) TEACHING LANGUAGES TO YOUNG LEARNERS

Παρουσίαση

Recent years have seen rapid growth in the numbers of children being taught foreign languages at younger ages. While course books aimed at young learners are appearing on the market, there is scant theoretical reference in the teacher education literature. Teaching Languages to Young Learners is one of the few to develop readers' understanding of what happens in classrooms where children are being taught a foreign language. It will offer teachers and trainers a coherent theoretical framework to structure thinking about children's language learning. It gives practical advice on how to analyse and evaluate classroom activities, language use and language development. Examples from classrooms in Europe and Asia will help bring alive the realities of working with young learners of English. (From the publisher)

Περιεχόμενα

Preface
Acknowledgements
1 Children learning a foreign language
Taking a learning-centred perspective
Piaget
Vygotsky
Bruner
From learning to language learning
Advantages to starting young with foreign languages
The foreign language: describing the indivisible
Summary of key learning principles
2 Learning language through tasks and activities
The task as an environment for learning
Task demands
Task support
Balancing demands and support
The importance of language learning goals
Defining 'task' for young learner classrooms
Stages in a classroom task
Hani's Weekend: Possible preparation and follow-up activities
Task-as-plan and task-in-action
3 Learning the spoken language
Learning the spoken language: guiding principles
Discourse and discourse events
Meaning first
Analysis of a task-in-action
Discourse skills development in childhood
Effective support tor children's foreign language discourse skills
Short activities for learning the spoken language
Supporting the spoken language with written language
Using dialogues
Summary
4 Learning words
Introduction
Vocabulary development in children's language learning
Organisation of words in a language
Learning and teaching vocabulary
Children's vocabulary learning strategies
Summary
5 Learning grammar
A place for grammar?
Different meanings of 'grammar'
Development of the internal grammar
A learning-centred approach to teaching grammar: background
Principles for learning-centred grammar teaching
Teaching techniques for supporting grammar learning
Summary
6 Learning literacy skills
Introduction
Literacy skills in English
Factors affecting learning to read in English as a foreign language
Starting to read and write in English as a foreign language
Continuing to learn to read
Developing reading and writing as discourse skills
Summary and conclusion
7 Learning through stories
Stories and themes as holistic approaches to language teaching and learning
The discourse organisation of stories
Language use in stories
Quality in stories
Choosing stories to promote language learning
Ways of using a story
Developing tasks around a story
Summary
8 Theme-based teaching and learning
Issues around theme-based teaching
Theme-based teaching of a foreign language
Planning theme-based teaching
Learning language through theme-based teaching
Increasing target language use in theme-based teaching
Summary
9 Language choice and language learning
Introduction
Patterns of first language use in foreign language classrooms
Dynamics of language choice and use
Taking responsibility, making choices
Summary
10 Assessment and language learning
Issues in assessing children's language learning
Principles for assessing children's language learning
Key concepts in assessment
Teacher assessment of language learning
Self-assessment and learner autonomy
Use of assessment information
Messages from assessment
11 Issues around teaching children a foreign language
Review of ideas
The need for research
The need to develop pedagogy
Teaching foreign languages to children