How can I keep young learners interested? It’s a question that I have often asked myself and one to which I have yet to find a completely “water-proof” answer. One thing that I think can be stated with confidence is that it is not possible to focus narrowly on the teaching of language - success in the young learner classroom so often draws upon the full range of skills that children bring with them and develop from other areas of the curriculum and from the world in general.
If this is so, then the challenge we face is to make sure that everyone’s abilities, knowledge and skills are valued and acknowledged in the EFL classroom. One vehicle for this is the simple project which is common to other areas of the primary curriculum.
At this point, it may be wise to pause and think. Over the years many fashionable movements have sought to persuade us of the merits of various theories and have in extreme cases done considerable damage to good established teaching practice. Theories like the “communicative”, though valid, have been misinterpreted to such an extent that teachers pay no more than lip service to such fundamentals as accuracy work and grammar teaching. This example should serve as a warning - teachers should not feel pressured to adopt the new and the novel, rather they should interpret them according to their own contexts and adjust them according to their own particular needs and avoid falling victim to the mistakes of the past.
So why projects? A project provides for the development of the whole child rather than focusing narrowly on language skills. Motor skills can be developed through drawing and colouring, social skills through cooperation and independence through encouraging the children to take responsibility for their own work. Projects provide a forum for integrating language and experience thus developing learner involvement and a sense of ownership. Last but not least, a project provides for flexibility - it can replace book-based material or supplement it and caters for a wide range learner interests and abilities. In short, projects provide something for everyone - teachers and learners alike.
So how about an example? A good number of books are available from most good book shops detailing the steps and preparation necessary in setting up project work so forgive me if I don’t go into details.
PROJECT: MAGIC ISLAND
LEVEL: ELEMENTARY
AGE GROUP: 7-8
| PROCESS/PRODUCT | LANGUAGE | SKILLS | |
| Activity 1 | children make/draw an island using coloured card, paper and pens and label its features | geographical features | designing drawing cutting writing |
| Activity 2 | children listen to and sing the Magic Island song (see below) | What can you see? I can see ... | listening speaking |
| Activity 3 | children make masks of monsters that live on the island, put them on and talk about themselves | parts of the face adjectives “I’ve got …” | designing drawing cutting speaking |
| Activity 4 | children make a “Wanted Poster” for their monster mask | parts of the face adjectives “It has got …” | designing drawing writing |
| Activity 5 | children make “Magic Island” postcards and copy a simple greeting/message. | Greetings | designing drawing copying |
THE MAGIC ISLAND SONG
Tell me, tell me - what can you see?
I can see an island in a blue sea.
Tell me, tell me - what can you see?
I can see a mountain on an island in a blue sea.
Tell me, tell me - what can you see?
I can see a beach and a mountain on an island in a blue sea.
etc, etc
Projects like this do tend to take time and are perhaps better spread over several lessons rather than being crammed into a few. The planning, choosing and designing activities described above all encourage learner independence. They help the children understand what they are doing in the classroom and provide a meaningful context for language work and development. They encourage children to cooperate and take responsibility for producing a piece of work. The products are just as important as the processes and skills involved if not more so. They provide the child with tangible evidence of meaningful language development and speak wonders for motivation.
So, back to the original question “How do I keep them interested?”. We need to make sure that everyone in the classroom feels fully-involved. Activities and tasks within the classroom should involve the children not only in learning the target language but also in exploring content and experiences that are immediately relevant and meaningful. If this does not happen, then much of what will happen in the classroom will be meaningless and forgotten by those we are trying to help - the children.
Check-out related resources at www.teachingenglish.org.uk
The Teaching English website is a central point of reference for information about English language teaching products and services from the UK.
