This volume addresses a gamut of questions of interest to teachers of young second language learners. Why do immigrant children leave their home countries, and what are their journeys to the United States like? How do young children adjust to the new culture? What sort of dynamic prevails in immigrant families? What are young immigrants' schooling experiences like? What are language learning processes like in young children? The first part of the book contains an overview of recent ethnographic, sociological, and psycholinguistic research concerned with answering these questions. The second half of the volume focuses on classroom practice. Gordon provides an extensive overview of activities that have been proven to be effective with young language learners. Practical recommendations contained in these pages flow directly from the classroom. Gordon describes innovative second language lessons developed and implemented by ESL teachers who work with language learners enrolled in primary grades. The book places special emphasis on those instructional strategies that stir young language learners' interest while stimulating their linguistic and cognitive development.
Adopting a learner-centred approach that places an emphasis on hands-on child SL methodology, this book illustrates the practices used to teach young second language learners in different classroom contexts: (1) English-as-an-Additional-Language-or-Dialect (EAL/D) – both intensive EAL/D and EAL/D in the mainstream (2) Language-Other-Than-English (LOTE) (3) Content-and-Language-Integrated-Learning (CLIL), (4) Indigenous (5) Foreign-Language (FL). It will be particularly useful to undergraduate teachers to build upon the literacy unit they undertake in the first years of their course to explore factors that constitute an effective child SL classroom and, in practical terms, how to develop such a classroom. The pedagogical strategies for teaching young language learners in the six chapters are firmly guided by research-based findings, enabling not only pre-service teachers but also experienced teachers to make informed choices of how to effectively facilitate the development of the target language, empowering them to assume an active and effective role of classroom practitioners.
Aimed at student teachers, educators and practitioners, Teaching English Language to Young Learners outlines and explains the crucial issues, themes and scenarios relating to this area of teaching. Each chapter by a leading international scholar offers a thorough introduction to a central theme of English as a foreign language (EFL) with preteens, with clear presentation of the theoretical background and detailed references for further reading, providing access to the most recent scholarship. Exploring the essential issues critically and in-depth, including the disadvantages as well as advantages of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) with young learners, topics include: - task-based learning in the primary school; - storytelling; - drama; - technology; - vocabulary development; - intercultural understanding; - Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) scenarios; - assessment. Innovative and rapidly emerging topics are covered, such as immersion teaching, picturebooks in the EFL classroom and English with pre-primary children.
Teaching Languages Creatively brings together the experience of international primary language experts to explore creative teaching and learning in primary languages. Drawing on the latest research and theory and illustrated with ideas and case studies from real schools, it covers key topics, including: engaging students in the target language; celebrating bilingualism in the classroom; incorporating technology into modern teaching; integrating language learning across the curriculum; successful transitions; learning languages through singing, storytelling and dance. Ideal for primary trainee teachers, newly qualified teachers, and established teachers looking for creative new ideas to enrich the learning experience of their students, Teaching Languages Creatively is an essential guide for inspiring the love of languages that is so vital for young learners.
This comprehensive guide to research and debate centres around language learning in childhood, the age factor and the different contexts where language learning happens, including home and school contexts. The scope is wide, capturing examples of studies with different age groups, different methodological approaches and different languages.
The Routledge Handbook of Teaching English to Young Learners celebrates the ‘coming of age’ for the field of research in primary-level English Language Teaching. With 32 chapters written by international scholars from a wide geographical area including East Africa, Mexico, the South Pacific, Japan, France, the USA and the UK, this volume draws on areas such as second language acquisition, discourse analysis, pedagogy and technology to provide: An overview of the current state of the field, identifying key areas of TEYL. Chapters on a broad range of subjects from methodology to teaching in difficult circumstances and from Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) to gaming. Suggestions of ways forward, with the aim of shaping the future research agenda of TEYL in multiple international contexts. Background research and practical advice for students, teachers and researchers. With extensive guidance on further reading throughout, The Routledge Handbook of Teaching English to Young Learners is essential reading for those studying and researching in this area.
English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners provides both theoretical and empirical information about assessing the English language proficiency of young learners. Using large-scale standardized English language proficiency assessments developed for international or U.S. contexts as concrete examples, this volume illustrates rigorous processes of developing and validating assessments with considerations of young learners’ unique characteristics. In this volume, young learners are defined as school-age children from approximately 5 to 13 years old, learning English as a foreign language (EFL) or a second language (ESL). This volume also discusses innovative ways to assess young learners’ English language abilities based on empirical studies, with each chapter offering stimulating ideas for future research and development work to improve English language assessment practices with young learners. English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners is a useful resource for students, test developers, educators, and researchers in the area of language testing and assessment.
The volume unites research and practice on integrating language learning, teaching and assessment at preschool and early school age. It includes chapters written by experts in the field who have studied some of the very youngest (pre-primary) children through to those up to the age of 12, in a variety of private and state contexts across Europe. The collection makes a much-needed contribution to the subject of appropriate assessment for children with the focus of many chapters being classroom-based assessment, particularly formative assessment, or the case for developing assessment skills in relation to even the youngest children. As a whole, the book provides useful case study insights for policymakers, teacher educators, researchers and postgraduate students with interest in or responsibility for how children are assessed in their language learning. It also provides practical ideas for practitioners who wish to implement greater integration of assessment and learning in their own contexts.