Young learners – keeping them engaged and motivated Jack Scholes

OVERVIEW 1.Problems faced by teachers 2.Optimal conditions for learning 3. The seven Rs 4. Why use musical plays? 5. Mini-musical - Halloween

1.Problems faced by teachers Children…(complete the sentence) have very short attention spans forget things quickly may not be fully confident in L1

may not be motivated to learn may be frightened develop at very different rates can easily be overwhelmed need effective language learning techniques, not just time fillers

2. Optimal conditions What are some of the optimal conditions for helping young learners to learn? Learning is…… natural contextualized and part of a real event interesting and enjoyable

relevant social belongs to the child has a purpose for the child builds on things the child knows makes sense to the child is supported appropriately

is part of a coherent whole is multi-sensory is active and experiential is memorable allows for personal, divergent responses takes account of multiple intelligences

Also when… the child is challenged appropriately the child wants to learn the learning atmosphere is relaxed and warm the child has a sense of achievement

3. The seven Rs Provide an integrated framework for managing children positively and creating a happy working environment

Relationships Creating and maintaining a positive relationship is at the heart of a happy learning environment Rules Establish a limited number of clear rules and the reasons for having them

Routines Classroom routines make it clear what is expected & what they should do Rights & responsibilities May not be stated explicitly with very young, but T can model through own actions which of these they value

Respect Ss treated respectfully will respond in similar way. If T treats as individuals, they will respond as individuals and not with collective group mentality Rewards Effective way of reinforcing appropriate behaviour – stars, stickers, points etc.

4. Why use musical plays? Excuses I can’t use musical plays because… a) the children will _____ and I won’t be able to _____ them. b) I don’t have ________ for that. c) I can’t _____ or _____.

the children will make too much noise and I won’t be able to control them. I don’t have time for that. I can’t act or sing.

Children use drama naturally – always in the land of make-believe and slip in and out of multiple roles Children love being part of something – all involved – shyest & most outspoken A bonding experience for the group

Drama & musical plays are methods of teaching more effectively It doesn’t matter if you can’t act or sing – the children will do this and they are experts!

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Multi-sensory – see, hear, act Cater to different learning styles Help with pronunciation of new words Retention - help learners to remember new words and phrases and anchor texts in long-term memory

Promote speaking skills - fluency and confidence – listen and repeat lines Develop and reinforce social skills – be considerate, listen to each other Ideal for mixed ability groups Also, shy learners can present own personality in fictional character / chorus

Involve intellect, imagination & emotions Motivation - motivating for them to perform – in front of an audience Combination of music, language & action makes children express and challenge themselves in a musical context

5. Mini-musical – Halloween Preliminary preparation of vocabulary Read word – Ss listen and point Translate ? Close eyes, listen, see on inner TV

Dictionary with no words – Ss say – practice pronunciation Pairs – with picture dictionary -A covers word -B says it

Introduce characters and story Design acting area and stage set Hollowed-out pumpkins with faces Ss pictures Bats, spiders on coloured cards etc.

Props, masks, costumes Bag for sweets, sweets, white sheets Witch masks T-shirts for chorus – same colour Halloween costumes

Helbling Young Readers