Tips for TEYL

Essential Concepts of SLA for Teachers

  1. Second-language acquisition proceeds according to predictable stages. 
  2. The degree of acquisition is correlated with the time available for instruction. 
  3. Children acquire language best in a low-anxiety environment. 
  4. Culture is closely related to language and is an essential component of instruction. 
  5. Meaning can be communicated in L2 without the use of English (or L1). 
  6. Children acquire language through a focus on meaning rather than on grammar. 
  7. Children involve many senses in the acquisition process. 
  8. Meaning in L2 is established, in a school setting, through thematic, integrative approaches incorporating the content of the general curriculum. Meaning is established through visual cues. 
  9. Children acquire language through extended listening experiences and negotiation of meaning. 
  10. A relevant, meaningful context is necessary for effective language acquisition. 
  11. The teacher can use a variety of techniques to make the language understandable to children (comprehensible input). 
  12. Children acquire language through the tasks appropriate to their developmental level: a. More manipulation is necessary for younger students. b. Language analysis begins later (philosophic layer/late adolescence). c. Older students often demand more translations. 
  13. The rate and the degree of L2 acquisition are affected by differing student learning styles. 
  14. Learner-centered instruction facilitates second-language acquisition.

general tips for teaching young learners

  1. They respond although they do not understand. 
  2. They learn from everything around them: they learn indirectly rather than directly. 
  3. They understand mostly when they see, hear, touch and interact rather than from explanations. 
  4. Abstract concepts are difficult to deal with. 
  5. They generally display a curiosity about the world and an enthusiasm for learning a language 
  6. They like talking about themselves and respond to learning that uses their lives as the main topic. 
  7. They love discovering things, making or drawing things, using their imagination, moving from one place to another, solving puzzles. 
  8. They have a short attention span; they can easily get bored after 5-10 minutes. 
  9. Teachers should have a rich repertoire of activities to help young children receive information from a variety of sources and plan a range of activities for a given time period. 
  10. Teachers should work with students individually or in small groups. 
  11. Teachers need to be aware of the students’ interests to motivate them. 
  12. The classroom should be colorful and bright with enough room for different activities. 

Phonological Awareness & phonics

  1. Use rhythm sticks, claps, snaps, or body motions to segment the syllables in children’s names and other words. 
  2. Engage children in activities, read storybooks and poems, sing songs and chants that have repetitive patterns, alliterations, rhymes, and refrains that are engaging and playful (e.g., sing, “Liz, Liz, bo-biz, banana-fana fo-fiz, fee-fi-mo-miz, Liz! Liz can get her coat.”). 
  3. Read and reread rhyming books and texts to children. Encourage children to make up their own rhymes and alliterations. 
  4. Draw children’s attention to the sounds children hear in words (e.g., by asking for the children whose names start with the “m,m,m…” “M” sound to go wash their hands for snack). 
  5. Provide activities where children sound match (e.g., show a picture of snake, a dog, or a house and ask children which one starts with the “s-s-s…” “S” sound). 
  6. Integrate activities throughout the day that draw attention to the printed letter and the sounds letters make (e.g., at the writing center, “I see you and Sabir pointing to the letters that your names begin with on the alphabet chart. Can you also make the sound for the first letter ‘S’ in your name? Yes, S-s-s-sabir.”). 
  7. Encourage participation with materials that promote identification of the letters of the alphabet including alphabet books, charts, blocks, games, and puzzles. 
  8. Provide name game activities (e.g., recognize child’s name with and without graphic support, differentiate among names, visually match specific letters) throughout the day for children to learn to recognize their names and the letters in their name. 
  9. Find opportunities to read and write children’s names daily. While writing the name, spell each letter aloud and invite children to read the name and spell each letter with you. 
  10. Encourage children to discuss and interact with functional print materials (labels, signs, directions with pictures) and child-generated writing samples (class books, signs on block buildings, notes to teacher, labels with pictures on shelves and drawings that incorporate children’s writing). 


Motivating Young Learners

  1. Highlight progress by reviewing often
  2. Encourage personal responses and input in tasks
  3. Provide choice and involve Ss in decision-making
  4. Find out what they think and what they like
  5. Give positive feedback and reinforcement
  6. Make learning goals clear and explicit
  7. Select content which Ss can relate to
  8. Scaffold learning
  9. Personalize- relate the topic to their lives
  10. Encourage group learning
  11. Provide opportunities for authentic communication