How to Teach Young Learners English

李衛(wèi)

Along with the globalization of the world， English is becoming more and more important.As a result， the field of teaching young learners has expanded enormously in the last two decades.Not only are numbers of child learners at younger ages increasing，but the corresponding dimensions which cover coursebooks，outside lessons，testing systems and so on have improved dramatically.This needs to be taken seriously by the ELT （English Language Training） field.Furthermore， the needs of young learner teachers have also arisen to a high degree.Cameron，L.（2004）states： … teaching children a foreign language may in some ways，be more demanding at primary level than at higher levels.（Challenges for ELT from the expansion in teaching children） As a primary English teacher in China，I completely agree what she states above.At the same time，she also points out：If unsuccessful early learning demotivates pupils，and they learn that English lessons are difficult，or boring，or a waste of time，then secondary teachers will not only need to keep pupils motivated for a further five years：somehow they will also have to remotivate those who already feel they cannot succeed in language learning.

It is widely agreed that motivation has a great effect on a students capacity to learn.Motivation can be broken down into extrinsic and intrinsic forms.For young learners，it is impossible to find an intrinsicmotivation.So it is important for a YL （young learner） teacher to find out external sources in motivating children.The good news for us is that there are many things we can do in the classroom to increase the levels of extrinsic motivation.Teaching young learners is different from teaching adults.They tend to change their mood every other minute，and they find it extremely difficult to sit still.On the other hand，they show a greater motivation than adults to do things that appeal to them.Since it is almost impossible to cater to the interests of about 40～45 young individuals，even over 60 students in one classroom （this is very normal in China），the teacher has to be inventive in selecting interesting activities，and must provide a great variety of them.Here are some activities which YL teachers could choose in language learning.

First of all， what I often adopt in teaching young students is TPR （Total Physical Response）， which is particularly appropriate for young children.It can facilitate the language-learning process by enhancing memory，by providing variety through physical movement，and by the fun it creates（cf.Tomscha 1986）.The learners movements are used as a kind of “visual aid”（instead of pictures，etc.） by describing actions that are going on at the time.Learners can talk about an action that they are involved with at the very moment of speaking.This is actually an effective way inteaching new words and sentences.

Secondly， games are an essential part of a curriculum，especially for young learners.The inherent fun of game playing could help to make learning languages much less of a chore.In games you will find here are much more effective at helping children acquire foreign language skills than other types of exercises.It is undoubtedly that learning is best when learning is fun.As technology has improved drastically，it also provides us to use computer games in language learning.The Internet provides us withlots of fun and useful games which are much more easy and convenient in teaching languages.

Thirdly， my experience shows that children respond enthusiastically to songs，rhymes，poems and chants and welcome them.The main reason is the good atmosphere they create in the classroom.They are highly motivating because of their rhythm and beautiful melody.In addition，the young learners need not patiently remain in their seats.They can move，clap their hands，snap their fingers，or tap their feet;they are involved both mentally and physically.Songs，poems，chants and similar activities reduce anxiety and increase the personal involvement of language learners.This is an important component of that experience and makes learning a foreign language more fun.Therefore，they become more confident in their learning ability and more motivated to continue learning the language.Music and rhythm make it much easier to imitate and remember language than words which are just ‘spoken.Students themselves can be involved in creating activities to use with their favourite songs.

Fourthly， culture introduction is definitely another fantastic way in motivating YL.As Claire Kramsch points out ...“If...language is seen associal practice，culture becomes the very core of language teaching.Cultural awareness must then be viewed as enabling language proficiency ...Culture in language teaching is not an expendable fifth skill，tacked on，so to speak，to the teaching of speaking，listening，reading and writing”（in Context and Culture in Language Teaching OUP， 1993）.So as YL teachers， we need to have a wide variety of different cultures.I am fully convinced that language learning would focus on not only the four skillsbut also culture introduction which is also vital in language learning.In my class， I always introduce foreign cultures，especially some interesting western festivals to my students which cover related words，sentences，games，songs，chants，dramas，parties and other activities.This will achieve unexpected effects.In addition， the children will be more aware of the world around them and better interact with the world.