Teaching English to

Young Learners (TEYL)

This course aims to provide
students with the theoretical and
practical aspects of Teaching
English to Young Learners
(TEYL).
More specifically, the course addresses
issues related to:
- theories of learning,
- the learning strategies of young children,
- teaching-learning activities,
- the classroom methods and techniques to
be used when teaching English to young
learners;
- the development of games, songs and
visual materials and their use in teaching
and assessment of young English learners.
Why is it important to
know how to teach English
to Young Learners?
- English has become the dominant/
international/ common language in the world,
it has also become one of the components of
tertiary, secondary, primary and even pre-
school education in the EFL teaching
contexts.
- Thus, the concept of young learners has
started to cover a larger age range than it
did 2 or 3 decades ago. This change can
clearly be seen in the quality and quantity
of course books written for different ages
and levels of young English language
learners, and the publications
made in this area.
- Moreover, it also brings a demand for
competent English language teachers to
teach (very) young language learners.
Age plays a crucial role
in what we teach and how we teach it, since a
young learner class is different from an
adult and/or a teenager class in terms of the
learners’ language learning needs, the
language competences emphasized, and the
cognitive skills addressed. That’s why, it
is highly important to show the differences of
these three learner groups keeping in
mind the fact that every learner is unique
(Harmer, 2007):
Task
• Work in groups of 4 – 6 people and
divide the characteristics according
to the learner groups
• They respond although they do not understand.
• They learn from everything around them: they learn indirectly rather than directly.
• They understand when they see, hear, touch and interact rather than from
explanations.
• Abstract concepts are difficult to deal with.
• They generally display a curiosity about the world and an enthusiasm for learning a
language
• They like talking about themselves and respond to learning that uses their lives as
the main topic.
• They love discovering things, making or drawing things, using their imagination,
moving from one place to another, solving puzzles.
• They have a short attention span; they can easily get bored after 5-10 minutes.
• 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.
• Teachers should work with students individually or in groups
• Teachers need to be aware of the students’ interests to motivate them.
• The classroom should be colorful and bright with enough room for different
activities.
• They commit passionately when they are engaged
• Most of them start to understand the need for
learning.
• Attention span is longer as a result of intellectual
development.
• They can talk about abstract issue to a certain
point.
• They can use many different ways of studying and
practicing language.
• They search for identity and self-esteem; thus they
need to feel good about themselves and valued
• They need teacher and peer approval and are
sensitive to criticism of their own age group.
• Teachers should link teaching to their everyday
interests and experiences.
• They can engage with abstract thought They have a whole
range of (positive or negative) life and learning experiences.
• They have expectations about the learning process and they
have their own patterns of learning
• They are more disciplined than the other age groups and know
how to struggle on despite boredom
• Unlike other groups, they know why they are learning and what
they want to have at the end.
• They sustain a level of motivation even for a distant goal, which
is difficult for the other groups.
• They can be critical of teaching methods or they may feel
uncomfortable with unfamiliar methods.
• Older ones worry that their intellectual powers diminish by age.
• They have a longer concentration span to continue an activity
than the other groups.
• Teachers should consider their (positive or negative) learning
experiences.
Task
• Watch the video “ Shaping the Way
we teach English” and write down the
characteristics of Young Learners
Characteristics of Young
Learners
• YL are active and creative
• YL like to play
• YL learn through doing
• YL have short attention span
• YL need repetition
• YL need clear directions
• YL have limited knowledge about the world
Very Young learner Young Learner Late Young learner
Language Focus/ Skills Language Focus/ Language Focus/
Used: Skills Used: Skills Used:
Listening & Speaking Listening & Listening/Speaking/R
Vocabulary Items Speaking eading/Writing
(concrete & familiar Vocabulary Items Vocabulary Items
objects) (concrete & familiar (concrete & abstract)
No Grammar Teaching and new objects) Grammar (inductive)
or metalanguage (can’t New in Reading and
analyze language but Writing (word to
may be exposed to sentence level)
chunks through songs, No Grammar
classroom language) Teaching or
No reading & writing metalanguage
(may recognize letters (chunks
or short words) through songs and
classroom language)
Very Young learner Young Learner Late Young learner
Characteristics: Characteristics: Characteristics:
*Low concentration span *Low concentration span: *Longer attention span
but easily excited Wide variety of activities but still children
*High motivation; active needed *Taking learning
involvement *Short memory: frequent seriously
*Love talking but revision is needed *World knowledge
problems in sharing *Logical-analytical: Asking *More cooperation in
*Short memory: Learn questions groups and in
slowly Forget easily *Problems in sharing in pairs
*Repetition and revision is group work *Developed social,
necessary * Developing confidence in motor and
*Limited motor skills expressing themselves intellectual skills
(using a pen and scissors) * Developing world *Learning strategies
but kinesthetic and knowledge are used and
energetic *Limited motor skills (left- developing
*Learn holistically right)
*Love stories, fantasy, *Reasonable amount of input
imagination, art, drawing *Love stories, fantasy,
and coloring imagination, drawing &
coloring
Helpful ideas
Taking into consideration young learners’
characteristics how should we teach them?
See helpful ideas.
1 Supplement activities with
visuals, realia, and
movement.
Comenius’ thoughts
• a suitable object should be shown to as many of the senses
as possible, until the mind has duly received its image

• It is necessary that examples come before rules

• A student needs someone to guide him

• Plays and games delight…the young, for it is natural to be

pleased by freedom…Another reason why it is enjoyed is
that it always takes place in company
2 Involve students in
making visuals and realia.
3 Move from activity to
activity.
4. Teach in themes.
5 Use stories and contexts
familiar to students.
6. Establish classroom
routines in English.
ELT Methodology for YLs
Summary

• For learners younger than 10-11, it may

be effective to embed language in a
context (e.g. songs, stories, games, in
which language is a vehicle, not the
driver)
ELT Methodology for YLs
Summary

• For learners older than 10-11, it may be

appropriate to include a more formal
focus on language
Summary: child-friendly
learning involves YL’s

Creativity C_________

C_________ C_________
C_________ C_________
C_________ C_________
Summary: child-friendly
learning involves YL’s

Creativity Context

Community Connections
Care Coherence

Curiosity Challenge
Is Younger better?
• Task: With your partner write down
all advantages and disadvantages of
learning English at a young age.
Discuss with your
partner
• When did you start learning English?
• Did you wish to start learning English
at a younger age?
• At what age do you wish your
children to start learning English?
Task for Independent
work
• Register at Moodles website and do
test characteristics of Young
learners, participate in forum
discussion “Is early better?” and
write an essay “ Early start”.
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