Teaching EFL to Children: Classes Achievements: Introducing Speaking

The importance of teaching English to children

The importance of teaching English to children

It is needed to teach English since Preschool, because at this grade the children are very receptive to knowledge. Several theorists like Montessori said that at an early age, the kids are like sponges that absorb everything from the environment. Besides Piaget and Vigotsky, highlight the influence of the external stimulation and interactios on the learning.

According to this, it is really important create an English environment for preschool and elementary students, with the purpose of get the students used to the language, making more familiar for them the English sounds and pronunciation, through words and expressions; improving gradually their interaction with the foreign language and making it more easier to be learned in the future, with the complexity that arise, like grammar structures and skills development.

Providing a "Natural" learning of the English by creating a natural environment since Preschool, with joyful and entertain English activities, motivate and get involved the students in the learning process. Those activities can have reading and speaking tasks according to the level, grade and age of the students; can be brought different and useful topics and assessments to teach English to children, through materials like storybooks, toys and many things which the kids feel attracted to.

Introducing speaking to Preschool and Elementary.

There are different speaking approaches; the main idea is to begin with the kids the process of speaking. The teacher needs to create a warm and natural environment to make the children express themselves in English with confidence. With Preschool and Elementary kids, we can’t no expect that they talk immediately and correctly, they are going to make a lot of mistakes and mispronounce some words or create words that don’t exist in English, but at least they are going to try it. In the future they can have more security and basis to speak better.

Some of the approaches that I told you are:

-Oral Skill (Situational Language Teaching)

Is very behavioral, is based on repetition, receiving instructions and grammar rules to habit the information. Syllabus and drills are commonly used to teach, is focused in vocabulary and speech’s structure.

-Communicative approach

Is based on real communication through different and meaningful tasks and syllabus, the purpose is the interaction with the language with function and notional aspects.

These activities are meanly focused on communicative approach; make the students interact with the language in real situations and though interesting games like the use of the can-phone and materials. Is important have account the age of the student, because with cant force the speaking skill in preschool and elementary.

I am going to leave you this link where you can find great examples of speaking activities:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWhIgKrpfM

http://www.tesolzone.com/esl-speaking-activities.html

The importance of teaching English to children

Introducing Speaking

Introducing speaking to Preschool and Elementary.

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