Working with Young Language Learners

Rissa San Rizqiya, M.Pd.

STKIP Siliwangi Bandung

Indonesia

From Susan Halliwell’s book:

Teaching English in the Primary School

Children are:

Well interpreters

Creative

Indirect learners

Fun explorers

Well “imaginator”

Great talker

Children’s skills and instincts

ability to grasp meaning,

creative use of limited language resources,

capacity for indirect learning,

instinct for play and fun,

imagination,

instinct for interaction and talk

ability to grasp meaning

intonation gestureFacial

expression

Circums-

tancesaction

compreh

ension

creative use of limited language resources

apply the existing knowledge of grammar

to create a meaning they need

Don’t unring.

apply the existing knowledge of concepts to create a meaning they need

L1 and L2 Language Acquisition

work out the rules of how the language works

generalize the rules across a group of similar order

they over generalize the rules when they are not appropriate

begin to use the language correctly.

Brewster et al. (2003:20)

capacity for indirect learning

children need to use the language to communicate instead of do language exercise

instinct for play and fun

Imagination

Imagining and fantasizing is very much an

authentic part of being child

instinct for interaction and talk

Children need to talk

talking is interacting

children can learn the language mostly

because they learn to use it

Thank You