see, hear and feel creating a successful study environment for primary learners rob dean december...
TRANSCRIPT
See, Hear and FeelCreating a Successful Study Environment
for Primary Learners
Rob Dean
December 2010
A Warmer
Stand up if…
Turn around 360° if…
Wave if…
Pat your head if…
Put both hands in the air if…
Rub your stomach if…
Sit down if…
Agenda
1) Characteristics of primary age learners
2) Implications for the classroom
3) Some practical approaches and activities
4) The ideal primary lesson?
1) Characteristics of Primary Age Learners:
.
The Primary Age Group
... are developing the ability to apply logical thought to concrete problems
… are still egocentric, but are starting to become more social
… acquire linguistic skills before they are aware of them
… see the world in binary terms
… still have a vivid imagination
2) Implications for the Classroom
What helps this age group to learn successfully?
Parents!?
So what helps this age group to learn successfully?
Parents!?Elements of the known as well as the newThe chance to express themselvesVariety
- of topics, of activities, of dynamics Achievement - and recognitionReal English
Hans ist nass weil er unter einem Wasserfall steht
Hans is wet because he’s standing under a waterfall
Ein Getränkautomat ist eine Maschine die Getränke liefert wenn mann eine Münze einwirft
An automatic drinks machine is a machine that delivers a drink when you put a coin in the slot
Helga steht an der Bushaltestelle an der gegenüberliegenden Seite der Strasse
Helga is standing at the bus stop on the opposite side of the street
“For children, learning English should primarily be about fun and stimulation and learning to like English, rather than the acquisition of highly competent language skills.”
(International House Teacher Trainer, Paula de Nagy)
3) Some Practical Activities and Approaches
A typical Primary Lesson
Aim: To enable learners to talk about what they can and can’t do in the context of sports and leisure activities.
What will learners need to achieve this?
Vocabulary: Sport and leisure activities
Grammar: ‘can’, ‘can’t’ ‘can…?’
Involving Everyone:Sensory Preference
Visual
Auditory
Kinaesthetic
Left brain Right brain
LEFT BRAIN
Structured
Problem solving
Logical
Likes rules
Likes systems
RIGHT BRAIN
Creative
Artistic
Interactive
Dislikes rules
Dislikes systems
Teaching ALL the class…
• Drilling• Take one away• Recall• Disappearing drill• Guess the card• Memory matching• Body Spelling
Grammar and Children
The Trouble The Trouble with with
GrammarGrammar
illogical difficult
abstract invisible
Language lessons as they once
were:
‘When we talk about a person’s ability to do something, we use ‘can’ – this is the affirmative – for example if I am able to swim, we say ‘I can swim.’ To form the negative, we use ‘can’t’ – as in ‘I can’t play the guitar.’ Remember that the pronunciation of ‘a’ in ‘can’ is a weak form, but in ‘can’t’, ‘a’ is a longer sound, as in ‘car.’ The closed interrogative form is an inversion of the affirmative: ‘You can swim’ becomes ‘Can you swim?’; and again, the ‘a’ in ‘can’ is pronounced as a weak form.
Do you understand?’
Students’ Reaction?
The Trouble The Trouble with with
GrammarGrammar
illogical difficult
abstract invisible
Making Grammar Visible
Donald can dive
Mickey can’t swim
Can you surf ?
Donald Yes
MickeyNo
You?
swim / sing
single letter / double letter
correct / wrong
3 True, 1 False
I can’t sing.
I can play the violin.
I can speak five languages.
I can’t play chess.
And Finally: Can you…… write with your left (right*) hand?
… pat your head and rub your stomach?
… rotate your hands in different directions at the same time?
… fly a plane?
4) The Ideal Primary Classroom?
The Ideal Primary Classroom Millionaire Quiz
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Adopt a m___ s_____ approach – engage all the senses
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Avoid s_____ situations in class, such as asking children to read aloud alone.
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Keep activities s___ - bear in mind the length of the attention span!
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Praise children for their e____ - not just beautifully completed work!
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Ensure that their’s a daily r_____ in the lessons – help the children feel secure
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Don’t be afraid of r______ - children learn quickly and forget quickly
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Allow more t___ for activities and setting up than you think it will take.
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Avoid too much c________ - let all the children be winners!
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Mix s_____ with s_____ - vary the energy levels of activities
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Encourage children to use their imagination – let them be c______ with the language!
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Where’s a good place for dinner?
Sounds good!!
