If you haven’t spent much time with pre-school kids before, you may fear a timetable full of classes with them. But don’t worry!
Claire Elliott (with experience teaching in UK, France, Spain and Switzerland) gives her ten things she wishes she had known when she started.
A taster is below, but for all the detail and explanation read the full article in the IH Journal here.
1. Don’t panic!
Some VYLs (pre-school age kids) find the classroom exciting, some are shy, some cry. You are there to reassure them, use a positive sounding tone in your voice and smile!
2. They are learning so much more than English
It’s not all about teaching them English. They are also learning social skills, sharing, motor skills, behaviour etc, etc. Accept that these things are as important a part of your lesson as new grammar and vocabulary.
3. You don’t need a puppet
Puppets are a common feature of VYL classrooms. But if you feel self conscious using them, don’t worry – make your own faces or use flashcards. With a bit of lateral thinking, there are many ways to achieve the same ends.
4. Change the pace
Settle and stir is the mantra for VYL and YL classes. Very young learners can only concentrate for about 5 minutes (at most), so you need to alternate between activities that engage, then calm them down.
5. Exploit materials through repetition
Anyone who spends time with young children will know that they love to repeat their favourite things - songs, stories, TV programmes. They learn their first language through copying so their brains respond to repetition. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
6. Balance change and routine
Although VYLs love to repeat, after a while it will no longer be interesting. So, observe your class and how they are responding, and introduce more challenging things as their language skills develop.
7. Be flexible
Sometimes, things just don’t go as you have planned. If a child in your class doesn’t want to take part in something, that’s OK ( as long as they are safe and not disruptive). Kids learn at different rates, and you have to adapt to that.
8. Putting your coat on is difficult when you’re 4
You might plan that a really simple thing, like getting a pen out of your bag, will just take a few seconds. But small kids might take longer over these tasks simply because their fine motor skills are still developing. Have patience.
9. Make things easy for yourself
Make tasks as easy as possible to understand. Small steps done one at a time.
10. Focus on the positive
Behaviour is going to be an issue at times, just because kids are kids. Praise the behaviour you want, and it will become the norm. Then your English classes will be a positive experience for you and your students.
We hope these are helpful tips. For all the detail and explanation read the full article in the IH Journal here.