Download teaching across age levels

TEACHING ACROSS AGE
LEVELS
By: Marisol Barraza
Children are superior to adults when it
comes learning a language succesfully.
Why is this a myth?
TEACHING CHILDREN
What factors must be considered
when teaching children?
INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
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Children 7-11: Concrete Operational Stage
(Piaget, 1972)
At this age have difficulty using deductive
logic. (from general to specific)
Example: All oranges are fruits
All fruits grow on trees
Therefore, all oranges grow on
trees.
INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
Children are centered in:
 the here and now.
 The functional purposes of language.
Children cannot understand the use of
metalanguage used to explain linguistic
concepts. (grammar, structures)
In the classroom
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Don't use metalanguage to explain grammar
Avoid rules stated in abstract terms
(grammar activities)
Certain patterns may be taught if the
teacher is able to show the students.
Certain patterns require more repetition
(meaningful)
ATTENTION SPAN
Compared to adults, children have short
attention span.
Why is this not entirely true?
ATTENTION SPAN
Children have short attention span for
material that is:
 Boring
 Useless
 Difficult
In the classroom, Lessons have to be
interesting.
What do teachers need to do?
In the classroom

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Design activities that capture the
students´immediate interest (here and now)
Provide variety in activities
The teacher needs to be animated, lively and
enthusiastic.
The teacher needs to have a sense of humor.
Tap into the students´curiosity.
SENSORY INPUT
Children need to have all five senses
stimulated:
Hearing
Seeing
Smelling
Tasting
Touching
What do teachers need to do in the classroom?

In the classroom
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Complement your lessons with physical
activities (TPR, role play, games)
Projects and hands on activities
(words,structures, practice meaningful
language)
Smelling, tasting, touching and Audiovisuals
Nonverbal language (gestures and body
language)
AFFECTIVE FACTORS
Children are not affected by the inhibitions
that block adults in their learning.
Why is this a myth?
Affective Factors
Children have many inhibitions and are more
fragile than adults:
 Extremely sensitive to classmates
 Their egos are on the process of being
shaped
What do teachers need to do in the classroom?
In the classroom
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Have students laugh at each others errors
Be patient and supportive but firm in your
expectations
Encourage oral participation as much as
possible (even from the quiet ones)
AUTHENTIC, MEANINGFUL
LEARNING

Children will be interested in learning a
language if they can use it for HERE and
Now.
In the classroom
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Avoid stilted language (not common)
Use context embedded language (in a
context: dialogues, story lines, familiar
situations and characters)
Use the whole language approach
(Language as a vehicle for communication)
Teaching Adults

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Many rules to teaching children may apply
to teaching adults.
Adults have superior cognitive abilities than
children
They can create mental images and deal
with language that is not embedded
(isolated).
Adults have the self confidence that children
lack.
In class Assignment

Divide into two groups. Prepare a
comparison chart of `things to do and things
to avoid when teaching children, teenagers
and adults.
What to do
Children
Teenagers
Adults
What to avoid