Working with young learners by susan halliwell

“WORKING WITH YOUNG LEARNERS”


After reading activities: “Working with young learning” Susan Halliwell
1- Identifies the characteristics which will help young children to learn another language.As Susan Halliwell has pointed out, children don´t come with empty-handed, they bring with them a whole set of specific aptitudes or skills which include, for example children:
- are alreadyvery good at interpreting meaning without necessarily understanding the individual word (The ability to grasp meaning).
- Already have great skill in using limited language creatively (The ability tointeract and speak).
- frequently learn indirectly rather than directly ( The ability to learn indirectly).
- take great pleasure in finding and creating fun in what they do
- have the ability tolearn through fantasy and imagination
- above all take great delight in talking

2- How does each of these qualities help a child in the foreign language classroom and how can the teacher build onthem?

Foreign languages are not necessarily a boring, difficult subject. On the contrary, there are plenty of funny ways of acquiring skills in other languages through games and non formal activities.After all, this is the way we all learned our first language. Children come to primary school with this ability already highly developed. Teachers will try to help in the developing process andskill, not only with language exercise but also they make full use of gesture, intonations, demonstrations, actions and facial expressions to facilitate the meaning. Children are like sponges so theteachers have the opportunity to fill with knowledge using different way of teaching.
3- What other ways of conveying the meaning do young children apply to developed the learning of a new language

Therole of imaginations is one o the others way to developed the learning of a new language, this capacity for fantasy and imaginations has a very constructive part to play to play. All of the...