Young learners – keeping them engaged and motivated

Jack Scholes

OVERVIEW

1. Problems faced by teachers

2. Optimal conditions for learning

3. The seven Rs

4. Why use musical plays?

5. Mini-musical - Halloween

1. Problems faced by teachers

Children…(complete the sentence)

have very short attention spans

forget things quickly

may not be fully confident in L1

may not be motivated to learn

may be frightened

develop at very different rates

can easily be overwhelmed

need effective language learning techniques, not just time fillers

2. Optimal conditions

What are some of the optimal conditions for helping young learners to learn?

Learning is……

naturalcontextualized and part of a real eventinteresting and enjoyable

relevant

social

belongs to the child

has a purpose for the child

builds on things the child knows

makes sense to the child

is supported appropriately

is part of a coherent whole

is multi-sensory

is active and experiential

is memorable

allows for personal, divergent responses

takes account of multiple intelligences

Also when…

the child is challenged appropriately

the child wants to learn

the learning atmosphere is relaxed and

warm

the child has a sense of achievement

3. The seven Rs

Provide an integrated framework for

managing children positively and

creating a happy working environment

Relationships

Creating and maintaining a positive

relationship is at the heart of a happy

learning environment

Rules

Establish a limited number of clear

rules and the reasons for having them

Routines

Classroom routines make it clear what

is expected & what they should do

Rights & responsibilities

May not be stated explicitly with very

young, but T can model through own

actions which of these they value

Respect

Ss treated respectfully will respond in

similar way. If T treats as individuals,

they will respond as individuals and not

with collective group mentality

Rewards

Effective way of reinforcing appropriate

behaviour – stars, stickers, points etc.

4. Why use musical plays?

Excuses

I can’t use musical plays because…

a) the children will _____ and I won’t be

able to _____ them.

b) I don’t have ________ for that.

c) I can’t _____ or _____.

the children will make too much noise

and I won’t be able to control them.

I don’t have time for that.

I can’t act or sing.

Children use drama naturally – always

in the land of make-believe and slip in

and out of multiple roles

Children love being part of something –

all involved – shyest & most outspoken

A bonding experience for the group

Drama & musical plays are methods of

teaching more effectively

It doesn’t matter if you can’t act or sing

– the children will do this and they are

experts!

Why use musical plays?

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Multi-sensory – see, hear, act

Cater to different learning styles

Help with pronunciation of new words

Retention - help learners to remember

new words and phrases and anchor texts

in long-term memory

Promote speaking skills - fluency and

confidence – listen and repeat lines

Develop and reinforce social skills –

be considerate, listen to each other

Ideal for mixed ability groups

Also, shy learners can present own

personality in fictional character / chorus

Involve intellect, imagination &

emotions

Motivation - motivating for them to

perform – in front of an audience

Combination of music, language & action

makes children express and challenge

themselves in a musical context

5. Mini-musical – Halloween

Preliminary preparation of vocabulary

Read word – Ss listen and point

Translate ?

Close eyes, listen, see on inner TV

Dictionary with no words – Ss say –

practice pronunciation

Pairs – with picture dictionary

- A covers word

- B says it

Introduce characters and story

Design acting area and stage set

Hollowed-out pumpkins with faces

Ss pictures

Bats, spiders on coloured cards

etc.

Props, masks, costumes

Bag for sweets, sweets, white sheets

Witch masks

T-shirts for chorus – same colour

Halloween costumes

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