In order to teach a foreign language to children (especially preschoolers) you must be active, and constantly change the rhythm of the class.
It is convenient to force the kids to change their places, make them move (sit them on the floor, then have them work on a table, etc.). This is in order to catch their attention better, to help make you the focus of their attention.
No single teaching technique or approach is all-inclusive when teaching preschoolers, the secret lies in variety. Songs, games, puppets, role play, all contributes to create an educational, yet fun class.
The most important with preschoolers, is to make allow the subject of the class, to the degree that this is possible, to be themselves. Let them tell you about their new clothes, the party they went to, their latest cold, etc. This is because this age group (and up until they reach 10 years of age) is basically egocentric: they are the center of their own world.
One of the most important aspects of your class must be repetition and practice. You must find the way of involving their regular teachers and their parents.
When teaching a language, theory recommends avoiding the utilization of translation and bilingual texts. In practice, however, if translation or some sort of bilingual activity is all the regular teachers and parents can do, go for it without hesitation. The point is that the children have some regular exposure, any exposure, to the language, besides the few hours of your specific language lesson.
It is also important to give both parent and regular teachers adequate tools to create a "learning environment". Isolated words without a context, vocabulary lists or activities disconnected from daily life activities are in general not useful. To teach vocabulary and phrases about the park, the daily routine such as dressing, washing your teeth, set the table, are useful to create this learning environment because they are specific situation of the daily life the parents and regular teachers can refer to regularly.
I have a website about my own experience teaching a foreign language (Spanish) to preschoolers, ages ranging from 6 months to 5 years: prekspanish.com
In the website I describe my own evolution as a teacher, and give free advice on materials, teaching techniques and bibliography for foreign language teachers.
It is convenient to force the kids to change their places, make them move (sit them on the floor, then have them work on a table, etc.). This is in order to catch their attention better, to help make you the focus of their attention.
No single teaching technique or approach is all-inclusive when teaching preschoolers, the secret lies in variety. Songs, games, puppets, role play, all contributes to create an educational, yet fun class.
The most important with preschoolers, is to make allow the subject of the class, to the degree that this is possible, to be themselves. Let them tell you about their new clothes, the party they went to, their latest cold, etc. This is because this age group (and up until they reach 10 years of age) is basically egocentric: they are the center of their own world.
One of the most important aspects of your class must be repetition and practice. You must find the way of involving their regular teachers and their parents.
When teaching a language, theory recommends avoiding the utilization of translation and bilingual texts. In practice, however, if translation or some sort of bilingual activity is all the regular teachers and parents can do, go for it without hesitation. The point is that the children have some regular exposure, any exposure, to the language, besides the few hours of your specific language lesson.
It is also important to give both parent and regular teachers adequate tools to create a "learning environment". Isolated words without a context, vocabulary lists or activities disconnected from daily life activities are in general not useful. To teach vocabulary and phrases about the park, the daily routine such as dressing, washing your teeth, set the table, are useful to create this learning environment because they are specific situation of the daily life the parents and regular teachers can refer to regularly.
I have a website about my own experience teaching a foreign language (Spanish) to preschoolers, ages ranging from 6 months to 5 years: prekspanish.com
In the website I describe my own evolution as a teacher, and give free advice on materials, teaching techniques and bibliography for foreign language teachers.
posted by Don Gonzalito at 8:09 PM
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