The Principles of Teaching English for Young Learners

 

 

English is a very important element for children self-development, especially when it deals with their cultural entity. By learning English, of course children will also automatically learn about its culture which then will affect children’s point of view towards life. Furthermore, by learning English, children will also influenced by the high culture habits that brought into its cultural elements such as reading habit, healthy life habit, and such. According to Nishida (2008:4), the reason why learning a foreign language is introduced in elementary schools is to deal with globalization. It is not only required in society but also thought of as a chance to establish our identity through communication with foreigners. Moreover, elementary school students are extremely interested in new things and are at a stage where they can naturally absorb other cultures through language. In hence, teachers have to know about the principles of teaching english for young learners.  

 Based on the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia Republic No 103 (2014) about regarding the principles used in the process of learning in elementary and secondary school which is also suitable for younger learners could be seen as follows :

1. The teaching and learning process should be interactive and inspiring

It means teacher should create the teaching and learning process which is interactive and inspire the students. The process of learning should make students be able to develop their knowledge and understanding, communicate their ideas, and inspire them to be more creative, and innovative 

2. The process of learning should be fun, challenging, and motivating learners to actively participate

Learning that is enganged by students should be as interesting as possible so that students are motivated to learn. This learning process is also expected to foster their curiosity so that they participate in the learning activities actively. Moreover, the teacher should be able to engange the students to actively seek, find, make choices, express opinions, and experience the learning by themselves. Educators should be able to create an atmosphere that encourages children to actively seek, find, make choices, express opinions, and do and experience for themselves.

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3. Contextual and collaborative learning

Learning activities in children should be contextual and collaborative. In learning, especially language learning, context is needed because with the context, children can understand when and where the language learned can be used. In addition, collaboration between teachers and students, students and students, teachers and teachers is also needed in learning for elementary school children.

4. Provide sufficient space for the initiative, creativity, and independence of learners

Teachers must create an atmosphere that can encourage the spirit of learning, motivation, interest, creativity, initiative, inspiration, innovation, and independence which is in harmony with the students’ characteristics, interests, potentials, levels of development, and needs.

5. Utilize the use of learning materials, learning media and resources.

The use of learning materials, learning media, and resource in teaching and learning aims to make learning more contextual and meaningful. Learning media and resources can come from the natural environment or materials deliberately prepared by teachers. In addition, to make learning more contextual, teachers can invite certain professions involved in the theme, such as doctors, police, fishermen, and firefighters. It aims to develop students’ talents, interests, abilities, physical, and psychological.

One factor that plays an important role in the introduction of English in primary

education effectively is teachers. Teachers play an important role in motivating children to learn. Teachers need to know how children learn things. According to Musthafa (2010) there are five learning principles that must be understood by teachers when teaching children, they are;

a. Children learn from direct experiences

The point is children learn and gain their knowledge from what is captured by their senses and what they have experienced at first-hand. This principle of learning is very influential on the choice of topics and the development of teaching materials by teachers. In other words, teachers can use experiences or activities done by students directly, for example teachers can ask about students' favorite activities when it rains.

b. Children learn from hand-on physical activies

Children is enhanced the lessons more when they are directly involved in physical activity such as playing with direct objects or physical activity. For example, the teacher asks students to create a poster with the captain in English. This learning tendency has a great implication for instructional design.

c. Children thinking embedded on context situation

Because children's thoughts are embedded in the context of the situation they face, in teaching English, it would be better if the teacher used the example in everyday life in learning. For example, in learning about colors and shapes, teachers should use examples of what color clothes the teacher wears when teaching, or how objects in the classroom form such as whiteboards, markers, and globes. In this way, the real purpose of teching and learning English can be achieved, and it also increase children’s learning motivation.

d. Children learn holistically

In this principle of learning, children formulate their knowledge by accumulating what they have learned. They create adn develop ‘the scripts’ which serve as an organizer for digesting their experiences. For example, in shopping, children will make a shopping list first, after that they will go to the supermarket, ask for availability of goods, do bargain, do agree on prices, and paying and then leaving Given this way of learning, children would get facilitated if the English instruction builds on what children know rather than on what is likely new to them. In this way, thinking in the foreign language would be limited only in terms of vocabulary items— not in the concept they do not have.

e. Children have short attention span

Unlike adults who can concentrate within a few hours on a topic, children can only concentrate in about 15 to 20 minutes. So that teachers should be able to use a variety of learning techniques for a limited time so that students do not get bored and at the same time they can also concentrate on the material taught at any short time.

Based on that explanation, it can be said that teaching young learner is not easy especially teaching a foreign language. Eventhough children learn second or foreign language as natural as first language, however, the use of English as a foreign language not as much and as often as the use of first language. So that, in order to expose students to English in use, an essential prerequisite for acquisition of English, teachers of English should use English all the time or as much as possible in the classroom during the instructional sessions. This functional use of English during the instructional time should be carried consistently to provide learners with opportunities so that they can earn the English used for communicative purposes with their teachers.