DIDACTICS 1.

WORKSHOP 2
1.

Teac hing young learners (TYL)- review and new criteria

A. Lets reflect upon and discuss the following statements:

Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what
amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar
bent of the genius of each. ~ Plato

children see the foreign language from the inside and try to find meaning in how the
language is used in action, in interaction, and with intention, rather than from the outside
as a system and form. ~ Cameron, 2003

Reading the word is dependent on reading the world. ~ Paulo Freire

Children are the worlds most valuable resource and its best hope for the future. ~ John F.
Kennedy

Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way. ~ George Henry
Evans

B. Issues concerning TYL

In the following two sessions, we will discuss the next issues:
- task-based learning in the primary school;
- storytelling;
- drama;
- technology;
- vocabulary development;
- intercultural understanding;
- Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) scenarios;
- assessment.

REVIEW OF CONCEPTS
1. Task-based learning in the primary school
S elf practice: Read the documents cited by clicking or copy pasting them:
1.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1. 581. 1739&rep=rep1&type=pdf

(Read introduction and general findings of the study)

2.

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/a-task-based-approach (Read introduction and

general findings of the study)

Some generalities:

Notion of task (Clark et al., 1994):

a purpose or underlying real-life justification for doing the task, involving more than simply
the display of knowledge or practice of skills
a context in which the task takes place, which may be real, simulated or imaginary
a process of thinking and doing required in carrying out the task, stimulated by the purpose
and the context
a product or the result of thinking and doing, which may be tangible or intangible
a framework of knowledge, strategy and skill used in carrying out the task.

What is a task-based approach?

Task -based learning offers an alternative for language teachers. In a task-based lesson the teacher
doesn't pre-determine what language will be studied, the lesson is based around the completion of a
central task and the language studied is determined by what happens as the students complete it. The
lesson follows certain stages.
Pre-task
The teacher introduces the topic and gives the students clear instructions on what they will have to do
at the task stage and might help the students to recall some language that may be useful for the task.
The pre-task stage can also often include playing a recording of people doing the task. This gives the
students a clear model of what will be expected of them. The students can take notes and spend time
preparing for the task.
Task
The students complete a task in pairs or groups using the language resources that they have as the
teacher monitors and offers encouragement.
Planning
Students prepare a short oral or written report to tell the class what happened during their task. They
then practise what they are going to say in their groups. Meanwhile the teacher is available for the
students to ask for advice to clear up any language questions they may have.
Report
Students then report back to the class orally or read the written report. The teacher chooses the order
of when students will present their reports and may give the students some quick feedback on the

content. At this stage the teacher may also play a recording of others doing the same task for the
students to compare.
Analysis
The teacher then highlights relevant parts from the text of the recording for the students to analyse.
They may ask students to notice interesting features within this text. The teacher can also highlight the
language that the students used during the report phase for analysis.
Practice
Finally, the teacher selects language areas to practise based upon the needs of the students and what
emerged from the task and report phases. The students then do practice activities to increase their
confidence and make a note of useful language.
The advantages of TBL
Task-based learning has some clear advantages

Unlike a PPP approach, the students are free of language control. In all three stages they must use all
their language resources rather than just practising one pre-selected item.

A natural context is developed from the students' experiences with the language that is personalised
and relevant to them. With PPP it is necessary to create contexts in which to present the language and
sometimes they can be very unnatural.

The students will have a much more varied exposure to language with TBL. They will be exposed to a
whole range of lexical phrases, collocations and patterns as well as language forms.

The language explored arises from the students' needs. This need dictates what will be covered in the
lesson rather than a decision made by the teacher or the coursebook.

It is a strong communicative approach where students spend a lot of time communicating. PPP lessons
seem very teacher-centred by comparison. Just watch how much time the students spend
communicating during a task-based lesson.

It is enjoyable and motivating.

Conclusion
PPP offers a very simplified approach to language learning. It is based upon the idea that you can
present language in neat little blocks, adding from one lesson to the next. However, research shows us
that we cannot predict or guarantee what the students will learn and that ultimately a wide exposure to
language is the best way of ensuring that students will acquire it effectively. Restricting their experience
to single pieces of target language is unnatural.

Time available for task-based teaching

There is evidence in the literature that concerns about the time taken to complete process oriented activities impact on the extent of implementation of communicative tasks. This
seems particularly relevant in contexts where teachers perceive themselves to be under
pressure to prepare students for internal or external examinations.

2.

Teacher preparation and resources

Storytelling and drama

S elf practice: browse on t he documents cited by c licking or c opy pasting them:

3.

http://ngl.cengage.com/assets/html/conferences/yl_webinar/images/primary_webinar_hando
uts_joan_and_anna.pdf
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/D467_Storytelling_handbook_FINAL
_web.pdf (get some ideas for your classes from this paper)

4.

http://www.storynet-advocacy.org/edu/booklet.pdf (pages 40 to 44 will be asked)

5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJU5L3ZYODU

6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrZc6eztoH4

7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61xilK072qo

8.

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ420165.pdf

Storytelling. Its power must not be forgotten. The telling of stories has been a vital mechanism
ever since humans developed language perhaps the most vital in transferring knowledge of all
sorts. The invention of writing, then printing, word processing and home computers means that
we now have many other methods. But storytelling remains a powerful and appealing tool. And
these days, stories are not just for parents with children or journalists with readers. Good
teachers have always known the power of stories in the classroom. Stories often hold a strange
and magical quality that can interest and engage learners in a way that few other materials and
methods have. While the telling of stories in class is often associated with primary -age children,
the attraction of the story remains throughout life (Knagg, 2014: 1)
Who needs drama?
As long as the teacher knows the class well and has a good relationship with it, all ages and
levels of ability should be able to profit from involvement in drama provided they are well
prepared and confident in their work. If the teachers know their classes well, they will be able
to recognize any social or religious taboos the group may have and therefore be careful about
asking all members of the class to do everything. An atmosphere must be established in which

both teacher and class can feel secure in the knowledge and expectation that they will enjoy
and benefit from drama activities.
When should drama be used?
Drama activities could probably be used in any or all stages of the typical five -stage lesson to
take the focus away from the teacher and put it on the students to give them the maximum
amount of talking time. Drama could be particularly effective in stages two to five of a lesson,
above all in the fifth stage.