Teaching Languages to Young Learners

by Lynne Cameron

• ISBN13: 9780521773256
• ISBN10: 0521773253
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-05-07
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
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Summary

Recent years have seen rapid growth in the numbers of children being taught foreign languages at younger ages. While course books aimed at young learners are appearing on the market, there is scant theoretical reference in the teacher education literature. Teaching Languages to Young Learners is one of the few to develop readers' understanding of what happens in classrooms where children are being taught a foreign language. It will offer teachers and trainers a coherent theoretical framework to structure thinking about children's language learning. It gives practical advice on how to analyse and evaluate classroom activities, language use and language development. Examples from classrooms in Europe and Asia will help bring alive the realities of working with young learners of English.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgements	xvi
Children learning a foreign language	1	(20)
Taking a learning-centered perspective	1	(1)
Piaget	2	(3)
Vygotsky	5	(3)
Bruner	8	(3)
From learning to language learning	11	(5)
Advantages to starting young with foreign languages	16	(1)
The foreign language: describing the indivisible	17	(2)
Summary of key learning principles	19	(2)
Learning language through tasks and activities	21	(15)
The task as an environment for learning	21	(1)
Task demands	22	(3)
Task support	25	(1)
Balancing demands and support	26	(2)
The importance of language learning goals	28	(1)
Defining `task' for young learner classrooms	29	(2)
Stages in a classroom task	31	(1)
Hani's Weekend: Possible preparation and follow-up activities	32	(3)
Task-as-plan and task-in-action	35	(1)
Learning the spoken language	36	(36)
Learning the spoken language: guiding principles	36	(1)
Discourse and discourse events	37	(1)
Meaning first	38	(4)
Analysis of a task-in-action	42	(9)
Discourse skills development in childhood	51	(7)
Effective support for children's foreign language discourse skills	58	(2)
Short activities for learning the spoken language	60	(6)
Supporting the spoken language with written language	66	(2)
Using dialogues	68	(2)
Summary	70	(2)
Learning words	72	(24)
Introduction	72	(1)
Vocabulary development in children's language learning	73	(8)
Organisation of words in a language	81	(2)
Learning and teaching vocabulary	83	(9)
Children's vocabulary learning strategies	92	(2)
Summary	94	(2)
Learning grammar	96	(27)
A place for grammar?	96	(2)
Different meanings of `grammar'	98	(3)
Development of the internal grammar	101	(4)
A learning-centered approach to teaching grammar: background	105	(5)
Principles for learning-centred grammar teaching	110	(1)
Teaching techniques for supporting grammar learning	111	(10)
Summary	121	(2)
Learning literacy skills	123	(36)
Introduction	123	(1)
Literacy skills in English	124	(10)
Factors affecting learning to read in English as a foreign language	134	(5)
Starting to read and write in English as a foreign language	139	(11)
Continuing to learn to read	150	(4)
Developing reading and writing as discourse skills	154	(3)
Summary and conclusion	157	(2)
Learning through stories	159	(21)
Stories and themes as holistic approaches to language teaching and learning	159	(1)
The discourse organisation of stories	160	(3)
Language use in stories	163	(3)
Quality in stories	166	(1)
Choosing stories to promote language learning	167	(2)
Ways of using a story	169	(6)
Developing tasks around a story	175	(4)
Summary	179	(1)
Theme-based teaching and learning	180	(19)
Issues around theme-based teaching	180	(1)
Theme-based teaching of a foreign language	181	(3)
Planning theme-based teaching	184	(7)
Learning language through theme-based teaching	191	(4)
Increasing target language use in theme-based teaching	195	(2)
Summary	197	(2)
Language choice and language learning	199	(15)
Introduction	199	(1)
Patterns of first language use in foreign language classrooms	200	(5)
Dynamics of language choice and use	205	(4)
Taking responsibility, making choices	209	(4)
Summary	213	(1)
Assessment and language learning	214	(27)
Issues in assessing children's language learning	214	(4)
Principles for assessing children's language learning	218	(4)
Key concepts in assessment	222	(6)
Teacher assessment of language learning	228	(5)
Self-assessment and learner autonomy	233	(5)
Use of assessment information	238	(2)
Messages from assessment	240	(1)
Issues around teaching children a foreign language	241	(6)
Review of ideas	241	(1)
The need for research	242	(1)
The need to develop pedagogy	243	(3)
Teaching foreign languages to children	246	(1)
References	247	(9)
Index	256