Learning Method

            In teaching learning process, teachers need appropriate methods and strategies to deliver the material to the students. By using an appropriate method, the students can understand about the material given by the teachers. In teaching English, teachers can use language learning method in the class.

So, what is language learning method???

According to http://www.sil.org,

            A language learning method is an overall plan for learning a second language, based on the theoretical approach selected. It involves the design of a syllabus for the course, which in turn consists of learning objectives and techniques for achieving those objectives.

           There is often confusion among the terms,approach , method, and technique. These three terms may be viewed as points along a continuum from the theoretical (approach), in which basic beliefs about language and learning are considered, to design (method) in which a practical plan for teaching (or learning) a language is considered, to the details (technique) where the actual learning activity takes place. 

           Some language learning courses use basically only one technique. These courses could be said to be based on methods such as the Language Learning Cycle, Total Physical Response, or Suggestopedia. More commonly these days a variety of techniques are combined, so the term method is not used in the same sense. Furthermore, some people use the term method interchangeably with technique.

What do you think about Young Learners?
Yeeaahh,,, they are very active, full of imagination, moody, and it is difficult to teach them. But do you know, by using an appropriate method, we can teach them easily. To understand about teaching English for young learner, I use "Teaching English to children" book.

How to teach listening?

µ       Listening in the Classroom

·      It is quite clear that listening is the skill that children acquire first, especially if they have not yet learnt to read. When the students start to learn a foreign language, it is going in mainly through their ears and what the students hear is their main source of the language.

·      In listening, it’s important to say things clearly and to repeat them.

·      Young learners have a very short attention span. This is something which increases with age for most students and you’ll find that the eight to ten year olds can sit still and listen for longer periods. But it’s important not to overload children when you’re working on listening tasks.

µ       “Listen and do” activities

Instruction

The most obvious “listen and do” activity which we can and should make use of from the moment we start the English lesson is giving genuine instructions. Most classroom language is a type of “listen and do” activity. Communication is two-way, and you can see very easily if your students have understood the message or not.

Moving about

Children need exercise and movement. And you should make use of this wherever possible. As well as the moving about activities connected to doing ordinary things in the classroom. The advantage with this type of activity is that you can check classroom vocabulary, movement words, counting, spelling etc.

Put up your hand

You will almost certainly have to make use of the “put up your hand” type exercise at some stage. For example you want them to put up their hands when they hear a certain word.

Mime stories

In a mime stories, the teacher tells the story and the students and teacher do the actions. It again provides physical movement and gives the teacher a chance to play along with the students.

Drawing

Listen and draw is a favourite type of listening activity an almost all classes, but remember that drawing takes time, so keep the pictures simple.

µ       Listening for information

This activity is often used to check what the students know, but they can also be used to give new information. Some exercise of listening for information:

Identifying exercise

You can make up very simple identifying exercises.

Listen for mistake

You can use picture in your book but make mistakes in the text you read, so that students have to listen for the mistakes.

Putting things in order

Students have a number of pictures which illustrate a text in front of them. The pictures are not in the right order. Students listen to the text and put the pictures in order they think is right.

Questionnaires

You can have a questionnaire type exercise which involves a little bit of writing or filling of numbers.

Listen and colour

Children love colouring pictures and we can easily make this activity into a listening activity. We can use any pictures which the students have in their workbook. Instead of just letting them colour it by themselves, make it into a language activity.

Filling in missing information

Students can fill in the missing words of a song or a text.

µ       “Listen and repeat” activities

Rhymes

All children love rhymes and like to repeat them again and again. You can use either traditional rhymes or modern rhymes.

Here is an example of Nursery Rhyme

Songs

You can ask the students to listen and then repeat the songs.

Here is a song that you can use in teaching listening for young learners.

Exercise

The teacher or one the students says something and the others repeat what has been said.

µ       Listening to the Stories

Listening to the stories should be part of growing up for every child. Time and time again educationists and psychologists have shown that stories have a vital role to play in the child’s development of language. There are three activities of listening to the stories:

• ·         Telling stories
• ·         Creating stories
• ·         Reading stories