What is Good Primary Practice?

Cristopher Brumfit (1997)Power Point by Prof. Estela N. Braun,Facultad de

Ciencias Humanas, UNLPam.

Is there a best way to teach primary EFL?

Key issues to be discussed stem from theoretical perspectives from the fields of:

EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY, APPLIED LINGUISTICS.

David Nunan (1988):

We need theoretical background about:Theories of child development and learning.Ways in which children learn a foreign language.Kinds of classroom conditions which promote EFL.All of them contribute to our understanding of good educational practice in the teaching of English to Young children.

How do children think and learn?

Revision of theories by : Piaget (1967), Vigotsky (1952) and Bruner (1966).

PIAGET:

Sensory-motor stage: 0-18 months.Pre-operational stage: 2 to 7.Concrete-sequential: 7 to 11.Formal operations: 11 onwards.Piaget’s views:Children’s learning readiness.Child centered approach to learning.Children’s individual needs should be catered for by tasks pitched at their different cognitive levels.Structure of mature thinking.

VIGOTSKY:

Different views from Piaget as regards how LANGUAGE influences THOUGHT. Speech is a tool of thought: higher mental processes. Ability to plan, evaluate , memorize and reason.Processes CULTURALLY formed through SOCIAL INTERACTION.ZPD: “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem-solving and the level of potential development under adult guidance or more capable peers”.

BRUNER:

Solving-problem processes.

Discovery learning.

Learning through social interaction.

LASS: language Acquisition Support System. Scaffolding.

Child component: inner capacity.

Interactional partners.

How have these theories influenced primary classrooms?

Child-centered CURRICULUM and METHODOLOGY.

Education of the whole child: moral, physical, emotional and intellectual growth.

Teacher autonomy: no nationally agreed scheme of work in Great Britain.

Individualized learning: respect children’s stage of development. Help them develop AUTONOMY and SELF-DISCIPLINE.

Topic-based Approach: Multi-discipline, e.g.: integrate Maths and Science.

A METHODOLOGY centered on LEARNING BY DOING.

Other Issues to enhance children’s EFL Learning:1.Using language to make, receive and communicate meaning.2. An “apprenticeship” approach to acquiring written and oral language, with the help of an adult.3. A supportive view of ERRORS: mistakes are necessary to learning and show evidence of developmental stage of acquisition.4. Working on TASKS that children may even choose.5. Teachers involved in the process as the ones with expertise as talkers, listeners, readers and writers.6. Reading literature for enjoyment.

These issues are in line with:

A) A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH TO ELT.B) PROCESS WRITING.C)IMPORTANCE OF RISK-TAKING IN CHILDREN’S LEARNING.D)MISTAKES REVEAL EVIDENCE OF LEARNING, they resemble developmental stages of L1 learning: e.g. simplification of syntax, overgeneralization of rules.E)CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION: from collaborative group work to “individualized learning. AIM: Give children the chance of actually speaking English.