The document discusses theories of how children learn English as a foreign language. It covers several topics: (1) how children think and learn physically, emotionally, and conceptually according to Piaget's stages of development; (2) the differences in teaching young learners compared to older students due to their energy levels, emotions, literacy skills and ability to focus; (3) scaffolding learning and using multiple modes of representation; and (4) methods that are effective for young learners such as Total Physical Response, project work and recognizing different learning styles. The key theories discussed include Piaget's constructivism, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, and Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences.

1. Chapter 3: “How Children learn
English”

2. Learning-centred
 EFL: not simply putting fun into learning.
 (Nunan&Lamb, 1996; Cameron, 2001)
 Need to maximize learning.
 Provide both: support and challenge.

3. How children think and
learn
 Physical
 Emotional
 Conceptual
 Educational characteristics of YLE.

4. What is different about teaching
children?
 YLE are different from older learners
because:
 They have a lot of physical energy.
 Are emotionally excitable.
 Are developing conceptually/ early
stages of schooling.
 Are still developing literacy akills in L1.
 Learn more slowly and forget things
quickly.

5. And more…
 Tend to be self-oriented/worried with
their own world.
 Get bored easily.
 Are excellent mimics.
 Can be easily distracted but also very
enthusiastic.
 Can concentrate for a longer tiem if they
are interested.

6. Learner differences
 Chronological age is not the same as
developmental age.
 Age bands: 3-6, 7-9, 10-12 year olds.
 Degree of parental support.

7. PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL
DIFFERENCES
 At Primary school level learners are:
 Developing self-esteem and confidence in
learning.
 Very egocentric: 6-7, unable to cooperate
with others.
 Developing motor skills.
 Physically restless: short , varied activities.
 Unstable emotionally: tantrums, need to
learn how to overcome frustration.

8. Teachers need to provide:
 A supportive  Routines that
environment. provide a sense of
security.
 Activities to share
and play with other  Praise.
learners.
 A warm and
 A variety of encouraging
activitities. classroom
atmosphere.

9. Conceptual, educational and
linguistic differences
 3-6 year olds: symbolic thought, a
picture can be substituted by ther eal
thing.
 7+: capable of realistic and rational
thought.

10. How children think and
learn
 Behaviourism: transmission model of
learning.
 Piaget: Constructivism. Clearly defined
stages of intellectual development:
 4 to 8: concrete-operational stage.
 11+: formal thinking.
 His research: study how children think and
learn through their behaviour in relation to
given tasks.

11. Bruner (1983)
 Why is school difficult for learners?
 It is too different from their real lives.
 CONSTRUCTIVIST VIEW:
o Child as active agent in constructing
KOL: selecting, learning, retaining and
transforming information.

12. SCAFFOLDING
 Comparison between children learning and
building a house:
 Broken up into stages: foundations, walls
and ceiling: BUILDING BLOCKS.
 Plumbing and electrics: how everything is
put together and connected. LINKS AND
NETWORKS.
 SCAFFOLDING is removed when the
hosue can support itself.

13. Child’s learning as a
process:
 3 Modes of Representation:
 1. Knowing something through doing it.
 2. Working with a picture or image of it.
 3. Working with a symbolic
representation: language.

14. VYGOTSKY (1978)
 Mental development at two levels:
 Present.
 Future or potential. ZPD.
 Differences between Piaget /Vygotsky:
 1. Role of adults/ teachers.
 2. Role of language.
 Social-constructivist model.

15. Ellis (1999)
 The role of Metacognition.
 Helping children to think, plan and
remember aids them to develop
confidence in similar tasks.

16. Discuss:
 Learning and sequential stages.
 Learning, egocentrism and the role of
play: social competence. Play as
cognitive challenge.
 The role of the L1. short-story telling,
rhymes, songs, oral activities/traditions.

17. The uniqueness of learners
 NLP (1970´s)
 LEARNING STYLES.(Berman,
1998).Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic.

18. MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES.
 Howard Gardner (1993) :
 1. Linguistic Intelligence.
 2. Logical-mathematical Intelligence.
 3. Spatial Intelligence.
 4. Kinesthetic Intelligence.
 5. Musical Intelligence.
 6. Interpersonal Intelligence.
 7. Intrapersonal Intelligence.
 8. Naturalistic Intelligence.
 (See activities to be promoted, pp36)

19. Methods that work well with
YLE
 TPR Total Physical Response (Asher,
1960)
 TBL.
 Project Work.

20. How teachers generate their
own learning theories:
 Memories of childhood learning.
 Teacher training.
 Reading.
 Reflection upon classroom practice.
 Professional development activities.
 CRITICAL PROCESS.

21. Bruner’s videos:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2H_s
wMUlOg
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeUU
J7SrMVg&feature=related