Project: Investigating Global Practices in Teaching English to Young Learners

Sue Garton, Fiona Copland, Anne Burns. ELT Research Papers 11-01. British Council.

1. Outline the *rationale for the study with respect to

a) knowledge about TEYL that is available to date,
b) differences between and within countries,
c) approach applied with YLs,
d) problems detected so far

(BTW, what is the meaning of ‘a discrete language item’?)

*RATIONALE /,raʃə’nɑ:l/
A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or belief: he explained the rationale
behind the change.

2. Write about the research design: instruments, participants, procedures.

INSTRUMENTS PARTICIPANTS PROCEDURES

 3. Read about results in the body of the paper. Look at the figures on pages 21-24. Write down
18 sentences based on what you can see on these figures (one sentence per each figure).

4. Read the five recommendations and insert missing words.

Recommendation 1: The pre-service and in-service training of teachers to teach young learners
needs to be considerably ______________. The needs of in-service teachers are particularly ______,
given that many did not start their careers as teachers of English or as teachers of young learners.

Recommendation 2: The interest shown in this project ___ a large number of teachers worldwide
and the similarities ____ their activities and concerns demonstrate that there is a need for greater
opportunities _____ sharing ideas and experiences _________ primary school teachers of English
both nationally and internationally.

Recommendation 3: The English language proficiency and skills of teachers is highly ________. There
is clearly a need amongst many teachers for English language ____________.

Recommendation 4:

An ____________ range of materials for teaching young learners is needed. Materials development
and their use should become a _____ area for research and development in the field. Materials need
to be available in as many formats as possible to ___________ to local conditions. Possible
_________ include paper-based, CD-ROM, internet, and local media such as radio. As far as possible,
materials should be of particular __________ to teachers working in poor schools in poor countries
where resources are difficult to find and to afford.

Recommendation 5:

In many countries, __________ to English development is restricted in terms of the amount of

______ young learners receive and the examination-driven nature of many _______. Educational
policy developers should be provided with evidence based on current research and good practice in
effective curriculum development for young learners in order to ___________ the learning
experience of children.

WHICH RECOMMENDATIONS PERTAIN DIRECTLY TO LANGUAGE TEACHERS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

OF ENGLISH?