SUBJECT LECTURER

English for young learners Dra. Andi Irlina, M.Hum

THE PROCESS OF INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Dandi :
Siti Karimah :1601240750
Novita Sari Andriani :1601241778

ANTASARI STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS TRAINING FACULTY

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

BANJARMASIN

2019

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 PREFACE
With all the praise and thanks to God the Almighty, who has given His love and mercy so
that a paper entitled “CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG LEARNERS” can we finish well. The
paper is structured to meet one of the tasks of the courses English For Young Learners.

On this occasion, we would like to hank profusely to all those who have helped us in
completing the writing of this paper, to Mrs Andi Irlina, M.Hum as lecturer in English For
Young Learners for the support and motivation and also to friends who have contributed their
ideas and motivation for writing this paper.

We are fully aware that the many flaws in the writing of this paper, in terms of material,
technical and presentation material. Therefore, we expect criticism and constructive suggestions
to further refine the writing of this paper. Finally, we hope that the writing of this paper can be
useful for readers.

Banjarmasin, 22th February 2019

The writer

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background ........................................... .................. ............................................ 3

B. Formulation of the problem....................................................................................3
C. Objectives...............................................................................................................4

CAPTER II

DISCUSSION

A. The Characteristics of Young Learners..................................................................5

B. The dos and don’t’s of the teachers for young learners.........................................6
C. Students interest activities for young learners........................................................10

CHAPTER III

CLOSING
A. CONLUSION........................................................................................................13

REFERENCES

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 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
A. BACKGROUND
Children have a reputation for being natural language learners, for very good
reason. Almost without exception, they have learned their native language with apparent
ease, and by the time they are 6 years old they have brought it to a level of fluency that is
the envy of non-native speakers. Parents who bring their children into a second- language
setting and immerse them in a new situation. For example, an elementary school taught in
the foreign language often experience a kind of miracle. After around 6 months, their
child begins to function successfully in the new setting and at a linguistc level to which
the parents cannot hope to aspire, even when they have been studying the language
seriously for a similar period of time.
These examples of children’s natural language learning ability might seem to
suggest that the best thing to do to help a child learn a language is simply to place the
child in the target language setting and then stay out of the way to let the miracle happen.
Unfortunately, this is not an approach that will make it possible to bring languages to
every child. There is, however, both linguistic and psychological theory to help explain
children’s seemingly effortless second-language acquisition and to provide insights that
can make classroom a better place for such language acquisition to take place.
Understanding this theory, showing consideration of learners differences, and
understanding the principles of child development and the characteristics of children at
different stages of development will help prepare the teacher to create curriculum and
activities that bring languages and children together effectively
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B. FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM
1. What are the characteristics of English young learners?
2. What are the dos and don’ts of teachers for young learners?
3. What are the students interest activities for young learners?

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C. OBJECTIVES
1. To know and understand the characteristics the English young learners.
2. To know and explain the dos and don’ts of teachers for young learners.
3. To explain the students interest activities for young learners.

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 CAPTER II

DISCUSSION

A. The Characteristics of Young Learners

In the book teaching english to children, scoot and Ytreberg classified children into two main
groups. First group is five to seven year olds children, and the second group is eight to ten
years olds children. All of them have different characteristics.

For the first group, five to seven year olds children have some characteristics follows :

- They can tell you about their activities

- They can tell you for something that they have done or heard
- They can plan activities
- They can argue something and tell you their thought.
- They can use logical reasoning
- They can use their imaginations
- They can use wide range of intonation in their mother tongue
- They can understand situation quicker than understanding the language used
- They understand through physical word
- They cannot differentiate the fact and fiction
- They are very self centered
- They like to pretend that they understand something than to ask abouit it
- They like playing
- They are anthusiastic and positive about learning

For the second group, eight to ten year olds children help some characteristics as follows:
- They can differentiate the fact and fiction
- They like ask to questions
- They understand through spoken words and physical words
- They understand abstract
- They understand symbols

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 Eight to ten year olds children are relatively mature children. They can decide what to
learn when the five to seven year olds children cannot. Children like learning something
through movements and games, because they like playing and understand physical words
more that spoken words.

B. THE DOS AND DON’T’S OF THE TEACHERS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

1. When kids learn a foreign language :

• They focus more on meaning, rather than form
• They need a variety of activities.
• They benefit from being actively involved.
• They are curious and active.
• They use language creatively.
2. Connecting with children: Rapport is the key to successful communication.
 It may be that the teacher’s relationship with their pupils is more important in the
end than the particular teaching method used. So make sure you establish eye-
contact with your learners and show you are a good listener.
 Be aware of your posture, the tone of your voice, and where you stand in the
classroom.
3. Respect their age and level of maturity : Do not treat your nine-year olds as if they
were little babies for they are not, but do not assume they are like teenagers either.
4. Children come in all kinds. Some are quiet and may look quite shy (just do not act as if
they are, instead ask yourself what you can do help them build self-confidence. Whatever
you do, don’t use labels). Some are naughty and may show disruptive behaviour, but
won’t challenge you or strive for confrontation. So beware of the subtle behavioural
manifestations. Some others can be showy or simply highly-motivated. Still others will
do as asked and show a lot of dependence while others will require room for their
independence.
5. All of your students need your individual attention
• Children are very spontaneous and creative, so be open to join them, and ready to step
out to control a situation whenever necessary.
• Show your good-humoured nature and laugh together with your learners. Sharing

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 moments build trust.
• Remember children are very sensitive. Be sincere. And be there 100%.
6. Building a supportive atmosphere : To enhance language learning: Build a strong
sense of security where the children can strengthen their sense of belonging and self-
esteem for better emotional well-being which will provide them scaffolding to back up
learning and motivation as well as resilience. So:

 Make your classroom a lively place

 Motivate pupils to want to learn English

 Help pupils to develop personal reasons for learning English.

 Enjoy the lessons and be a real listener

 Praise your students.

 Establish routines. “Children’s self-esteem largely depends on the experiences, positive

or negative, that they have in their environment, on how they are viewed by the people
they see as worthy: parents, teachers, peers. Their repeated responses are mirrors through
which children see and judge their image.”

7. Making lessons meaningful:

“In the early stages, before the child has developed a full awareness of language,
language is embedded for him in the flow of the events which accompany it. So long as
this is the case, the child does not interpret words in isolation – he interprets situations.
He is more concerned to make sense of what people do when talk and act than to decide
what words mean.”

We have our preferences, we have our own very personal style(s) and uniqueness – the way
we learn, the way we represent the world is dependent on our preferred style(s). We learn
better and more easily when we feel comfortable in an environment that favours our
preferred style(s) and facilitates the development and blending of the others. When planning
your lessons consider having a balanced amount of activities which cater for the various
learning styles. Have a look at “The Spiral Approach”

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8. What kind of English should I speak?
Children learning a foreign language often use complete phrases of language they have
picked up from someone else. (...) Children may not have been taught these chunks formally,
but they help them to communicate ...
Talk to your young learners at normal speed. Speak the English you want them to speak. Be
ready to repeat, rephrase, paraphrase, make gestures, draw, give examples, ask if a peer can
help,and be ready to translate a word or two if necessary. Encourage your learners to speak
English as much as possible. Insist on their doing so, otherwise they never will. Teach your
students chunks of classroom language to get them to start communicating in English.
9. Working on discipline:
“Children benefit from knowing the rules and being familiar with the situation.”
The video below show us some of the “dont’s ". Why does the teacher behave like this?
What’s the amount of STT versus TTT in this lesson? Why is that so?

 The teacher’s high level of anxiety.

 The teacher asked purposeless questions.

 The teacher did not allow the SS to think before answering – No waiting time The
teacher’s poor response and rapport.
So In order to run a smooth classroom, we should establish routines to give the children a
good sense of order. To enforce rules consistently and always with our students’ help is a
good way to have them closer to you. It’s crucial to allow them to take part in everything
we do in the classroom. This will teach them commitment and responsibility.

In the second snippet, we notice a change in the teacher’s behaviour as the teacher finds a
way to maximize STT. Why? Do you believe in magic? There's no magic!

 He admitted his mistakes

 He asked meaningful and open questions

 He paid attention to body language

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  He tried to bridge the gap

 He gave them a reason to speak

The affective side builds up the students’ confidence:

The teacher:

 Started to trust the student! SS know more, they can do more than people usually expect
them to. Do never underestimate them!

 He set the student free by not allowing her to read the score. Autonomy!
Some last tips:

 Establish a comfortable atmosphere free from stress

 Do not ask the obvious

 Make them proud – activate their previous knowledge

 Respect your pupils and their different styles

 Repeat, recycle, rephrase

 Respect the silent moment

 Don't be afraid of noise or silence.

 Take into account pupils’ concentration span

 Be flexible and open

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C. STUDENTS INTEREST ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

1. Me and My Family
When teaching young children it is essential to start with topics that are closest to
them. First, they should always start with themselves. This a great opportunity for
them to learn how to introduce themselves and how to ask others their names.
They also practice describing a family. If kids are a bit older and have the means
to do so, you can ask them to describe their family. Some teachers take the
opportunity to introduce common house pets too, since for many they are in fact
part of the family.
2. My House
After their family, the next closest thing to them is their home. Here they practice
talking about where they live for instance, house or apartment. As an excellent
subtopic here, you might also want to practice the rooms of a house. Depending
on their age you might want to add some furniture as yet another subtopic.
3. Colors
Colors in general are very appealing to kids. The more colorful, the better. When
practicing descriptions, colors are one of the things kids learn first.
4. Shapes and sizes
Young children are very good at making observations and noticing differences. In
addition to colors learning shapes and sizes is great for describing and comparing.
5. Classroom objects
So, since children spend many hours at school and /or other educational
institutions, it is very important to cover classroom objects. They can first learn to
identify them and then, sort, and classify objects by color, size, and shape. A great
way to start integrating knowledge.
6. Numbers
Learning numbers is crucial for young children. Kids at this age are typically
learning to count and slightly older kids are starting to add and subtract. Young
ESL learners at this age can learn to recognize, write, order, and count objects up
to the number 30.
7. Feelings

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 This is a very important topic to include in ESL lessons for young learners
because by learning how to describe feelings they can express and how they feel
and understand how others feel in different situations in the classroom. This can
help when you need to deal with behavior issues too.
8. Daily Activities
This topic is an amazing way to introduce verbs. Typically with the present
progressive or present simple. Use different flashcards that illustrate someone
doing an action. It is an easy way to associate events that take place during the
day with verbs. It might also come in handy to teach words like morning,
afternoon and evening, depending on their age.
9. Days of the week
Children will need to know the days of the week to talk about regular events or
activities that take place in their lives. Using a calendar is always useful since it
provides a great concrete visual aid for this type of learner.
10. Clothes
Since they start dressing themselves at this age, they are naturally curious to
know how to talk about their clothes. Also, having already practiced colors, they
can describe what they are wearing.
11. Seasons and Weather
A wonderful topic to practice after learning clothes. They can associate what
clothes they wear in each season and type of weather. You can add holidays and
festivities to this topic as well, to make it more fun. Keep in mind that if you have
a multicultural class, you can ask kids to tell you about festivities they celebrate
and how.
12. Food
An all time classic topic for children and adults as well. Also, one that is a lot of
fun since after practicing vocabulary related to food they can do fun activities like
put together a recipe or even prepare some type of food.
13. Transportation

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 Children, little boys in particular, are naturally very interested in
transportation. Cars, trucks, trains and planes are, in fact, incredibly popular
choice where toys are concerned. This topic can be taught before or after the city.
14. My City
Learning to describe what you can find in a city is very important for children
and something they they can easily relate to since many accompany their parents
to different places and shops on a daily places.

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 CHAPTER III

CLOSING
A. CONLUSION
To arrive at the intended goal of the teaching-learning of English at elementary
school, there are several factors which need to be considered. Those factors are the
theories of the teaching of language to young learners ( in this case, classroom and
atmosphere, and factors to consider in designing material.
Having comprehended the theories of teaching language to young learners in general,
the teachers of English could detemine how English is to be taught to young learners-
learning English throught activities in social contexts.
Mean while, the management of the English classroom and atmosphere during the
teaching-learning process depends on the activities which are done so that the
students (children), instead of getting bored, will become interested in participating
the class
However, to meet he goal of the teaching-learningof English at elementary school,
the English teachers must know not only the students’ development related language
ability in general but also their students’ background and wants especially the
students’ characteristics. They cloud then teach appropriately because they teach at
certain elementary school. In short, the teachers need to consider who their students
are and why they learn English. Therefore, they are able to design materials and teach
their students naturally on the basis of a social and economic environment as a result,
the students (children) master English throught acquistion rather than learning.

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 REFERENCES
Ytrebeg, W.A (1990). Teaching English to Children(Longman Keys to Llanguage Teaching).
New York: Longman

http://roseliserra.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-dos-and-donts-for-children-
teaching.html#.XHNtt9KF7IU

https://busyteacher.org/21186-young-learners-14-great-esl-topics.html

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