Articles

For all of us who work within the Brazilian ELT context it is quite clear that the demand for language schools to provide classes for young learners has increased considerably. This means that language schools look for professionals who feel comfortable teaching a variety of age groups, including the YL segment.

This can prove to be a huge challenge for ELT professionals. Today we can safely say the fewer and fewer university graduates leave their institutions of higher education with the necessary skills and theoretical knowledge of what it means to teach young learners. It's something that is simply not covered in many of the graduate degrees in Modern Languages.

However, the demand for young learner teachers is immediate. So, how can a Publishing House, such as Learning Factory, provide the support which many teachers feel they need in order to be able to teach the YL segments?

One of the ways in which Learning Factory supports teachers who are new to the YL segment is by providing a wealth of information in the Teachers' Guides for each of the titles produced. In Play in English (for children aged 7), Fun Factory (for those aged 8), New Flash (for children aged 9 to 10) and the forthcoming Stories with Stacey (for children between 4 and 6, due to be launched in 2014), there always is an Introduction written by a well-known expert who highlights different aspects of teaching Young Learners, for example: how to engage new learners; how to ensure optimal cognitive involvement from a neurological and ELT perspective; how to address learner differences in the classroom context; how to set up a YL classroom and much more.

The Teachers' Guides also provide detailed procedures on several of the series' most important features, thereby allowing some of these activities to spring to life. Some of these are the “Boxfolio” element (Play in English); the “Story page and Jumpstation” element (Fun Factory); “Stacey, the puppet” element (Stories with Stacey). Of course, storytelling, songs & chants permeate all Learning Factory YL materials and these are elements which are fully described.

Yet, we know that reading about practical teaching tips and suggestions of how to set up a classroom and implement activities may simply not be enough. Teachers often need to raise issues of a more practical nature, such as: “How can I ensure all my YLs are trying to speak in English?”, “How can I make YLs listen to each other?”, “How can I genuinely pay attention to YL's multiple interests?”.  Teachers also enjoy the opportunity to share aspects of their practice and reflect upon this.

These questions and many more can only be effectively dealt with during face-to-face training and development sessions and workshops. To this end, Learning Factory offers sessions and workshops which focus on the specific needs of the different young learner segments, ensuring there is space for an overview of the theoretical issues which arise and plenty of opportunity for hands-on activities and the sharing of best practices. These sessions/workshops are designed to foster dialogic interaction amongst participants and trainers and so new knowledge is scaffolded and a rich learning/teaching environment is created during the sessions.  In this manner, all teachers are fully involved during the sessions (irrespective of where they find themselves in their own professional development cycle). They learn skills and techniques which are needed and they begin immersing themselves in the exciting and challenging world of teaching young learners.

Teaching your very first young learner lesson can be a tremendously daunting task. Yet, in the long run, teaching young learners can be immensely rewarding. We have a chance to find our “inner child” and see life from another perspective.

Of course, before you know it, yesterday's young learner is today's novice teacher! And that's when you think, gosh, have I been teaching for so long already?

Valéria Benévolo França (PhD., Dip RSA) is the Head of Teacher Training and Development for the Cultura Inglesa S.A. and is responsible for the development of the Learning Factory teacher training sessions and workshops.