Teach English in YangjiAsi Zhen - Tianshui Shi

This unit went over the different teaching themes and approaches for young learners of the English language, and also introduced materials that can be adapted for any age and level category (i.e. provided a single lesson that has been modified for each English language level). First this unit went over songs, chants, and music and the impact this theme has on young students' learning, memory, and engagement. Music provides opportunity to work on pronunciation, stress intonation, and rhythm, and is an effective memorization technique (that is also fun) for young learners. Songs, chants, and music can relate to older students through incorporating the use of pop songs or songs that students like into your lesson activities. Music provides for a speaking activity but also has opportunity for listening, reading, and creative writing given the activity that you chose to link to music. Furthermore, music can access kinesthetic learning centres in our brains - which combines left and right hemisphere activity. Activities that utilize both hemispheres of the brain are said to improve/enhance learning and memory retention. For younger learners, what music is most appropriate would be rhymes with a focus on actions and words, whereas for older learners there should be a use of movement, using songs for activities other than speaking, copying lyrics from students' favourite songs, and karaoke versions of pop songs. Lastly, music/songs/chants are excellent for the engage part of an ESA model lesson, and it is important to resuse the language in the songs to familiarize students with the language being heard. Next this unit went over games which were defined as any activity with a purpose, rules, and an element of fun. A list of well known games such as Monopoly, Pictionary, Battleship, and Trivia Pursit were given with examples of how they can be adapted and modified for the language/age level of your students and to fit their interests, as well as the needs of you lesson. It was also mentioned that it is helpful for a teacher to match the game to their teaching objective rather than find a game and create a learning goal to match. The third teaching theme mentioned in this unit was that of stories. Stories are excellent tools for vocabulary building, modelling of writing styles, can be motivating for students, and are for any level and age group. Additionally, all four skills (listening, speaking, writing, reading) can be developed and exercised through the use of stories.However, it is important for a teacher to remember to make sure that the stories are at the right level, have cultural significance, and suit the teaching aims. It is also vital to consider the interests of the students in order to ensure their engagement and motivation to work with the story of choice. This unit also listened and briefly explained different readers, such as Pearson English Graded Readers (to improve vocabulary, sentence structure, reading skills; language simplified to match students' English level - 7 levels), Oxford Read and Imagine (9 levels: early starter, starter, beginner, levels 1-6) and Dolphin Readers (another series of readers; 5 levels, cover fiction and not fiction stories). It is critical to remember to not cover too much new vocabulary with one story! Examples of how readers can be used with the development of the four different skills are as follows: Reading - practiced quietly, Speaking - as a linking activity (i.e. how does the story finish...what happens next?), Writing - make up your own story in a similar style (creative writing) or write to someone about the story (i.e. reflective/descriptive writing, summarization), and Listening - audiobooks, to teacher or to other students reading aloud. Moreover, the activities linked to stories will be based and structured by the age and level of the students. For examples, drawing pictures of students' favourite part of the story and writing a few sentences why they liked that part would be more appropriate for younger learners while writing a short book report would be more suitable for older learners. Next, this unit went over the teaching theme of arts and crafts and mentioned that we can increase learning by using activities that combine both of the brain's hemispheres (which arts and crafts does). This section fits nicely with my own personal teaching style, as I am a firm believer in learning through the arts. I believe that students need to utilize their imagination, critical thinking, and creative skills (as well as social skills and development) as they learn in order to develop self-esteem (confidence in their ability), encourage enthusiasm and motivation, ensure engagement, and to develop a love for learning. The more personal students get with their work and activities, the more they will retain from their learning. Having studied psychology in undergraduate university, I have learned that many researchers suggest that personalizing (or ensuring students can connect to the work) learning makes learning more effective. The craft aspect of art acts as a vehicle for language use and can be great fun. Furthermore, all four skills can be developed by and exercised from arts and crafts: Speaking - Tell me about what you have drawn, Writing - Add text, dialogue, Reading - background information, Listening - to teacher, to students talking/presenting, watching/listening to artists, interaction. Next this unit went over seasonal activities, such as holidays and the seasons of the year. However, it is critical to be mindful of culturally sensitive issues when incorporating seasonal activities into your lessons. Some examples of incorporation are: creating art with linking activities, creative writing (i.e. Halloween themed, Christmas themed), readings of origins and practices of holidays/festivals (more suitable for older learners), poetry/reading/writing/listening to stories/watching videos or movies based on that time of year. Visual props would be of fantastic use for seasonal activities, as many holidays may be hard for other unfamiliar culturals to understand strictly through verbal or reading work. The final teaching theme presented in this unit was that of drama and movement, which has been said to help the learning process by making contexts of language more realistic (i.e. immersing students in the language of a situation). For younger learners, miming and movement activities such as Simon Says are great ideas and warmer activities. For older students, the focus should be more on role play and acting (i.e. charades, taboo type games), and warmer activities should be based around vocabulary. Lastly, this unit provided a single lesson with extensive materials that was modified/adapted for different English levels (i.e. elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate). This was an extremely useful resource to read through as it clearly compared how one lesson can be modified to suit the level and needs of different age groups. Each activity was generally the same but become more open to imagination and critical thinking as the English level progressed.