In general children under ten years old cannot learn grammar through a
focus on rules. We can see this through observation and we know this through
our reading of Piaget et al. The logical thinking, reasoning and generalization
needed to be able to work from grammar rules is something that only really
starts developing from the age of eight or nine onwards.
So children can’t learn grammar? Of course, they can. They learn the
grammar of their first (home, mother) language incredibly successfully. They do
so through a great deal of exposure to it from everyone around them: hearing
songs and stories, listening to caregivers and siblings, having access to media
like TV and radio. They spend a great deal of every day of their early lives
just listening and trying to make sense of what they hear. Then they use it
when they need to communicate.
What we as teachers of children learning English as a second, additional or
foreign language must ensure for them to be able to make sense of this new
language is to:
·
Provide
plenty of exposure to English, by using it as much as possible ourselves in the
class room, telling stories, singing songs and just chatting to the learners in
English
· Ensure
that the language input they get is supported by plenty of meaningful clues to
meaning like body language, gestures, facial expressions, visuals
· Allow
children to play with the sound and rhythm of language
· Encourage
children to communicate with whatever English they have
· Give
positive feedback and praise them so they keep trying and having fun
· Give
children tasks that help them notice the patterns of language they have been
exposed to like the two tasks below which should be copied and cut up. Make
them nice and big so that children can work in small groups at their tables or
on the floor. And be careful to cut them in such a way that it's not possible
to match them just by putting two pieces together and see where they have been
cut!!!
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