ESL Teacher Reflection #4

This week’s article, Developing Children’s Listening and Speaking in ESL by Sabrina Peck was very interesting to read.  Before reading, I never thought about how different teaching a second language to children is than teaching a second language to adults.  I also never thought of including poems, chants, songs, drama or storytelling into my lessons.

Peck states, “Children are more likely to play with language than adults are”.  I found this very interesting because I thought adults would be more comfortable “playing with the language”.  I simply thought, because adults are older, they would feel more comfortable with making mistakes and taking risks with the language.  Peck says that children can be more engaged through stories and games, and that lessons need to be authentic.  It is important to have students do activities that interest them, and not have them to do activities or assignments just because a teacher asks them to.  I agree with Peck that children need to interested in what they are learning, but I also think that adults need to be interested in the lesson topics as well.  In my opinion, it is much easier and enjoyable to learn something if you care about what you are learning, and if you can use what you are learning beyond the walls of the classroom.  For example, when adults are first learning a second language, they will probably be more concerned with learning how to speak the language, than how to be grammatical correct when writing the language.

Another difference between children and adult ESL learners that I learned is how they approach oral language.  Children often enjoy rhyming and repetition language more than adults tend to.  Also, children are the most willing to sing when first learning the language.  I thought it was especially interesting when Peck said, “Children are more likely to laugh at the sounds of a second language, or to be reminded of a word in the first language” and also, “Young children such as kindergarteners may comfortably talk to themselves, perhaps as part of a fantasy role play”.  I think that it is cool that children notice the different sounds of a language and even practice the language by talking to themselves.  It really shows that children are absorbing the language and applying it to a real life context.  Again, I thought, it would be the adults who would pick up on the different sounds in a second language before children.  I thought this because adults may be more likely to be tested on the language or eager to learn the language faster.

            As I continued reading, I enjoyed the example songs and chants the article provided.  I found myself recognizing some of the songs and singing them in my head instead of reading them.  The songs reminded me of when I took Spanish in high school.  I remember singing songs to help learn the alphabet and also to help learn the days of the week.  For me, songs were a great activity and helped me remember terms I needed later on.

            The article also discussed TPR storytelling and how useful this method can be in the classroom.  The first time I saw TPR storytelling was the lesson I used to write my SIOP essay.   I liked reading another example of this method.  I really like how the TPR storytelling method ties in movement or motions with the story.  Like songs, I think movement or hand motions can be very beneficial for students.  Personally, I tend to remember things better when I have practiced them over and over again (repetition), have created a song or saying in my head, or have made up some kind of motion to help me recall information.  Reading this article has encouraged me to think of songs that I can later use in my classroom.  I also plan on using the TPR storytelling method.  I think both of these are great activities for students learning a second language (or students in general!) and are both strategies that can help information stick.