Teach English in GuabangshAn Linchang - Yongzhou Shi

1. Introduction 2. Advantages and Disadvantages of teaching kindergarten students and Teaching Methods for Kindergarten students 3. Creating a warm, familiar classroom environment 4. Personality of a Kindergarten Teacher 1. In the following essay I want to talk about teaching EFL in kindergarten and the possible advantages and disadvantages of it. In addition to that, I will talk about different teaching methods for teaching kindergarten students. Followed by the importance of creating a good classroom environment and the teacher’s personality and attitude, when working with children. This essay is based on my personal experience as a kindergarten teacher and on what I have learned through this course. 2. Children at a young age are more likely to absorb a new language from context and usage, the same way they acquired their own language. That is why they are becoming an increasingly bigger market everywhere around the world. When it comes to teaching kindergarten students there is mostly one big advantage: Children have a very curious personality and are amenable to fun games, songs and other activities. Their nature is open-minded and playful. But maybe sometimes they lack motivation. As a good teacher you can help them stay motivated in keeping your classes interesting and fun. You can find out what the children interests are and build your lessons around those topics. Be creative when planning your lessons. This will surely catch their attention and motivate them to participate in your lesson. On the other hand, it is to mention, that kindergarten students have shorter attention spans. To counter their short attention spans the activities of your lessons should always have an appropriate length of time for their age group. The length for one activity should take around 15-30 min of time and then change into the next activity, to keep the children interested in your lesson and don’t lose their attention. Avoid talking and lecturing for long periods. Children have a natural desire to be physically active. You should keep a good balance between quiet activities and physical activities. To use physical activities, will make it easier for the children to learn the new language. Even if they can`t fluently communicate yet, they can pick up verbal clues and physically respond to that. For example, singing the children song “If you happy and you know it” and follow the matching movements. Maybe the children don`t understand each word yet, but they will pick up speech patterns and syntax and eventually generate language spontaneously. The same will work for simple commands, that you can integrate in your lessons, for example “sit down”, “stand up” or “attention please”. Use clear visuals when introducing it to the children. “Learning by doing” will help them to learn in a fun way and absorb the new language from context and usage. So, when teaching kindergarten students, it is always a good method to use hands-on activities, that get the students moving around the classroom. 3. Furthermore, it is important to create a feeling of security and comfort within the children, which will help them for successful language acquisition. Try to create a warm, welcoming and familiar classroom environment, that reflects your students cultural and personal background. They will feel comfortable and more relaxed, when being surrounded by items they know. For example, their favourite story books, or photos of their family and home country. Not only creating a familiar classroom environment, but also try and include a consistency in your lessons. For example, you can start every day by singing a welcome song or use discussion starters, to get your students communicate in your target language. This will give your students a secure feeling, because they will know what is going to happen in your lessons and makes it easier for them to participate. 4. Small successes of your students during the lesson will make them more eager to participate and learn more. Give gentle corrections of errors and use lots of praise. Make sure to pick up on the needs of the kindergarten students and help them through any stage of second language acquisition. Remember to have reasonable expectations and not push your students during any stage. It is very important as a teacher to observe your students, to know at which level they are and work with them from there. Be creative when planning lessons. The more creativity involved the more engaged the students will be. When teaching kindergarten students, you need to be patient and be able to develop a caring relationship with them. Then your students are likely to trust you more, show more engagement in learning and behave better in class. More importantly, a good teacher-student relationship has positive and long-lasting implications for both students´ academic and social development.