Table of Contents

Module 1: Overview ....................................................................................................................... 2

Module 1: Task 1 – Video Lecture .................................................................................................. 4
Video 1 Script ............................................................................................................... 6
Video 2 Script ............................................................................................................... 7
Video 3 Script ............................................................................................................. 10
Module 1: Task 2 – Read Articles ................................................................................................ 12
Article 1: Ten Helpful Ideas for Teaching English to Young Learners ......................... 13
Article 2: Creating a Visually Rich Classroom ............................................................. 20
Module 1: Task 3 – Self-Assessment Quiz ................................................................................... 24
Module 1: Task 4 – Assignment: A Day in My Life ....................................................................... 25
Module 1: Task 4 – Discussion Board ................................................................................ 26
Assignment Template................................................................................................. 29
Assignment Example .................................................................................................. 31
Module 1: Task 5 – Module Reflection Quiz ................................................................................ 32
Module 1: Wrap-up ...................................................................................................................... 33

© 2019 by George Mason University. Module 1 Packet for the AE E-Teacher Program, sponsored by the U.S.
Department of State and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Module 1: Overview
Introduction to Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL)
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn" - John Cotton Dana
We are all here because we dare to teach! And we are participating in this online course
because we want to keep learning. Some of us have been teaching for many years. Some of us
might be new to teaching English to children. Either way, we have so much to learn from each
other, and everyone's perspective is valuable to our exploration of TEYL. With that in mind, let's
start Module 1!

"Joan Kang Shin with very young learners in Turkey" via Google by Murat Yilmaz is licensed under CC BY 4.0

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to the field of TEYL and the advantages of an
early start to foreign language learning. You will learn about the different characteristics of
young learners, how children learn, and how children learn language. Finally, you will examine
your own English teaching context and reflect on your classroom environment and teaching
materials.

Module 1 Dates: April 15 - April 21, 2019

Objectives:

By the end of the module, you will be able to

• develop a rationale for starting English as a foreign language instruction earlier in a

learner’s life
• describe the characteristics of young learners and distinguish “young learner” vs. “very
young learner”
• explain how children learn and how children learn language

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 • describe what kind of classroom environment and activities are appropriate for young
learners based on their characteristics and how they learn language
• examine your classroom environment and teaching materials.

Module 1 Task List:

The module should take 3.5 - 5 hours to complete. Do the following tasks in this order by the
end of the week:

Task 1: Watch Module 1: Video Lecture (30 minutes)

Task 2: Read two articles (1-2 hours)

Task 3: Take Self-Assessment Quiz (30 minutes)

Task 4: Submit Module 1: Assignment - A Day in My Life (1-1.5 hours) (optional)

Task 5: Take Module Reflection Quiz (30 minutes)

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Module 1: Task 1 – Video Lecture (30 minutes)
The video lecture has been divided into 3 parts:

• Video 1: Characteristics of Young Learners

This video will help you identify the characteristics of young learners and show you how to
apply that to your teaching.

• Video 2: How Children Learn

This video will introduce you to how children learn. This is based on the work of Jean Piaget,
Lev Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner. You will learn some tips for how to support your young
learners in the English classroom.

• Video 3: How Children Learn a Foreign Language

This video is about how children learn language. It will introduce how children learn English
as a foreign or additional language. It will answer the question: How important is teaching
grammar to young learners of English?

Video 1: Characteristics of Young Learners

Link to YouTube

Click here for a PDF of the script for Video 1.

Video 2: How Children Learn

Link to YouTube

Click here for a PDF of the script for Video 2.

Click here for a Supplemental Video Resource called "TEYL Stages and Approaches" for more
details.

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Video 3: How Children Learn a Foreign Language
Link to YouTube

Click here for a PDF of the script for Video 3.

Additional video resources (optional):
Here are some additional videos with picture card activities to engage your young visual and
kinesthetic learners.
This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of
this course. It is not Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public
use. Please do not save a copy for your personal use, and do not use it after the course ends.
Playing Picture Card Games with Very Young Learners
Picture cards are a great instructional resource that can add an element of fun and excitement
to your class. Picture card games can help you check comprehension of words and give your
learners a chance to practice using the words.
Strategy: Picture card game called "Stop!

Practicing Vocabulary with Picture Cards

This is a sample of vocabulary lesson. Watch how this teacher reinforces a vocabulary lesson
using the picture cards. Get ideas for recapping your vocabulary lesson, practicing the new
words, and pulling it all together to end the lesson.
Strategy: Picture card guessing game

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 Module 1: Task 1 – Video 1 Script
Video 1 – Characteristics of Young Learners

Hello, English Teachers! Do you teach young learners? Then you know that teaching
children is a challenge. But it is also rewarding! Anyone who has children or teaches
children knows that it takes a lot of energy and patience. When I taught children, I was
always sweating at the end of class. I was moving around while singing songs or playing
games. I often used big gestures to keep students’ attention and to show the meaning of
words. What about you? Do you have the same experience?

Why does it take so much energy to teach children? Let’s think about the characteristics
of young learners. It’s time for a brainstorm! I am going to give you 15 seconds to write
down ideas on a piece of paper. Write down as many words as you can. Write down
words… that describe young learners. I’m going to write mine down in a word web.
Ready? Go! Now, if you need more time, just pause the video.

What words are on your paper? Here are some of the words I wrote down in my web:
active, energetic, spontaneous, can’t sit still, and touches things. Young learners are
what we called kinesthetic learners. They like to move and wiggle their bodies. You can’t
expect them to sit still in class all day. They also learn well through movement and
gestures. They are tactile in their learning style. They love to touch and play with objects.
So if you want to teach students what a ball is, give them a ball to bounce and throw.

As you can see, understanding children’s characteristics can help us make an effective
classroom. Your activities and approaches should be “developmentally appropriate.”
This means your teaching is based on how children develop and learn. It should be
“appropriate” for their characteristics. The goal?
Effective learning in your classroom! For example, if my young learners are kinesthetic
learners, then I should prepare activities that encourage them to get out of their seats
and move around. I could play Simon Says. Let’s try it! Stand up. Ready? Simon says,
Touch your head! Simon says, Touch your shoulders! Touch your nose! Did you do it?
Simon didn’t say!

Now look at your paper. Do you have other words? Maybe you think young learners are
imaginative and curious. Yes, they are! Use stories like fairytales for your imaginative
young learners. Or take a walk outside and look for bugs for your curious young learners.
Maybe you wrote easily distracted or short attention. That may be true! Then use
activities they like, such as games or videos and don’t stay too long on any activity. Keep
the pace of your class quick and exciting.

Think about the characteristics of your young learners and always make your activities
and approaches match those characteristics.

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 Module 1: Task 1 – Video 2 Script
Video 2 – How Children Learn

Hello, English Teachers! Let’s talk about how children learn. It is helpful to know what experts
like Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner say about how children learn. First, let me
start with a question. If you want to teach a child what scissors are, what would you do? Read
them a definition from the dictionary? Explain of the purpose of scissors and how to hold
them? No! You give them a pair of scissors and have them use them! But be careful, scissors are
sharp!

So how do children learn? They learn by doing! Jean Piaget helped us understand that children
are active learners and thinkers. Children learn by interacting with their environment. So when
you are teaching English, you should bring in realia, or real objects. It’s like the scissors. If you
are teaching your young learners about toys, bring in toys for them to touch and play with.
Even better, have your students bring in their favorite toy to share and talk about.

Children also learn through social interaction. Vygotsky helped us understand that we learn
through interaction with others. For example, children learn to walk and talk with guidance
from their parents. For your students, the interaction with you, the teacher, is extremely
important. Your students need a guide to learn new things. The younger your students are, the
more they depend on you to help them learn. This bring us to the next point.

Children learn effectively through scaffolding by adults. Bruner’s work showed us some
effective ways to scaffold instructions for young learners. But first, do you know what the word
scaffolding means? In this picture, you can see scaffolding. It is the frame that construction
workers stand on to repair or build something. In this picture, the men are standing on the
scaffolding to construct a big building. As English teachers, we are the scaffolding for our
students. You have to hold your students up as they build their understanding of language.

How can we scaffold or support our learners in the classroom? We can apply some of the
practices that Bruner suggested in our classrooms.

Create interest in the task. On important note: If the task is not interesting to children, you
are going to have a difficult time making them interested in it. If the task is to copy
sentences from the board into a notebook, I am not sure you can create interest in it!
However, you can create interest in a storytelling activity, a song, or a game. Use these types
of activities to teach language, and you will have your students’ attention.

Break the task down into smaller steps. This is so important. Remember when you plan your
activities: break the task down into achievable steps. For example, don’t start class by asking
your students to Show and Tell their favorite toy. First, review the names of all the toys. Doll.
Ball. Car. Then teach students to answer the question “What is it?” by saying “It’s a…” and have
them fill in the blank when you hold up a toy. What is it? It’s a doll. What is it? It’s a ball. Great!

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Then you can give students a model for their Show and Tell. “This is my favorite toy. It’s a doll.”
Then help students during the Show and Tell. Remember, you are trying to set your learners up
for success—step by step.

Model your expectations. I cannot emphasize this enough. Model model model! You have to
show them what you expect them to do. As we just saw, if you give students a model and show
them what to say, they will be more successful. Remember: Don’t just tell your young learners
what to do, show them how to do it.

Remind students of the purpose of the activity. Make sure they know what they are doing and
why. Of course, this means your activity should actually have a purpose or goal for
communication. Maybe it is a short dialog about meeting someone for the first time or making
an invitation to a class party. Or sharing a toy with a friend. Be sure your activity is meaningful
and relevant to your young learners.

Control frustration during the task. Sometimes children become frustrated or stop working on
the task. To be honest, as a teacher I found that when my students were frustrated and not
behaving, it was usually because I did not scaffold my students’ learning effectively. There was
always less frustration when I created interest, broke it down into smaller, achievable steps,
modeled my expectations, and had a task with a real or relevant purpose.

So to review: How do children learn? Let’s see if you remember:

Children are ______ learners and thinkers. [Pause] Right! Children are active learners and
thinkers.

Next, children learn through social ______. [Pause] Right! Children learn through social
interaction.

Last, children learn effectively through ______ by adults. [Pause] Correct! Children learn
effectively though scaffolding by adults.

Great job! So based on how children learn, what can you do to be more successful with young
learners in the classroom?

You can promote active learning, encourage social interaction, and scaffold students’ learning.
Remember to bring in materials and activities that make learning meaningful and interesting for
children. Teach them step by step and model, model, model to set them up for success. And
most of all, make English fun! If they love it, they learn it!

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 TEYL Stages and Approaches
Supplemental Video Resource
This table is a helpful summary of Piaget’s (1963) stages of child development, Egan’s (1997) layers of educational
development, and Curtain and Dahlberg’s (2016) approaches for teaching a foreign language.

Stages of Cognitive Layers of Educational

Approach to Teaching a Foreign Language
Age Development Development
Curtain & Dahlberg (2016)
Piaget (1963) Egan (1992)
2-4 Preoperational Stage The Mythic Layer (4-5 to 9-10) Preschool Students (2-4)
years (2-7) - vivid imaginations (animals can - Absorb languages effortlessly
old - are extremely talk, magic is real) - Adept imitators of speech sounds
egocentric - Are very emotional and focus on - Self-centered, do not work well in groups
- develop memory and how they feel - Respond well to concrete experiences
imagination and large motor involvement in language
- do not think logically learning
5-7 Primary Students (5-7)
years - Learn best with concrete experiences and
old immediate goals
- Learn new concepts and vocabulary
better when presented as pairs of binary
opposites
- Like to name objects, define words, and
learn about things in their own world
7-11 Concrete Operations - Learning through oral language; can
years Stage (7-11) develop good oral skills, pronunciation,
old - show intelligence and intonation with good models
through logical and The Romantic Layer Intermediate Students (8-10)
organized thought (8-9 to 14-15) - Begin to understand cause and effect
related to concrete - Begin to separate the world - Can work well in groups; may not like to
objects around them from their internal partner with opposite sex
- can reverse their world; developing a sense of their - Need context for language learning; can
thinking through own identity bring together vocabulary and functional
reasoning - Like learning about special chunks learned in earlier years and can
qualities that overcome the apply them in more complex situations
11 and Formal Operations frightening world (courage, Early Adolescent Students (11 and up)
up Stage (11 and up) genius, ambition, energy, - Are undergoing major development
- show intelligence creativity) changes on widely differing timetables
through logical use of - Like collecting things (stamps, or - Need encouragement to develop positive
symbols related to amazing facts about a country) self-image
abstract concepts Story form still important (with - Respond well to opportunities to learn in
- can hypothesize & use emphasis on realistic detail and exhaustive detail about subjects that
deductive reasoning real life heroes and heroines) interest them
References:
Curtain, H., & Dahlberg, C. A. (2016). Languages and learners: Making the match. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Egan, K. (1997). The educated mind: How cognitive tools shape our understanding. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Piaget, J. (1963). The language and thought of the child. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.

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 Module 1: Task 1 – Video 3 Script
Video 3 – How Children Learn a Foreign Language

Hello, English Teachers! I know that teaching children English as a foreign or additional language
can be challenging. You may live in a country or context where English is not spoken outside of
the classroom. How can your young students learn English if it is not used in their daily lives?
Let’s look at how children can effectively learn a foreign language.

First, let me ask you a question: How important is teaching grammar to young learners of
English? Is it Very important, Somewhat important, Not very important, or Not important at
all. I’ll give you five seconds to think about it. (5-4-3-2-1). What do you think?

Of course grammar is important! Grammatical structures are the building blocks of language,
but the approach to teaching grammar should match the way students learn. Your approach
to teaching grammar should be “learning-centered,” which Lynne Cameron (2003) describes
as “… meaningful and interesting, require active participation from learners, and will work
with how children learn and what they are capable of learning” (p. 110).

Children do not learn language as effectively through grammatical explanations. Young learners
gain an understanding of the grammar through repetition and recycling language in different
contexts. You need to provide a meaningful context to teach language. Children will be able to
see how grammar works within a story, song or cartoon. In short, your approach to teaching
grammar should be learning-centered and meaning-focused, and it should avoid grammatical
explanations.

For example, children won’t learn language when you explain what the imperative mode is.
They learn what it is when you give commands. You say, “Sit down” and students sit down. You
say, “Write your name” and they write their name on the paper. Through the context and
through meaningful repetition, they learn the grammar.

You can help them by creating an English-speaking environment in your classroom. You have
to present English in authentic and meaningful ways. Real communication puts language in
action and promotes interaction.

If you present language through communication and meaningful context, your students will
need some scaffolding. You should use different techniques to make the language
comprehensible. Children need concrete ways to understand language. You can use visuals
like pictures and flashcards to help make new words comprehensible. Gestures, body
movement, and realia can help teach language effectively to our young kinesthetic learners
and keep them engaged in class. You can also help young learners organize ideas by using
graphic organizers like Venn diagrams or tables. These techniques engage young learners
while helping them understand new language effectively.

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Your young learners may not have many chances to hear English or use English in their daily
lives. They begin learning the language by listening to you. It is important to scaffold their
language learning through your own language.

You may need to make some adjustments. Be sure you pronounce words clearly and speak
slowly. But be careful and don’t speak unnaturally. Keep a natural flow to your speaking. If
students do not understand what you are saying, then you can repeat and even rephrase. Try
to use shorter and simpler sentences and phrases. Don’t forget to be a model for your young
learners. Before they speak, show them what you want them to say. And sometimes, you may
need to translate difficult words into students’ native language. However, you want to provide
plenty of opportunities for your young learners to hear and practice English, so translating
should happen only when necessary. You can use other techniques like visuals, gestures or
realia instead!

Now, let’s review what we learned. What kind of approach should we take to teach young
learners English as a foreign language? Which lesson would be more effective?

The storytelling lesson will be more effective with young learners because it takes a learning-
centered, meaning- focused approach to grammar. You can make it more effective by using
visuals, gestures, and adjusting your speaking to make the language in the story
comprehensible. This will help you build an English-speaking environment in your classroom.
Try it, and you’ll see!

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Module 1: Task 2 – Read Articles (1-2 hours)

"Woman with blue nails reading ipad" by Anna Demianenko is licensed under CC0

Read two articles published by American English:

Article 1: Ten Helpful Ideas for Teaching English to Young Learners by Joan Kang Shin
Teaching young learners is challenging! This article has 10 practical tips for engaging young
learners of English from 5-12 years old. There are ideas for using visuals, movement, stories,
classroom routines, and more!
Source: Shin, J. K. (2006). Ten helpful ideas for teaching English to young learners. English Teaching Forum, 44(2),
2-7, 13. Retrieved July 27, 2017,
from https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/joan_kang_shin_ten_helpful_ideas_for_teaching_e
nglish_to_young_learners.pdf

Article 2: Creating a Visually Rich Classroom

Young language learners need visual support. It helps make new language comprehensible. Plus
using visuals like pictures, posters, and realia (real objects) can make your class more fun and
interesting.
Source: Creating a Visually Rich Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved July 27, 2017,
from https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/sept_week_1_visually_rich_classroom_final.pdf

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Module 1: Task 3 – Self-Assessment Quiz (30 minutes)
This Self-Assessment Quiz is a great way to review what you have learned in Tasks 1 and 2. You
will be asked questions about the video(s) you watched as well as the readings. You can take
the quiz as many times as you want. Don't worry if you do not get a perfect score the first time.
You can just take it again! The goal is to help you review some of the important points from the
video(s) and readings.

You must earn 4 out of 5 points to unlock the next page in the module.

Note: The Self-Assessment Quiz can only be completed in Canvas. Please log in and answer the
questions there.

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Module 1: Task 4 – Assignment: A Day in My Life (1-1.5 hours)(optional)
Module 1 Assignment Topic: "A Day in My Life"

Once you have explored Tasks 1-3, you are ready to participate in an optional discussion board
activity. We have created four different discussion boards for you to select from based on
the primary grade level that you teach. You will post on only one discussion board. To start,
please click on the link below that matches your grade level and carefully read/follow
the directions on that discussion board.

• Click here if you primarily teach grades PK-K

• Click here if you primarily teach grades 1-2
• Click here if you primarily teach grades 3-4
• Click here if you primarily teach grades 5-6

This assignment will not appear in your grade records.

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Module 1: Task 4 – Discussion Board
Choose one discussion board to post: Grades PK-K, 1-2, 3-4, or 5-6

Let's get to know each other! You will introduce yourself to the class. Write about a typical day
in your life. Include information about your class and classroom.

"Classroom in Mexico" by Joan Kang Shin is licensed under CC BY 4.0

In this MOOC, unlimited participants will share a number of ideas in discussion boards. In order
to help everyone access relevant activities and information, you must code your MOOC
discussion board posts.

When you post about your typical day:

Provide information about your students’ grade and classroom size. Use these codes to help
your colleagues find classrooms similar to them easily on the discussion board and vice versa.

Grade
GPK, GK, G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6

Class Size
Small Class: 15 or less students

Medium Class: 16-30 students

Large Class: 31 or more students

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Instructions:

1. Write your introduction called "A Day in My Life".

Name:
Country:
Grade(s):
Class Size:

Part A: Introduce yourself.

Answer the following questions in your first paragraph:

• What is your name?

• Where do you live (city and country)?
• Where do you work (school or institution)?
• What age or grade level are your students?

Part B: Describe your typical day.

The following should be included in your second paragraph:

• From start to finish (between waking up and going to bed)

• Include your typical day in class (describe some of your activities)

Part C: Describe your students.

The following should be included in your third paragraph:

• Describe your students (number of students per class, age, gender, level of English
proficiency).
• How many days per week do you meet with your students? How many minutes/hours
per day are students in your English class?
• What opportunities do your students have to hear or use English outside the classroom?
• Describe the characteristics of your students.

Part D: Describe your classroom.

The following should be included in your fourth paragraph:

• Describe positive aspects of your classroom environment/teaching materials.

• Describe challenging aspects of your classroom environment/teaching materials.

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See the template for more instruction:
Module 1 - A Day in My Life Template.docx

Module 1 - A Day in My Life Template.pdf

See the example for a model:

Module 1 - A Day in My Life Example.pdf

2. Post your introduction. You can either attach the file you created using the template or copy
and paste what you have written directly into the discussion post. If you attach the file, you will
need to copy and paste your header (with the codes) into the discussion post itself. If possible,
post a picture of yourself and/or your classroom. You can take a selfie in your classroom with
your students.

3. Search the discussion boards to learn about a day in the life of your classmates. You can
search by country or by grade level to find teachers who have things in common with you.
Please note: You will use what you find in Task 5 for your module reflection quiz.

Click here for a PDF of the Coding and Searching Posts instructions.

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 Module 1: Task 4 – Coding and Searching Posts

Coding Posts

In this MOOC, unlimited participants will share a number of ideas in discussion boards. In order
to help everyone access relevant activities, you must code your MOOC discussion board posts.

When you share your classroom activities:

Provide information about your students’ grade and classroom size. Use these codes to help
your colleagues find your activity easily on the discussion board and vice versa.

Grade (G)
Codes: GPK, GK, G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6

Key:
GPK: Pre-kindergarten (age 3-4)
GK: Kindergarten (age 5)
G1: Grade 1 (age 6)
G2: Grade 2 (age 7)
G3: Grade 3 (age 8)
G4: Grade 4 (age 9)
G5: Grade 5 (age 10)
G6: Grade 6 (age 11)

Class Size
Codes: Small Class, Medium Class, Large Class

Key:
Small Class: 15 or less students
Medium Class: 16-30 students
Large Class: 31 or more students

Examples:
Example 1: If you teach a 5thgrade class with 20 students, code your post like this:
Grade: G5
Class Size: Medium Class

Example 2: If you taught a kindergarten class with 32 students, code your post like this:
Grade: GK
Class Size: Large Class

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Searching for Posts

In this MOOC, unlimited participants will share a number of ideas in discussion boards. In order
to help you find activities relevant to you, search the MOOC discussion board posts using the
codes.

When you want to search the discussion board posts for classroom activities:

Put the codes that match your context in the search box at the bottom of each module’s Task 4
page.

For example, if you search for “G4 Small Class”, you will see posts for grade 4 and small classes.
This will allow you to find all the posts with those codes. You could also simply search “G4” if
you wanted to find all of the 4thgrade teacher posts regardless of the size of their class.

You can also search for other terms such as country names, in case you want to see what other
teachers in your country or region have posted. Or, you can even search for a participant’s
name if you noticed that someone else has ideas you particularly like.

It’s up to you! Use the “Search” tool and the codes given to find activities that are relevant to
you.

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 Module 1: Task 4 – Assignment Template
“A Day in My Life”

Name:
Country:
Grade(s):
Class Size:

Part A: Introduce yourself.

In your first paragraph, answer the following questions:
• What is your name?
• Where do you live (city and country)?
• Where do you work (school or institution)?
• What age or grade level are your students?

Part B: Describe your typical day.

In your second paragraph, include the following:
• From start to finish (between waking up and going to bed)
• Include your typical day in class (describe some of your activities)
• If you want, use this format to write your paragraph.

On a typical day, I do many things. First, I _____________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Part C: Describe your students.

In your third paragraph, provide a description about a specific class of young or very young
learners that you will focus on in your MOOC assignments. Include the following:
• Describe your students (number of students per class, age, gender, level of English
proficiency).
• How many days per week do you meet with your students? How many minutes/hours
per day are students in your English class?
• What opportunities do your students have to hear or use English outside the classroom?
• Describe the characteristics of your students.

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 I have (number) _____ of students per class. They are (age) ____ years old. (Information
about gender and language proficiency) ______________________. I meet with them (number)
_____ days per week for (number) _________ minutes/hours per day. They have few/many
chances to hear and use English outside of the classroom because ________________________.
My students are (describe using what you learned in Module 1) __________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Part D: Describe your classroom.
In your fourth paragraph, describe your classroom environment (tables, desks, chairs, walls,
windows, etc), books, materials, and technology (e.g., computer, smartboard, internet access)
available to you in your teaching context.

• Describe positive aspects of your classroom environment/teaching materials.

• Describe challenging aspects of your classroom environment/teaching materials.

I think my classroom environment is great for my young learners because

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
However, sometimes it is challenging to build an effective classroom environment for my young
learners because ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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 Module 1: Task 4 – Discussion Example
“A Day in Juan’s Life”

Name: Juan
Country: Mexico
Grade(s): G3
Class Size: Medium Class

My name is Juan. I live in Mexico. I am an English teacher, and I teach young learners in a state
school. My students are in grade 3. On a typical day, I do many things. First, I wake up at 5:30
am. Then I take a fast shower and go to buy some bread for breakfast. I usually help my wife to
make breakfast and brush my daughter’s teeth. I go to my school by 7:30 am. Classes start at
8:00, but I like to be early to prepare my classroom. First, I check my students’ homework.
While I am checking homework, I ask my students some questions such as how are you? What
did they do the previous day? Or ask if they have any problem. Then I teach the lesson for the
day using my textbook. I go back home at 2 pm and then eat lunch. After that I write my lessons
and prepare some teaching materials for the next day. In the evening, I help my daughter with
her homework and relax with my family.

I have 25 students per class. They are 8-10 years old. I have 13 male and 12 female students.
They are beginning learners of English. I meet with them 3 days per week for 40 minutes per
day. They have few chances to hear and use English outside of the classroom because we are
away from the city. My students are energetic and curious to learn. They are very sweet and
cute, too! Some students are shy about speaking in English, but I try to model the speaking
activity as much as I can with them. This has really helped so far and I can see them breaking
out of their shyness.
I think my classroom is good for young
learners because It has many windows on
one side, so we always have nice sunlight. I
have a big white board at the front of the
class, a desk, and a CD player. I like to use
songs to teach English, so I can play CDs
and my students like to sing along.
However, sometimes it is challenging to
build an effective classroom environment
for my young learners because I can’t make
it “print rich.” I can’t put up posters on the
"Classroom in Mexico" by Joan Kang Shin is licensed under CC BY 4.0 wall because another teacher uses the
room. Also the desks and seats are
attached to each other in rows, so I can’t
arrange them for effective group work.

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Module 1: Task 5 – Module Reflection Quiz (30 minutes)

Read some of your classmates' posts in Task 4. Then write a one paragraph reflection on
Module 1 (150-200 words). You will receive 10 points for successful completion and submission
of this module reflection quiz.

Note: The Module Reflection Quiz can only be completed in Canvas. Please log in and answer
the questions there.

Write a one paragraph reflection on Module 1 (150-200 words). Use the following as a template
and fill in the blanks. You can copy and paste the template into the text box below.

I read about "A Day in the Life of (classmate’s name) ________________" from

(classmate’s country) _____________________. It was interesting/surprising to read that

__________________________________. What impressed me the most about his/her day was

_________________________________________________________________. I could see

that our students are similar/different because (apply Module 1 content) __________________

__________________________________. I could see our learning environments are

similar/different because (apply Module 1 content) ___________________________________.

Module Reflection Example

I read about “A Day in the Life of Victor” from Peru. It was interesting to read that even if
the school doesn't provide him teaching materials it doesn't stop his efforts to teach his
students well. What impressed me the most about his day was the time and effort he put into
creating materials to make his young learners more interested in English. I could see that our
students are similar because they have a lot of energy and need to be engaged through
movement and fun activities. I could see our learning environments are similar too because we
don’t have many books and resources given to us by our school. Like him, I have to buy
materials like colored paper or make copies from books using my own money. Victor
mentioned that he creates illustrated posters to create a more visually rich classroom. I think
that’s a great idea. Next week I am teaching about animals, so I can create a poster with
different animals that I can cut out from magazines. I was inspired by Victor’s passion and
enthusiasm for teaching children. I look forward to learning more from him during this MOOC!

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Module 1: Wrap-up
This is the end of Module 1! I hope this was a good introduction to TEYL. I am sure you learned
a lot about the characteristics of young learners and how children learn. Look at the checklist
below, and make sure you completed all of the assignments for this week.

Checklist:

I watched three videos.

I read two articles.
I took the Self-Assessment Quiz.
I submitted my assignment called “A Day in My Life.” (optional)
I took the Module Reflection Quiz.

In Module 2, you will learn about classroom management. Now that you know about the
characteristics of young learners, you can apply this knowledge to managing the classroom. Get
ready for another exciting module!

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