Young learners can bring teachers the most joy and frustrations. Here are a few tips that will help you get through the day!
Young learners have very short attention spans and can easily get distracted. It's important to remember this in class as students will become restless without the proper measures in place.
Short lessons
Give students short manageable lessons with breaks in between.
Mixed media
Use mixed media when teaching to grab the student's attention. i.e. Books, videos, pictures
Energy
Due to the maturity level of these young students, it's advisable to be extra bubbly in class. Joking around by being silly can win them over. If you find it difficult to act silly, a high level of energy can prove just as good!
Rhymes and songs
Recent studies by Dr Artur Jaschke show that music aids cognitive ability. With that being said, younger students learn better with rhymes and songs. Most people can remember nursery rhymes they sang as children which shows how songs stay in our long turn memory.
Patience
Remember, these students are just kids which means they don't have the same level of self-control as you do. A little bit of patience goes a long way and will help build a rapport with your TA and students.
Participation
When doing any activity in class, students often see this as a game. Let everyone in the class have a turn to avoid outbursts.
Knowledge
Double-check anything you are not 100% sure of.
Realia
Realia are real objects or things you can see, hold and touch. Students love seeing and feeling the real items found in the syllabus.
Chunking
Long words, sentences, or subjects can be broken down into smaller more manageable chunks. This way students feel less overwhelmed.
Rote learning
Rote learning involves repetition. Repeating the key vocabulary gives your students another opportunity to re-hear what you said. This helps with pronunciation.
Games
If you haven't realized it yet, kids love games! One of the best ways to teach young learners is through games. Check out our free game ideas in the Blog section.
Pay attention
Pay attention to your students. Many students lose focus in class due to boring lessons or simply their attention span.
Be flexible
Lessons don't always work out as planned which is why you should have a backup plan that caters for unplanned incidents or students bored by the lesson.
Incentives
Everyone likes an incentive. Offer to play a game in exchange for participation. Other examples include stickers, points, candy, etc.
Interact
Just like any other being on earth you need to interact with them to form a relationship. Interact with your students and get to know them. This will help you develop a unique teaching style that caters to their needs.
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