This course is concerned with the teaching of English as a foreign language to children of primary school age. More specifically, the topics covered will be related to how children think and learn and the implementation of effective techniques for better learning outcomes; therefore, a close look will be taken in relation to worldwide trends to teaching English to young learners, the teaching techniques for young learners, and the assessment undertaken. Furthermore, this course will provide a framework to structure thinking about children’s language learning and consider teaching strategies for effective early foreign language teaching. Ôhe learning outcomes of this course will be: n The participants’ understanding of the teaching methods for young learners n The development of their ability to choose the most appropriate teaching procedure for a given task, and n The appreciation of the principles of literacy development. Assessment: i) Written assignment and/or ii) final exam. This course is concerned with the teaching of English as a foreign language to children of primary school age. More specifically, the topics covered include how children think and learn and the implementation of effective techniques for better learning outcomes; therefore, a close look will be taken in relation to issues such as current practices in different cultural contexts, stressing both regional and worldwide trends to teaching English to young learners, the methodology and materials used for teaching young learners. The importance of educating the whole child will be explored and issues such as learning through tasks and developing literacy skills will be considered.
