5 essentials every child needs when you're teaching English

Jeanne Perrett
Two parents sat with their two children, writing in a workbook togeher

The educational choices available to children are evolving rapidly with apps, online courses, digital games, recordings and videos becoming easily accessible. However, amidst this technological advancement, human evolution has not suddenly accelerated, and the primary aim for teachers remains unchanged - helping children make sense of the world and leaving their mark on it.

Here are five essential ways we can achieve that for every child, regardless of their circumstances, whether it's teaching English or fostering everyday learning and education.

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5 essentials every child needs when you're teaching English
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1. Attention

Paying attention to what we're doing is something that we have to re-learn. Very young childrenÌýpay great attention to the smallest of things. Washing their hands takes forever as they want toÌýfocus on the soap, doing up shoelaces can become a half-hour activity, or an interesting pebble on theÌýroad can make a quick trip to the shops a very long one.

So, what happens is that we then startÌýteaching children to hurry up. ‘Hurry up, come on, quickly, now - put on your coat NOW!’ are part ofÌýevery parent’s repertoire. And we have to do it because we know what the children don’t - that the bus won’t wait for us, that school starts at a certain time and that people will be kept waiting if we don’tÌýhurry up.

Therefore paying attention has to be re-learnt and we need to lead the way. We have to pay attention toÌýthe children, what they are saying and doing, and then we have to resist the temptation to do tooÌýmany things at once. And, most importantly, we have to give our children enough time to letÌýthings sink in.

2. Skills

We have so many ways of describing skills now; soft, hard, thinking, critical, communication - the listÌýgoes on. In some ways, these descriptors are useful as they make us more aware of the particularÌýskills of a child, but there is still often a gap between knowing how a child is skilled and how that canÌýbe useful to the child.

Let’s take a classic example; one of the main qualities people often think of asÌýconnected to nursing is a skill for caring, showing compassion and being a good communicator.ÌýYes, that is important, but the main skill needed to be a nurse is dealing competently, practicallyÌýand non-judgmentally with bodily fluids. So, yes, we absolutely need to make sure that we areÌýeducating our children to become skillful in various ways but we also need to think about how thoseÌýskills are transferable.

3. Knowledge

One of the most significant changes of the past 40 years is how we can access information. Gone are theÌýdays of one version of an encyclopedia or whatever your teacher knew; now we have online data,Ìýcrowdsourced reports, scores of different formats - everything is a click and a swipe away.

So how canÌýwe help with this? First, we have to get children interested enough in a topic to want to find thingsÌýout for themselves. Then we must guide them through what is true and what might not be. AndÌýthen our main job is showing them that they can add to the tree of knowledge. It’s constantly growing,Ìýand they can lengthen the branches, help fruit grow, and even dig up the roots and plant the treeÌýelsewhere.

4. Imagination

Thinking creatively, thinking ‘out of the box’ and seeing new possibilities can and must beÌýnurtured in our children. We can use our imagination in traditionally creative ways such as writing, artwork, music and drama, but perhaps even more importantly we can use it in ‘unseen’ ways. WeÌýcan unlearn banal responses and consider what we really think; in other words we can ‘think forÌýourselves’. Again this skill is needed more than ever when surrounded by seeminglyÌýwise thoughts in social media memes. The nature of memes is that they look definite, as if they areÌýtrue. They might be and they might not. We can decide when we use our critical and creativeÌýthinking skills.

We can use imagination to find solutions to problems and we can use it to make our own everyday realitiesÌýmore exciting and life-enhancing. Whatever we do, if we have a positive image of ourselves doingÌýit, the task becomes more meaningful and rewarding. And in a practical sense in the classroom, weÌýcan bring language learning to life. Imagining and play acting the situations where the language we areÌýlearning might be called for; in a restaurant, at an airport or meeting new friends. It can be a great method to teach English to kids, keeping them engaged and actively involved.Ìý

5. Support

Support comes in many forms. First concrete support, such as providing a desk and materials for children toÌýdo their homework. This is something that teachers need to be aware of; do the children have thatÌýat home? It’s not a question of finance - not everyone can afford a separate room and the space for aÌýdesk - but it is a question of realizing that a dedicated, quiet space is needed. For example a clearedÌýkitchen table at certain times of the day. It’s worth bearing this in mind if parents say theirÌýchildren never focus on homework. Look at the practicalities before any attitude issues.

The most important form of support we can give is ‘being there’ for our children. Knowing thatÌýsomeone wants you to do well, is there for you through your mistakes and successes, andÌýempathizes with both. Someone who ‘has your back’ when you need help and is glad for you whenÌýyou do well; that gives our children a powerful sense of security. And we can flourish when we feelÌýsecure.

By implementing these above points, we can equip children with the tools they need to understand the world, pursue their passions and make a positive impact on their lives and others.Ìý

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    As well as being fun, games can provide learners with necessary language practice, as well as lowering the affective filter (i.e. anxiety, fear, boredom and other negative emotions that can all impact learning). Games also foster a positive, relaxed environment.

    So are you ready to play? Here are a few tried and tested games that work especially well in the primary classroom. Each game is designed to consolidate and review the language students have been learning, and take from 5 to 15 minutes. The primary games are flexible enough for you to adapt them to different learner levels, age groups and skills.

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    5 ways to reinspire your students after the summer holidays

    By Joanna Wiseman

    The new academic year is here and we're getting ready to head back to the English classroom. Yet, after a long and relaxing summer holiday, some students may feel unmotivated to return to the same class routine, especially if they have been learning English for several years. So, how can we reinspire students to keep learning and reconnect with English? By bringing in new resources, learning approaches and targets, we are sure you'll be able to rekindle their love of learning.

    So let's look at five ways to reinspire your English students in the coming academic year.

    1. Set new goals

    Students may lose interest in classes or feel discouraged when they don't have a clear target to work towards. If this is the case with your class, have them write up a list of five new goals they'd like to achieve.Ìý

    These goals must be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. So rather than just saying "I'd like to learn more vocabulary", have students make it SMART.Ìý

    For example:

    Specific: "I'd like to learn new advanced vocabulary to use in my writing."

    Measurable: "I'll test myself to see if I can define and use 20 new words in sentences."

    Achievable: "I will dedicate 2 hours a week to studying the definitions and writing example sentences in context."

    Relevant: "This will help me get a good score in myÌýÌýas I struggle with formal academic language."

    Timely: "I will learn 20 new words by the end of September."

    If learners find it difficult to think of goals, ask them to write one for each language skill: listening, reading, writing and speaking. You can also refer to the GSE Teacher Toolkit, which has hundreds of learning objectives organized by age, level, skill type and more.

    The idea is to encourage them to set clear objectives, giving them an exciting new challenge to work towards for the year ahead.

    2. Encourage students to find conversation partners

    Students may lose interest in improving their English if they've only been studying in a classroom. They may see it as something boring and unrelated to their real lives.Ìý

    A great way to tackle this is by encouraging them to talk with English speakers outside of class. By doing this, they'll pick up new vocabulary and expressions, giving them more confidenceÌýin their language abilities.Ìý

    Suggest that they attend a language exchange.ÌýÌýandÌýÌýareÌýgreat platforms to find regular language exchange events in their local area. While this is suitable for intermediate learners and above, it may be a bit daunting for beginners.Ìý

    In this case, the appÌýÌýmay be a suitable alternative. Similar to a language exchange, learners can connect with people from around the world. They can choose people with a similar level as them and either write messages, send short audios, or do video calls, depending on their ability and confidence.Ìý

    Communicating with real people is a fun and encouraging reason for your learners to want to improve.

    3. Introduce interesting new vocabulary

    Students may become disheartened if they've been learning for years but aren't seeing much progress. A simple and effective way to help them improve their level is by encouraging them toÌýexpand their vocabulary.Ìý

    They already have to study a lot of vocabulary from their textbooks, so why not give it a more personal twist and ask for suggestions of topics that interest them?Ìý

    Maybe they are gamers and want to learn how to communicate better with other players around the world. Select vocabulary about styles of games, turn-taking, and strategizing that they could use – they can practice in class and be thrilled to be given homework.

    Perhaps some of your students want to study or work abroad. This may be a common topic, but one thing that is not frequently discussed is how to deal with the paperwork of living in another country. For example, getting into more specific language about banking, housing rentals, or setting up wifi will help them feel more confident about their move. Though these things differ between countries, there is a lot of overlapping vocabulary and roleplaying will do wonders to reassure and excite them about their upcoming adventures.

    By allowing your students to take control of their learning, their motivation is naturally higher and you too will enjoy finding out specific language about their interests.

    4. Work on specific problem areasÌý

    Language learners may become frustrated and lose motivation if they continue to make the same mistakes. It may cause them to feel disheartened in their abilities and want to give up, especially for those who aim to sit exams. You can help them level up by identifying specific problem areas and tailoring your classes to work on these.Ìý

    Tests can help your learners discover their weaknesses and avoid the frustration of sitting and not passing an exam. They'll be able to pinpoint what they need to work on, and you can dedicate your classes to exactly what they need, rather than cover areas they may not have problems with.

    For example, if students are experiencing difficulties with reading comprehension, you could try introducing more varied reading materials. Ask them to bring in blog posts, magazines and news articles on topics that they find interesting. Highlight keywords in the text to enhance their understanding of the piece and create comprehension questions similar to the test format they'll take.Ìý

    By giving a little extra attention to fixing problem areas, learners will soon start to see their progress, encouraging and inspiring them to keep going.

    5. Change your class formatÌý

    Sometimes learners become demotivated simply because they have become too used to the format of the classes. If this is the case, you might want to take a break from the textbook and try more creative language learning methods. For example:

    Use interactive games

    Suitable for all levels, you can use platforms such asÌýÌýorÌý to test your learners. They offer a new dimension to the class, encouraging students to have fun with the language. Divide them into teams to add an element of competition – there's nothing like a friendly game to excite students!

    Set project work

    Put your class into small groups and have them work on a project to present to the rest of the group. Choose topics they might cover in their textbooks, such as occupations, travel or cultural traditions. Or even better – let students come up with their own! This activity can be modified to suit all levels and offers a challenge as learners will need to push their language limits.

    Hold class debatesÌý

    More suitable for intermediate learners and above, class debates get everyone talking. You can ask students to brainstorm topics they're interested in. You can offer prompts such as climate change, the advertising of junk food or the impacts of social media. They'll be happy to talk about things that concern them.

    Throw in some unexpected activities to bring students' attention back to class and spark their interest in learning again.