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There are three main reasons why children may make errors when speaking. They may be tired and may find it hard to pay attention. Alternatively, they may be applying a Chinese language pattern to English or they may be confused about how to use a new word or grammatical structure.

Errors are a natural and necessary part of the learning process. They can also be a positive sign. Errors provide information about what progress the class is making. If many children are making the same error, you may need to review that part of the lesson. Errors may actually show learning. It is natural for language learners to overgeneralise rules. It is like an experimental process: We try something to see if it works. If it doesn’t work, we try something else until we get it right.

The teacher does not need to correct every error. More correction does not lead to fewer errors. If the teacher corrects too much, it could have a negative influence on the children’s willingness and motivation to participate in the class.

Instead of correcting errors for them, you can encourage children to correct their own errors. You can give a surprised look when you hear an error, or shake your head and wait for the student to try again. Hand gestures can also be effective. At the end of the lesson, you can write up some mistakes on the board and ask the children to correct them. All of these methods help children think about the mistakes they made, and help them remember next time.

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If you use English in classroom instructions, it gives children a good chance to develop their listening skills in a context where English is used for real communication. Some children may not understand at first, but if the teacher supports children’s understanding, the children can usually understand the meaning, even if they don't understand all the words.

To give instructions clearly, first make sure to get everyone’s attention. Wait until everyone is silent and looking at you. Speak clearly, but not too slowly. Try to use short sentences, and write the instructions on a piece of paper if necessary. Make sure you keep eye contact with them.

You can help children understand by supporting your instructions with hand gestures, facial expressions and intonation. Sometimes pictures or objects can be used. You can also write key points on the blackboard.

To make sure the students understand the instructions, you can check with them. Don’t ask “Do you understand?” because they may think they have understood when they have not. Instead, you could ask one child to explain what the class has to do in Chinese. For classes with greater English ability, you can ask them checking questions in English, e.g. “Will you work in twos or fours?” or “Will you speak or write?”.

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When children learn their first language, they do not learn all the new words they meet at the same time. At first they learn word that they are interested in, words their parents feel are useful, or words that clearly relate to their reality.

As an English teacher, you don’t need to worry about teaching your students the meanings of all new words. Children can often understand the meaning of a story or dialogue, even if they don’t understand all the words, and if you spend too much time teaching new words, the students don’t have enough time to practise words and structures they already know. Choose which words to focus on, taking into consideration how useful or interesting it is to the children.

There are several things you can do to help children remember vocabulary. Firstly, distinguish between active vocabulary (words the children can use) and passive vocabulary (words they can understand but not use well). Recycle new words frequently through games, dialogues, and quizzes. Encourage your students to keep their own vocabulary books; they can use translation, pictures, example sentences and categories to help them remember.

There are some times when it is easier to translate a new word than try to explain it in English. Translation saves time and is especially useful for passive vocabulary or abstract words like ‘love’, or ‘war’. However, be careful not to translate too much, or the lesson may become boring for both you and the children.

There are many different techniques you can use to explain new words besides translation. For example, use pictures, real objects or drawings on the blackboard. This may be more memorable for the children than translation. Gesture, mime, body language and facial expressions can be used to show the meaning of words like ‘hot’ and ‘sad’. Use examples from the real world. For example if you are teaching the word ‘zoo’, as if there is a zoo in your city.

You can also ask children who know the new word to draw a picture or try to explain it using English. This may take more time, but it will add interest and enjoyment to the class.

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Is learning a first language at home the same as learning a second language at school? Yes, partially due to environment. For example, a four-year-old child who is awake 10 hours every day has had more than 15,000 hours of contact with their first language. Most students only study their second language a few hours a week. In addition, a first language learning has mainly one-to-one contact with their parents, but a student must share the teacher’s attention with all the other students in the class. Obviously, learning a second language in a classroom context will be more difficult and time-consuming.

That is not to say that the process of learning a first and second language are different. In fact, children seem to go through similar stages with both. The processes are quite similar, though they take different lengths of time.

The English teacher can think about ways of making classroom activities similar to first-language learning environments by using English as much as possible, using gestures and facial expressions, and pictures / objects. It also helps if the teacher allow students time to be silent (listening without needing to respond), as children learning their first language are. Silent children are not necessarily lazy children; they may just be working out the rules of the language in their minds. Finally, the teacher should try to respond positively to children’s attempts at language, focusing on the meaning of what they said.

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There are three common methods used to teach children: Grammar Translation, Total Physical Response (TPR), and Communicate Language Teaching (CLT).

• Grammar Translation
  
  
  • What is it?
    The teacher gives children lists of vocabulary with translations or example sentences with translated grammar explanations. Students should memorise these and then are tested.

  
  

  • Advantages
    It is an easy way to present new language and it ensures that students understand the second language.

  
  

  • Disadvantages
    It can be boring, especially for children who prefer more active learning tasks.

  
  
• Total Physical Response (TPR)
  
  

  • What is it?
    The teacher asks students to perform actions, e.g. “Stand up. Give me a pen.” Action songs, stories, and rhymes are often used in TPR.
    
    
  • Advantages
    It is a very useful method for beginners, and is more entertaining and active than Grammar Translation.
    
    
  • Disadvantages
    It is not as useful with higher level students, and focuses mostly on listening.
    
    
• Communicate Language Teaching (CLT)
  
  

  • What is it?
    Students work together to perform real-life communication. Surveys, interviews, and solving puzzles are examples of CLT activities.
    
    
  • Advantages
    Focuses on fluency, engages children, and allows children to express themselves.
    
    
  • Disadvantages
    Shy students may have difficulty with this method, and the teacher many have difficulty keeping students speaking in English (rather than Chinese). Teachers should remember to include not only fluency but accuracy as well in their CLT lessons.

All three methods can be used in the classroom; the teacher does not need to choose one. There is no proof that one is better than the others. If you get to know your students and their likes and dislikes, you can choose the type of activities that they enjoy the best.

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In Communicate Language Teaching (CLT), the teacher spends less time on the structures of the language and more time encouraging the children to use the language. This gives children the opportunity to say what they want to say, and the teacher does not always have control over their language. Fluency plays a big role in CLT.

In a real language situation (e.g. writing to a pen friend or speaking to visitors in English), children will focus more on what they are saying rather than the grammatical structures of English. CLT tries to bring this idea into the classroom, and helps children communicate effectively in the world outside school. Fluency activities provide this practice because during these activities, children often have to check that they have understood each other, repeat themselves, or change what they say, just like in real life.

Fluency isn’t the only skill practised in these types of activities. Accuracy is important too, and the teacher should balance activities which focus on accuracy (correct grammar) as well as fluency. However, the main point behind CLT is that accuracy alone isn’t enough, and children improve accuracy through focusing on fluency.

As the teacher, you can provide motivating communication activities such as games and puzzles, and ask students to complete the activity working in pairs or groups. Do not correct or intervene too much during the activity, and provide most of the feedback after the students have finished the task.

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However, it is important to keep in mind that children are often not able to think in abstract terms, and are still developing mental concepts. This means they may not be able to analyse language through a grammatical perspective. Try to avoid using metalanguage (e.g. passive verb, subject, object) and focus instead on what grammar can do to achieve communication.

Your lesson plans should include tasks which use grammar to achieve a goal. For example, you can ask children to describe a picture, which will involve using present progressive, e.g. “The man is walking with his dog”. You can ask your students to guess what object is in a bag, which will require them to formulate questions. Activities which embed grammar and teach grammar indirectly motivate students much more than drills or explanations.

As the teacher, you should make sure all new grammar is taught before the activity. The focus of this, however, should be that the students understand the meaning of the grammar. You can use Chinese to make sure they understand. Keep in mind that children may learn easily but forget quickly. Recycle new grammar frequently to help them remember.

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Motivation is what makes a student want to learn, and want to try hard. Children may be self-motivated, motivated by the teacher or their classmates, or by the activities and environment around them. Different children are motivated by different things.

Rewards can be motivating to children, but try not to use rewards too much. Instead you can include some friendly competition into your lessons, and make sure that each activity has a challenging but achievable goal. If there is too much competition or the goal is too difficult to reach, the children may feel de-motivated.

Teachers need to try to keep all students motivated throughout the lesson. The best way to do this is to use a variety of activities, including both group work and individual work, serious activities and fun activities, and to balance work on the four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.

To motivate children to learn, be sure to personalise activities to make them more meaningful and memorable. Let the children show you what they have learned and design activities that allow students to express themselves. Feedback should be carefully constructed to not only tell students what they did well, but to give them a chance to suggest ways to improve.

Finally, remember that maintaining a high level of motivation isn’t easy. Remember to incorporate a variety of activities in your lesson plans and make sure that your students have as many chances to succeed as possible.

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There are many different types of learners and children may learn in different ways. The three most common types of learners are visual learners, auditory learners, and kinaesthetic learners.

Many children will use all three styles, but most will have a stronger preference for one over the others. Younger children seem to prefer learning kinaesthetically and visually, but it is important that you include a variety of activities to suit all types. This will help your students develop in their stronger and weaker areas.

There are many ways a teacher can find out what learning types his/her students are. You can do this by simply observing how they react to different activities, or you can ask them in Chinese which activities they enjoyed the most. It will also help to find out what the children’s hobbies are and how they prefer to play and spend free time.

Once you find out what learning styles suit your students, you can take these preferences into consideration when planning. Visual learners will enjoy posters, pictures, and written instructions. Auditory learners will respond well to tapes, stories and dictations. Drama, acting out, and mime can help kinaesthetic learners.

Finally, try to find out what your own learning style is, and make sure you do not over-use this style in your classroom. Try to take all three styles into consideration when planning.