TKT Young Learners

PRESENTATION TITLE
Preparation Course

Marco Loyola Florián

Session 2

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 SESSION CONTENT

1. Characteristics of young learners.

2. Approaches and Methods in ELT

3. Learning, cognitive, communication strategies.

4. TKT YL sample tasks.

5. Mini Test.

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 TKT EXAM FORMAT

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LESSON 1: CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG LEARNERS

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 QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED

1. Who are young learners?

2. What are the characteristics of young learners?

3. What strategies can be used or promoted when teaching young

learners?

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 WHO ARE YOUNG LEARNERS?

1. Who are young learners?

Learners who have not yet reached adolescence. Within most

formal educational systems, their ages range from 3 to 12 years
old.

TKT YL focuses on learners whose ages range from 6 to 12 years

(elementary / primary school)

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 WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
YOUNG LEARNERS?

Despite the fact that every learner is unique, Harmer (2007)

attached the following characteristics to young and older learners:

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?

They respond although they may not fully understand..

Adjective: Fearless

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?

They can engage with abstract thought.

Adjective: Abstract

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?
They learn from everything around them: they learn indirectly
rather than directly.

Adjective: Spontaneous

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?
They understand mostly when they see, hear, touch and interact
rather than from explanations..

Adjective: Sensorial – acoustic – kinesthetic - energetic

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?
Attention span is longer as a result of intelectual development.

Adjective: Focused

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?
They like talking about themselves and respond to learning that
uses their lives as the main topic.

Adjective: Egocentric

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?
They attach a wild variety of uses to every day items.

Adjective: Imaginative

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?
They need partners with a similar approach to life and learning.

Adjective: Selective

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 YOUNG LEARNERS OR OLDER LEARNERS?
They want to please the teacher rather than their peer group.

Adjective: Affectionate

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 Hammer (2007) classified learners into three groups:

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 Hammer (2007) classified learners into three groups:

Adapted from: Harmer, J. (2007). The Practice of English language teaching (4th Ed.). Essex: Pearson Longman.
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 TO SUM UP: Characteristics of Young Learners.

 Which other characteristics

 Energetic.
would you add?
 Curious.
 Imaginative. https://wordwall.net/resource/9554228/tkt-yl-
 Spontaneous. childrens-characteristics-and-classroom-
 Egocentric. activities
 Social.
 Affectionate.
 Sensorial.
 Kinesthetic.
 Short attention span.

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 CONSOLIDATION ACTIVITY:
Watch the video. Then, name at least three characteristics of
young learners the teacher took advantage of in his class. Which
strategies did he use to take advantage of such characteristics?

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 LANGUAGE TEACHING & LEARNING CONCEPTS

Elements that constitute a method:

Source: Approaches and methods in Language Teaching. Richards & Rogers. 2001. Cambridge University Press.

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 Elements and sub-elements that constitute a method:
A. It can also be called a technique. It’s a specific trick, contrivance
1. APPROACH: …… D applied or observed by teachers and learners as part of the process
to achieve a very specific goal.
B. It is the set of general and specific objectives of a method. It
includes a syllabus model, types of learning and teaching activities,

C
the learner’s roles, the teacher’s roles, and the roles of instructional
2. METHOD: …… materials.
C. It is the practical realization of an approach, which states its
general and specific objectives. It refers to the general principles,
3. DESIGN: …… B pedagogy and management strategies used for classroom
instruction.
D. A theory about the nature of language and language learning
4. PROCEDURE: … E which is the source of the way things are done in the classroom
and provides the reasons for doing them. It describes what
language is, how it is acquired and used.
5. STRATEGY: … E. It is an ordered sequence of techniques which can be described in
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A terms such as First you do this, then you do this.
 Summary of elements and subelements that constitute a method.

Relevant for teachers.

Relevant for researchers,
material designers,
government authorities.
Relevant for teacher trainers,
coordinators, mentors and
headmasters.

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Source: Approaches and methods in Language Teaching. Richards & Rogers. 2001. Cambridge University Press.
 Summary of elements and subelements that constitute a method.

EXAMPLES:

- Structuralism.

- Cognitivism.

- The communicative approach.

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 Summary of elements and subelements that constitute a method.

EXAMPLES:
- The audiolingual method.
- Total physical response.
- Suggestopedia.

- Communicative language teaching. - Task based learning.

- Content-based Language Teaching. - Cooperative language learning.
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 Summary of elements and subelements that constitute a method.

EXAMPLES:

- Presentation.

- Practice.

- Production.

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 TYPES OF STRATEGIES IN YL CLASSROOM.

Learning strategies: The ways in which students learn,

remember information and study for
tests.
Examples:

- Mnemonics.

- Singing aloud.

- Project presentation.

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 TYPES OF STRATEGIES IN THE YL CLASSROOM.

1. Cognitive strategies: Strategies which involve deliberate

manipulation of language to improve learning.
- Mind mapping. - Skimming.
- Categorizing. - Scanning.
- Sequencing. - Contrasting.
- Predicting. - Unscrambling.
- Ranking. - Matching.
- Remembering. - Risk-taking.
- Brainstorming. - Playing TPR games.
- Developing classroom - Making-using language posters &
routines. flashcards.
- Making rhymes. - Follow-up activities.
- Singing chants. - Reviewing language.
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 TYPES OF STRATEGIES IN THE YL CLASSROOM.

2. Communication strategies: Strategies focused on the scheme of

planning how to share information.

- Asking for clarification or help.

- Describing appearance.
- Expressing a reason.
- Asking for permission.
- Asking for an object.
- Describing an action.
- Role-plays.
- Interviewing.
- Telling a story.
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 TKT YL EXAM PRACTICE: SECTION 1

- TKT YL focuses on children from 6–12 years.

- In TKT YL tasks focus on classroom practice.

- All classroom practice has to consider that young

learners are developing physically, emotionally and
cognitively, which makes classes very different to
those of older students .

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TKT YL EXAM PRACTICE: SECTION 1. Match the description of each children’s learning
strategy with its corresponding name.
1. Developing classroom routines. ( C ) 2. Reviewing language. ( F )
3. Planning follow-up activities. ( E ) 4. Playing TPR games. ( A )
5. Using classroom language posters. ( D ) 6. Brainstorming activities. ( B )
A. The class sit on chairs in a circle and the teacher gives commands such as ‘Change places if… you
have got a brother/ are w earing a w atch etc’ . One chair is removed after each change and the child
who loses their chair gives the commands.

B. On introducing the topic ‘Pollution’ the teacher asks the class for vocabulary which is linked to it and
writes key words/sentences on the board.

C. The teacher welcomes the class, organizes the room, and takes the register. Ten minutes before
finishing, the children finish their work, put away materials and the teacher reviews learning.

D. At the start of term children prepare posters for the notice boards which review short phrases and
sentences used in everyday classroom language. Children use them throughout the course.

E. Children know what to do when they finish a task. This might include doing a worksheet, playing a
memory game to review language or helping a friend to finish.

F. Children can practise language over several weeks through songs, chants, games and reading stories.

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TKT YL EXAM PRACTICE: SECTION 1. Match the teacher’s comments on her approach to
learning & teaching with its corresponding learning strategy

A. DEVELOPING CLASSROOM ROUTINES: The teacher welcomes the class, organizes the room, and takes the
register. Ten minutes before finishing, the children finish their work, put away materials and the teacher
reviews learning.

B. REVIEWING LANGUAGE: Children can practise language over several weeks through songs, chants, games
and reading stories.

C. PLANING FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES: Children know what to do when they finish a task. This might include
doing a worksheet, playing a memory game to review language or helping a friend to finish.

D. PLAYING TPR GAMES: The class sit on chairs in a circle and the teacher gives commands such as ‘Change
places if… you have got a brother/ are w earing a w atch etc’ . One chair is removed after each change and the
child who loses their chair gives the commands.

E. USING CLASSROOM POSTERS: At the start of term children prepare posters for the notice boards which
review short phrases and sentences used in everyday classroom language. Children use them throughout the
course.

F. BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITIES: On introducing the topic ‘Pollution’ the teacher asks the class for
vocabulary which is linked to it and writes key words/sentences on the board.

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WORKSHEET 1. Look at these comments by teachers about young learners. Match them with the
strategies that put these comments into practice.:
A. DEVELOPING CLASSROOM ROUTINES: The teacher
welcomes the class, organizes the room, and takes the
register. Ten minutes before finishing, the children finish
D their work, put away materials and the teacher reviews
learning.

B. REVIEWING LANGUAGE: Children can practise language

over several weeks through songs, chants, games and
reading stories.
F
C. PLANING FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES: Children know what to
do when they finish a task. This might include doing a
worksheet, playing a memory game to review language or
helping a friend to finish.
A
D. PLAYING TPR GAMES: The class sit on chairs in a circle
and the teacher gives commands such as ‘Change places if…
you have got a brother/ are w earing a w atch etc’ . One chair
is removed after each change and the child who loses their
E chair gives the commands.

E. USING CLASSROOM POSTERS: At the start of term

children prepare posters for the notice boards which review
short phrases and sentences used in everyday classroom
C language. Children use them throughout the course.

F. BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITIES: On introducing the topic

‘Pollution’ the teacher asks the class for vocabulary which is
B linked to it and writes key words/sentences on the board.
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 Teacher’s comments:

A
C

G
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 K
E
D

C F
G
J
H
B
A
I
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L
 THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
See you next Saturday!
PRESENTATION TITLE

Marco Loyola Florián

overseastrujillo@gmail.com
972 922 268

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