Naturally, various
methods employ various techniques. A technique is the implementation of a
method and it is also defined as every single activity that derives from a
procedure. According to Richards
and Rodgers (1986), the position of a technique is at the implementation phase
and it is often called procedure while approach and method are
at the level of design.
Because children have short attention in their
focus on learning a certain subject, the teachers should design their learning
and teaching to be more enjoyable and fun. Scott &Ytreberg (1990) suggested the activities that were
useful for children in the classroom. They are given below:
1. Listen and do
activities
Communication is two ways, and it can be
easily understood by looking at the learners whether they have received the
massages or not. In most classrooms, language is a type of “listen and do”
activities, therefore teachers should make use of this from the moment they
start lessons by giving genuine instruction.
2. Moving about
Activities like moving about let the teachers
know whether learners are able to understand the instructions by listening or
not. Classroom vocabulary, movement word, counting,or spelling can be done
using activities. Children enjoy role-playing, they can role-play as an
‘instructor’ which will enhance speaking.
3. Mime stories
Mime stories are also interesting for young
learners. Here teacher tells a story and the learners and teacher do the
actions. It is again providing physical movement.
4. Drawing
“Listen and draw” is a favorite type of
listening activity in almost all classes, but drawing takes time, we need to
keep the picture simple. In this activity the teacher or one of the learners
tells the others to draw.
5. Questionnaires
Questionnaire type of exercise involves a
little bit of writing or filling in of numbers, which are very useful for
language exercise.
6. Listening for
information
Listening for information is really an
umbrella heading which covers a very wide range of listening activities.
However, we are taking it to mean listening for detail, for specific
information.
7. Listen and color
Children love coloring pictures and this can
easily be a listening activity. Instead of letting children to simply color the
picture teachers can make it into a language activity.
8. Listen and repeat
activities
(Rhymes, songs) ‘Listen and repeat’ exercises are great fun and
give the children a chance to get a feel for the language: the sounds, the
stress and rhyme and the intonation. When they are done in combination with
movements or with objects or pictures, it helps learners to establish a link
between words and meaning.
9. Creating stories
Making up stories with the learners at all
stages helps them to put their thoughts into words. And also this gives a real
feeling of a shared story and one cannot predict how it is going to end but it
does, usually rather unconventionally.
10. Reading stories
The more young learners hear the better they
will be able to speak. Teachers can read aloud a book instead of telling a
story. Learners like to have their favorite stories repeated, and they will
very often be able to tell you the story word for word without changing the
word.
References
Richards, J. C. and
Rodgers, T.S. (1986/2001): Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching: A Description
and Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Scott,
A., & Ytreberg, L. 1990. Teaching English to Children, London New York:
Longman.
