Children as learners
Posted: Wed May 31, 2017 4:54 am"I never do songs with my group of 10-year-olds. They think singing songs is for babies."
- I disagree. I believe that singing songs is for everyone. This activity can be applied to any level and age because it is the content of the songs that defines the complexity of the task, moreover, singing at a young age provides practice to the students. Listening skills are improved and there is also a lot of input coming from the lyrics (grammar and vocabulary structures).
"I always start the lesson with a review of the previous lesson. And I always end the lesson with a song."
- I disagree. Repeating the same class routine over and over again can be boring for the students, due to the fact that they get used to the same predictable tasks. Activities must be varied and dynamic in order to engage and motivate students, so I would say that creativity is always essential when it comes to planning a lessson, especially for children.
"I prepare extra exercises for the children who finish early. It's not good if they have nothing to do."
- I agree. If this factor is not taken into account, students that finish the activities before can distract the rest and even cause a chaos in the classroom. So planning an activity with extra material would keep all the students busy (especially the advanced ones) and the teacher would not lose control of the situation.
- I disagree. I believe that singing songs is for everyone. This activity can be applied to any level and age because it is the content of the songs that defines the complexity of the task, moreover, singing at a young age provides practice to the students. Listening skills are improved and there is also a lot of input coming from the lyrics (grammar and vocabulary structures).
"I always start the lesson with a review of the previous lesson. And I always end the lesson with a song."
- I disagree. Repeating the same class routine over and over again can be boring for the students, due to the fact that they get used to the same predictable tasks. Activities must be varied and dynamic in order to engage and motivate students, so I would say that creativity is always essential when it comes to planning a lessson, especially for children.
"I prepare extra exercises for the children who finish early. It's not good if they have nothing to do."
- I agree. If this factor is not taken into account, students that finish the activities before can distract the rest and even cause a chaos in the classroom. So planning an activity with extra material would keep all the students busy (especially the advanced ones) and the teacher would not lose control of the situation.