Collins Introducing English to Young Children: Reading and Writing. Opal Dunn
often recall the name of their first English teacher.
The Playful Approach needs to be underpinned by:
a hidden syllabus, influencing programme planning (including tutor-talk)
assessments (short within the lesson, and longer after the lesson)
flexibility (to respond to individual children’s interests)
knowledge about words and language
modelling the use of new language and how to interact socially
enthusiasm for discovery and learning language.
Language needs action as an accompaniment or the situation has no meaning for the children.
(Krashen)
Motivation is vital for all learning, whether it involves new or familiar content. Through the Playful Approach teachers can motivate and remotivate – although remotivation should be monitored as it can have a negative effect if overused.
Parents of very young children still learning L1 are skilled at inserting playfulness into regular activities to make each day’s routine fun and motivating. Parents become adept at turning a routine like getting dressed into a simple game by inserting playful language, as well as using different voices and intonation to add surprise, wonder or suspense. Many parents say playful things like:
Does the sock go here? [putting it on the child’s hand]
No, no, silly me!
You show me where it goes!
That’s right! Good!
Where’s the other sock? Here it is …
How many socks are there? Two or three?
Let’s count …
This approach, used innately by parents, must be transferred to English teaching so that young children can reuse their self-language-learning skills effectively to absorb the new language. The Playful Approach in class involves the use of playful language during an activity to turn it into a fun and interactive experience for boys and girls. Although playful language relates to the content, it does not alter the content or the content-related language.
The Playful Approach can be used when presenting new material and also when re-presenting material to be consolidated. In planning an activity, it is important to also plan the language that goes with it, including any accompanying playful language. Of course any plan needs to be flexible, adapting to children’s reactions. Without planning language input, opportunities to extend language can be missed.
As the young child becomes more mature and lesson content becomes more structured, the degree of playfulness needed to motivate gradually decreases, limiting the use of the Playful Approach to the introduction of new material and routine remotivating activities.
1.4.1 Language techniques for the Playful Approach
Language can be adapted to fit individuals, pairs, groups or a class.
Language is supported by a hidden syllabus – a structured guide to increase acquisition. Teacher-talk can be flexible to follow children’s interests and needs. Tutor-talks explaining new material need to be pre-prepared, so information can be focused and structured.
Language motivates by inserting suspense, surprise, mystery. It remotivates, when focus has been lost, by extending short attention spans.
Language arouses curiosity, inserts wonder, challenges ‘how’ – leading to critical thinking and creativity (for example, Imagine if there was no sun? What if …?).
Language encourages effort (for example, Try again, I know you can do it That was good but next time let’s do it better.).
Language challenges (for example, If we have no electricity, what shall we do?).
Language encourages enthusiasm (for example, Wow, that’s great? I like that).
Language supports exploring and discovery (for example, Look at the size of this whale!).
Language inserts humour – play within play – arousing and creating it, and responding to it.
With regard to translations, these should typically only be given once so that children have to focus and listen carefully. Where possible, teachers need to develop children’s gist understanding – a technique they are still developing in L1 to follow new ideas. Where further translation is needed, teachers often find that one child eagerly translates for other children. This means the teacher often has no need to revert to using L1. If there is no ‘child translator’ the teacher can repeat, supporting with more modelling. Children usually understand more than they can say.
1.4.2 The Playful Approach within games
Games sometimes lack speed but by including playful language English teachers can regain focus and momentum without changing the game content. For example, they could say Whose turn is it now? Ok … who can find the ball? The language teacher who includes playful language in games:
creates suspense and excitement (for example, Will I get a six? … YES!)
adds energy to speed up formal games (for example, How many have you got? Oh, Toru can get more. Hurry, I’m next. No, sorry, it’s your turn.)
focusses on both winners and losers (for example, You did well. Next time I think you might win.)
creates an enjoyable game-like atmosphere (for example, Oh, can you get a red one? Let’s see …)
sums up progress regularly and predicts possible outcomes, sometimes incorrectly, to amuse (for example, Now everyone has five cards. I know who is going to get six cards first. It’s …!).
Much of the content and ways of working in English games and activities may be unfamiliar to children, as culturally they may be quite different from L1 games. However, at a later stage children like to prove their ownership of an activity or game by showing they can manage it by themselves and take control, even if the teacher has initiated play and set the scene. Adults need to respect this and patiently wait during the initial tries, whilst the child self-corrects through trial and error, rather than jumping in with the correct solution. Overt correction of game playing in front of others can dent children’s pride and demotivate! Children need to reflect, reconsider and redo if they are to be creative.
Once children know how to play a game well, they often act as home-play tutors to their family when playing games in L1 or English. Much to the delight and amusement of parents, their children naturally insert the games at home.
1.4.3 Poor play experiences
Teachers need to continually observe, assess and record children’s type and level of play and be ready to add guidance and add further challenge where needed. Where play is repetitive and at a low level of cognition, the teacher needs to get involved by sensitively interacting with new language or a relevant new object. This will stimulate interest and also scaffold a child’s next level of cognition.
Where teachers are not sensitive to children’s low-level satisfaction and achievement in an activity or game, children can lose interest and can easily become bored or frustrated, saying I don’t want to play. I don’t like this. Interest should always be restimulated before the end of the lesson, since a lack of volition can easily spread to attitudes at home and carry on to the next lesson. Loss of interest can also foster parents’ belief that English lessons are nothing but play and that their child needs more formal instruction.
The art of a skilled teacher is getting the right balance, by providing structure whilst supporting