Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds Have you ever asked yourself why or how primary school-aged children learn languages differently from adults? What motivates them and how you can ensure that they’re making good progress? Are you unsure of what is achievable within the limited time afforded to the teaching of languages in primary schools - or how you can encourage the children to actively use the language they’re learning? Are you curious what role literacy can play in the foreign language classroom? For example should it be used from the beginning? How should it be used and what is achievable? If you have ever asked yourselves any of these questions then this MOOC is for you.
Skip to 0 minutes and 44 seconds It has been created by a team of researchers who are the experts in the learning and teaching of foreign languages in primary school settings. Each week we will guide you through some of the answers researchers provided to these questions. We will then draw out the pedagogical implications of these findings, for example what motivates children in that age group and how can we capture this to engage children in their learning? What pedagogical tools are appropriate and how do they work? What activities could you try in your classrooms or how can you reflect on why some of the activities you do are success or not?
Skip to 1 minute and 27 seconds The first week will focus on what motivates young learners and how this shapes their progress in the kind of activities which work well. In the second week we will discuss how we can encourage children to use language as a form of communication and what outcomes can be expected in the limited time available. And finally in the third week we will demonstrate how literacy and creative languages can support children in their learning. At all points during the course you will have the opportunity to discuss ideas, share your practice, ask questions and reflect on what you’ve learned. We are very much looking forward to exploring and sharing our research and practice with you.
