English in Early Childhood
Explore early childhood development and find out how you can support young children learning English as an additional language.
520 enrolments
Duration
Approx 6 weeks2 hrs per week
English in Early Childhood
520 enrolled on this ExpertTrack
Discover how to help children learning English as a second language
Teaching English to children while they’re still learning their mother tongue is a challenging yet rewarding experience. On this ExpertTrack, you’ll learn how, as a parent or a teacher, you can help children get the most out of a language learning experience.
You’ll explore early childhood development and examine how young children learn English as well as discovering how and why children learn best through play.
Study with language development experts
You’ll learn from British Council educators, global providers of high-quality English courses. You’ll learn the best ways to talk to young children, how to create an enabling environment for them to learn English as an additional language, and how to monitor their progress.
Through articles, videos, and discussions, you’ll hear from both early childhood experts and parents, and see first-hand how young children learn inside an early years’ classroom. Along the way, you’ll gather tips, advice, and downloadable resources that will help you teach English as a foreign language to children.
Understand how children learn language through play
The ExpertTrack will give you the opportunity to understand the role of play in childhood development, specifically looking at the importance of play in language acquisition.
You’ll also discover the tools you can use to create a supportive play environment so that you can help grow a child’s language skills.
Learn how to effectively communicate with young children
You’ll learn the skills to talk to children to help them develop their language skills as well as aiding in their emotional development through techniques such as praise and labelling.
Discover enabling environments and how happy children learn better
This course will teach you how to build positive relationships with children and create enabling environments to promote their learning. You’ll identify the theory behind this, discovering the connection between learning and wellbeing, and how happy children are more likely to learn better.
From here, you will also learn how to support and challenge children to move their development forward, and measure their progress with assessments.
By the end of this ExpertTrack, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to provide a nurturing and supportive approach to teaching children English as an additional language.
Key skills you will learn
- How to communicate effectively with young children
- Demonstrate the connection between learning and a child’s well-being
- The importance of play
- Learning and development language in context
- How to support and challenge children and measure their progress
- Teaching English
- Child development
- Language development
- Language development in early childhood
Learning outcomes
By the end of the ExpertTrack, you’ll be able to...
- Investigate how children learn and how they acquire language
- Discuss the importance of play and look at language development opportunities
- Reflect on ways to communicate effectively with young children
- Explore meaningful learning and developing language in context
- Demonstrate the connection between learning and a child’s well-being
- Identify ways to support and challenge children, and measure their progress
Experience required
This ExpertTrack is for anyone who wants to use supportive and engaging techniques to teach English language to young children. There are no requirements but it may be of particular interest to parents and teachers/practitioners, and those interested in early childhood development.
Getting started
This ExpertTrack is for parents and practitioners who want to understand and assist young children in learning English as an additional language. It will suit you if you have an interest in early childhood development.
ExpertTrack course overview
Course 1
English in Early Childhood: Learning Language Through Play
5.0 (21 reviews)Explore how children learn and the importance of play in early childhood and the role of play in language development.
1 peer-graded assignment
2 weeks
2 hours per week
Course 2
English in Early Childhood: Context and Communication
5.0 (8 reviews)Study the importance of developing language in context and providing meaningful learning experiences that motivate young children.
1 peer-graded assignment
2 weeks
2 hours per week
Course 3
English in Early Childhood: How Happy Children Learn
5.0 (5 reviews)Understand how to create enabling environments to nurture children’s wellbeing and support their language development.
2 weeks
2 hours per week
Prove you're job ready
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World-class learning with British Council
The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.
We work on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2019-20 we connected with 80 million people directly and with 791 million people overall, including online and through our broadcasts and publications.
Meet your instructors
More than 20 years experience working with early years children and young learners in kindergartens, schools and teaching centres. I never stop learning, growing and changing.
I have been teaching languages for over 25 years. I love the creative aspects of teaching and learning, and I now mostly work in the areas of teacher development and materials writing.
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