My Essay for English for Young Learners (EYL) Subject

What or who is young learners?

These questions may come to us firstly when we see the tittle.Young learner are someone who learn  when they are young or we can say that young learner is children who learn, in this case learning English. Teaching English for Young Learners is guiding and facilitating Young Learners in aging 7-12 years old, for their activities in learning, knowing, understanding, and comprehending ideas, attitudes values , skills, and information of English using tricks and strategies which will be used in changing and redefining their thought forward their daily surrounding situation as a foreign languages learners. The range of age for young learners is 7-12 years old. From  that range we can say that they are kid. In that age, the concentration and their focus are not same with adult. Young learners will only focus on what attract their attention. They only focus on it around 10-15 minutes and then neglect it. Young learner is kid, so they will just interested to their toys. Another characteristics from young learners such as, they are curious about everything and never hesitate to ask everything about it even critical sometimes because of their high curiosity. They also learn and memorize very quickly, especially from their own experience in doing something. Generally, they are not shy to express their expression although sometimes we find some children is shy.  Their attitude also change often as their mood.

From those characteristics we found that there are many differences between young learners and adult, who has reverse characteristics from young learners, we have to make a different way to teach them. We have to pay attention when we want to teach them. Teacher for young learners should have quality and also have prepared themselves concern with young learners. We have to know their needs, emotion and their interest in order to success teaching them. We also have to adjust our self with them so they can learn the material given by us. Teacher is the key role in teaching young learners, when teachers can adjust themselves with the children, their teaching will work smoothly. The better we know them, the better we will get the result. Teaching young learners indeed challenging, but with well-preparations teaching them will be pleasing.

As the teacher for young learners, we have to prepare something that suit on their characteristics when we want to teach them. Young learners should be challenged by doing something, not only by hearing information from the teacher. When we teaching young learners, we are not just making them understand about the material but also making the information or the knowledge stay on their mind. They are easily curious. We can use something to draw their attention in learning, such as using game, picture, music, film, etc. For example, when we want to teach them grammar or vocabulary. We can’t use monotone and passive method to teach them, they won’t pay attention. We have to make it interesting and fun for them. Using colorful and toys may be the advantages for us when teaching them, this strategy will increase teachers’ effectiveness in teaching. Choosing strategies for teaching them is not easy. We have to concern on their characteristic as well. As the teacher we have to manage the classroom well. Young learners are very noisy and active. When we want to teach them we have to make them quiet and focus on our material by maintaining the classroom environment in good atmosphere for them. It will make us easier to teach them.

In teaching them, we have to make joyful atmosphere for each of them. We also have to help them anytime. We have to give them reward for every positive things that they have done in learning because they are very like rewards. Giving them good score, presents, even praise will increase their will in learning. They will enthusiast in learning. Giving them courage words will affect their will too. In teaching them we have to cover the knowledge with joy. Giving them instruction and objective of the material should in interesting ways.

In the end, the keys to successfully teach young learners are well adjustment, compatible strategies, interactive activities and good atmosphere.