Objective of Teaching English to 7-10 year olds

Question:

Submitted by Adriana Patrus, Brazil

I teach English to primary schoolchildren in Brazil. The classes are monolingual and they range from 22 to 30 students. They speak Portuguese the whole time except for a few minutes of repetition, drilling, singing and an occasional speaking activity. They have been able to master quite a range of vocabulary but no attempt to speak it yet. Should we feel frustrated that they don’t try to speak the odd words they learn in the monolingual classroom? What should be ultimately the primary objective of teaching English to 7-10 year olds?

Professor Richards Responds:

Yes I think frustration would be an approriate response. I suggest use more activities that require production of simple phrases and words that they have learned, such as games and simple dialogs. The following are examples of goals for courses for young learners:

To develop a set of core vocabulary and expressions for use in simple conversation
To build confidence
To provide the motivation to learn English
To encourage ownership of language
To encourage children to communicate with whatever language they have at their disposal (mime, gesture, key word, drawings, etc.)
To encourage children to treat English as a communication tool, not as an end product
To show children that English is fun
To establish a trusting relationship with children and encourage them to do the same with their classmates
To give children an experience of a wide range of English language in a non-threatening environment