MODULE: THEORIES OF LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING (WEEK 4) NAME: TRN THANH V CLASS: DIP14B REFLECTION ON CHILDREN LEARNING

A FOREIGN LANGUAGE The article, which is the first chapter of a book on teaching English to children, is described by the writer as the foundation for implications for teaching young learnersin the rest of the book. The difference between learner-center and learning-centered approaches is carefully demonstrated after several characteristics of young learners have been mentioned. The article then continues with theories by different major theorists and those on language acquisition of children and finally ends with a summary of the key principles. What impresses me most is initially stated at the very beginning of the chapter: the different between learner-centered and learning-centered. As far as I had learned from books and teachers and colleagues before I read the concept of learning-centered perspective, learner-centered is considered the most influential at this time. I therefore found learning-centered really inspirational as it has shifted me from the viewpoint of teaching to fulfill learners needs to teaching to make most of learners potentials. Before reading this, my understanding of teaching language to children seemed not much adequate for an English teacher because I have not had any chance to teach those learners. What I really knew was that young learners are difficult to teach since they have limited amount of language and possess unique psychology, those which I acquired from some TESOL articles. This chapter, to a broader extent, has developed my knowledge to a more sensible level, which therefore simultaneously provides me with a better understanding of the field and leaves me no way but to show my absolute agreement on that. It is also a coincidence to me that two days before I was asked to read this article, the board of Academic at the language school I am working at had chosen me as one of the designers of the new syllabus for children. That is to say it has not only supported me with very valuable preliminary knowledge but has also challenged me much. It is a certainty that this chapter alone would definitely not be enough for the project I am currently working on. However, as the writer has stated, it would provide me with a foundation from which I can possibly discover and learn more new things on the discipline.