Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts
Department of English
and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Markéta Nekulová
Individualisation in Teaching English to Young Learners

Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: PhDr. Kateřina Tomková, Ph.D.

2015


I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently,
using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.
……………………………………………..

Author’s signature

I would like to thank my supervisor PhDr. Kateřina Tomková for her kind support, encouragement and patience throughout the process of writing this thesis and also for her help with the case study.

I would also like to thank my friends and family for their support and patience, without them I would not have been able to finish this thesis.

And last but not least I would like to thank the Louka Leisure Centre for the opportunity to teach children and learn from them.

Table of Contents

List of Figures 5

Introduction 6

1The subject of examination 9

1.1.Characteristics of children from ages 6 to 8 9

1.1.1.Observations concerning the above mentioned characteristics 10

1.1.2.Other observations concerning the analyzed group of children 12

1.2.Mixed ability classroom 14

1.3.Learners’ differences 15

1.3.1.Learners’ styles 15

1.3.2.Other learners’ differences that can influence the teaching 16

1.3.3.Learners’ differences according to Tomlinson 17

2The approach and methods 18

2.1.Individualised teaching 18

2.1.1.One to one teaching 18

2.1.2.Alternative education 19

2.1.2.1.Waldorf education 19

2.1.2.2.Montessori education 20

2.1.2.3.Dalton education 20

2.1.2.4.Forest kindergartens 21

2.2.Methods of differentiating teaching of young learners 22

2.2.1.Methods incorporating ears 23

2.2.2.Methods incorporating eyes 23

2.2.3.Methods incorporating mouth 24

2.2.4.Methods incorporating hands 24

2.2.5.Methods incorporating the whole body 24

3Individualisation 25

3.1.The reasons for individualisation 25

3.1.1.Mental development 25

3.1.2.Pyramid of needs 26

3.1.3.Focus on knowledge not the assessment 27

3.1.4.Intrinsic motivation 28

3.1.5.Peer pressure 29

3.1.6.Fulfilling one’s potential 29

3.1.7.Fun 30

3.2.Reasons opposing individualisation 30

3.3.The difference between differentiated classroom according to Tomlinson and a traditional classroom 31

3.4.Comparison of success rate of children from forest and traditional kindergartens 34

4Case Study 36

4.1.Participants of the course 36

4.2.Progress of the children 42

4.3.Group dynamics 44

4.4.The content of the lessons 44

4.4.1.Topics 44

4.4.2.Activities sorted according to implemented methods 45

4.4.2.1.Methods incorporating ears 45

4.4.2.2.Methods incorporating eyes 45

4.4.2.3.Methods incorporating mouth 45

4.4.2.4.Methods incorporating hands 46

4.4.2.5.Methods incorporating the whole body 46

4.4.3.Source of materials 47

4.5.Teaching conditions 48

4.6.A list of observations 48

Conclusion 51

Works Cited 55

Summary in English 58

Summary in Czech 59

List of Figures

List of Tables

Introduction

This thesis deals with learners and their individuality. The topic it examines is tailoring the content of the lesson to the learner’s needs. It is the belief of the author of this thesis that a learner’s individuality in teaching is important and should be taken into consideration. This thesis mainly presents reasons for individualisation. Although it does present some examples of how individualisation can be approached, it is not an instruction manual. This thesis presents ways in which to approach individualisation and what matters should be taken into consideration when individualising lessons.

The primary purpose of this thesis is to prove that individualisation is important and that to start with children is desirable. However, there are certain limitations given by the children’s age, therefore this paper also deals with the question to what extent it is possible to individualise teaching of children of the given age.

The analyzed subject is a group of five children aged 6 to 8 who are all participants of a course I currently lead under the patronage of leisure time centre Lužánky. They are learning English as their second language. It is a mixed ability class where most of the children are beginners who have only come into contact with English a few times. One of the children is significantly advanced. The sexes are rather well balanced as there are three girls and two boys.

The thesis will be dealing with characteristics of these children, both general characteristics of children of this age and characteristics of every analyzed individual. The first chapter is devoted to the analyzed subject. The first part of the first chapter is dedicated to describing the needs and abilities of this age group. All throughout the thesis there are references to the analyzed individuals. A list of observations is provided at the end in the Case Study. The second part of the first chapter briefly addresses the characteristics of a mixed ability classroom. The third part deals with learners’ differences. It illustrates in what ways learners can differ. It is also, in a way, a summary of studies on learners’ differences.

The second chapter deals with approaches and methods. Specifically, the first part focuses on the characteristics of individualised teaching. It presents examples of this practice and briefly describes them, namely one to one teaching and alternative education, alternative education encompassing Montessori, Waldorf and Dalton schools and forest kindergartens. These examples have been chosen to show that there is a demand for individualised teaching. The descriptions explain what makes these types of teaching desirable and why they are used as examples of individualised teaching in this thesis. The second part of the second chapter presents methods of teaching that can be implemented onto a given age group. These methods include a wide range of activities incorporating all senses and body parts. Its purpose is to illustrate the importance of variability.

The third chapter is focused solely on individualisation. Its purpose is mainly to present the reasons for individualisation. However, it also takes into consideration the demands of this approach that oppose implementing it as a standard way of teaching. It discusses the advantages of individualisation, both with comparison to the common ways of teaching and in relation to the learners’ needs and takes into consideration learners’ differences.

As the main inspiration both for this work and for teaching served works by Carol Ann Tomlinson, an American educator focusing on differentiation in education and an author of several books on this topic.

The reason why I choose to write about individualisation is that I have been presented with an opportunity to teach English to a small group of children. With such a small group the individual approach is a natural thing to do. In large groups it is difficult to address each student individually. Unfortunately, the majority of teaching takes place in large groups, there is a curriculum to be met and it is difficult to take into consideration the needs of every student. My goal in teaching these children is to transfer my enthusiasm for learning English onto them and make the learning of a new language as enjoyable as possible. To reach this goal it is imperative to not only constantly try and make learning English fun, but also meet each child’s needs. I know from an experience that studying can be really stressful so the lessons are devised in such a way that the children would not feel unnecessarily pressured in order for them to see that they can enjoy learning new things. The main goal of the lessons is to uncover their potential.

It is the author’s belief that it is important to individualise because every person is different. They have different needs, different talents. They are comfortable with different approaches. And, they learn in different ways and at different paces. With individualisation it is possible to accommodate the teaching to one’s personality and therefore the whole experience becomes more personal. For the learners it is usually easier to grasp something that they can relate to their own lives. For the teacher the constant effort to tailor the lessons to their learner’s individual needs offers an opportunity to express his/her creativity.

The interest in individual lecturing exists. People search for one to one coaching, because standard teaching is not enough for them. It is possible that the pace is too quick for them, or maybe too slow, they might not like the teacher‘s methods or they are not able to concentrate when the teacher‘s attention is not focused directly on them. Psychology tells us that people must have their needs met so that they feel comfortable. For a person who feels comfortable it is easier to absorb something new. And, people need the assurance that their needs will be respected.