Characteristics of young learners

Who is young learner? 

For the successful teaching of English in primary schools, above all, it is essential for the teacher to understand the young learners' characteristics, instincts, and interests in their cognitive, linguistic, and emotional aspects, because this will play a crucial role in how the teacher builds a lesson, how he or she can make sure that the young learners are fully involved in the learning process, how he or she achieves the objectives of a lesson, and how they respond. The main topic of this paper is how to build a lesson for primary English teaching, in terms of teaching procedures including its key stages and their sub stages, the learners' interactions and activities at each stage, and teaching skills and techniques at each sub stage, and so on. 

Characteristics of young learners

1. They have short attention span. So teachers should vary their techniques to break the boredom. They should give varied activities as handwriting, songs, games etc.

2. They are very active. Try to ask them to play games, role play dialogues and involve them in competitions.

3. They respond well to praising. Always encourage them and praise their work.

4. They differ in their experience of language. Treat them as a unit; don't favor those who know some English at the expense of those who do not know.

5. They are less shy than older learners. Ask them to repeat utterances, resort to mechanical drills.

6. They are imaginative. Use realia or pictures to teach new vocabulary related to concrete meanings.

7. They enjoy learning through playing. Young learners learn best when they learn through games. Let games be an essential part of your teaching.

8. They are less shy than older learners.

9. They enjoy imitating and skilful in listening accurately and mimicking what they have heard.

10. They respond well to rewards from the teacher.

11. They are imaginative but may have some difficulties distinguishing between imagination and real world.