Bloomsbury Teaching English to Young Learners: Critical Issues in Language Teaching with 3-12 Year Olds (Bloomsbury Guidebooks for Language Teachers)

Aimed at student teachers, educators and practitioners, Teaching English Language to Young Learners outlines and explains the crucial issues, themes and scenarios relating to this area of teaching. Each chapter by a leading international scholar offers a thorough introduction to a central theme of English as a foreign language (EFL) with preteens, with clear presentation of the theoretical background and detailed references for further reading, providing access to the most recent scholarship. Exploring the essential issues critically and in-depth, including the disadvantages as well as advantages of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) with young learners, topics include: - task-based learning in the primary school; - storytelling; - drama; - technology; - vocabulary development; - intercultural understanding; - Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) scenarios; - assessment. Innovative and rapidly emerging topics are covered, such as immersion teaching, picturebooks in the EFL classroom and English with pre-primary children. Review "This volume presents a fascinating and important collection of chapters which lay a valuable foundation for anyone interested in learning more about the unique and growing context of language learning and teaching in young learners. While the specific focus of the volume is on the learning of English, many of the chapters are relevant to the learning of any foreign language in children between the ages of three and twelve. The volume provides a much needed international perspective, including different contexts of learning and different types of teaching approaches and tasks. Each chapter presents current thinking and research on central themes within English as a foreign language for young learners and consequently provides a rich resource for anyone involved in foreign language education. I will be recommending it to my students." --Victoria A. Murphy, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of Education, University of Oxford, UK"This is an excellent collection of research on teaching English to young learners. The studies presented herein cover a wide range of critical issues - both theoretical and practical - in a highly comprehensive and accessible manner. I strongly recommend this book to educators, researchers, and students who are interested in working with young English learners." --Yuko Goto Butler, Associate Professor and Director of TESOL Program, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, USA"As the need for research-based publications in teaching English to young learners (EYL) becomes ever stronger, this book could not be more timely. With its focus on school settings and its multi-disciplinary approach, it offers insights into aspects of EYL that are fundamental but often neglected such as intercultural learning, pre-primary English, the role of formulaic language and holistic learning. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in EYL in Europe and beyond." --Sue Garton, Director of Postgraduate Programmes in English School of Languages and Social Sciences, Aston University, UK"Teaching English to Young Learners is a very well-researched and highly readable book. This comprehensive collection of articles fosters international collaboration among leading academics and researchers involved in key fields of teaching English as a foreign language to young learners, which makes the publication attractive to a large readership worldwide. On the basis of current theories and empirical research, the authors discuss purposes, practices, competences, participants and contexts of foreign language teaching, learning and use. Key scholars with different areas of expertise provide latest ideas and innovative concepts on the topics. The focus is on linking theory and practice to transmit profound knowledge and introduce important teaching approaches to university students, university lecturers, experienced teachers and ca