It is well known that the demand for Young Learner (YL) English language classes is high, and is set to remain so. In some cases, this demand comes from parents, who see English as a way to enhance their children’s futures. In others, the learners themselves see English as having ‘social currency’, especially online (British Council, 2018). In other words, to engage with international social media, the online gaming world etc., young people need to understand and use the online lingua franca.
With this in mind, it seems clear that the majority of teachers completing TEFL qualifications (e.g. Cambridge CELTA and Trinity CertTESOL) will at some point be faced with the prospect of teaching YL classes.
Continuing the engaging panel discussion in January 2023 organised by the IATEFL YLTSIG (Young Learners and Teenagers Special Interest Group), this article will:
Through my work as part of Trinity College London’s TESOL team, it became clear that many teacher training providers have recently updated their input sessions to include references to and exploration of online teaching (for obvious reasons). However, I would argue that an opportunity has been missed to make further adjustments and incorporate a YL focus that moves beyond the (sadly common) single input session on YLs.
Discussing this issue with colleagues, I found the YL session they deliver (or remember from their own initial teacher training course) typically includes the following focuses:
This may be unsurprising, but is it correct to believe that this one session is enough to prepare teachers for the realities of the YL classroom?
The majority of trainers I spoke to in London (where I am based and where many language schools do not offer YL classes except during summer) confessed that they had not taught a YL class for quite some time, if at all. Interestingly, some trainers noted that there has been an increase in more experienced teachers attending initial training courses. In some cases, they have more YL experience than the trainer, or rightly question some ideas from the input sessions as these are seen as not relevant to their teaching contexts.
Other trainers stated that their input session needed updating, or that they avoided delivering this session when possible, relying on their fellow trainer to do so. These are all issues that, I would argue, can be tackled with small changes to the training course design and resources. Importantly, these would not impact heavily on the workload or time constraints of current courses, many of which are often seen as extremely intensive, especially when run within a tight, four-week time frame. Ultimately, the suggestions below aim to ensure TEFL-i courses are a more transformative, relatable and valuable experience for course participants who will face the YL classroom.
A number of typical input sessions lend themselves nicely to discussions which consider the YL classroom. These include:
In each case, course participants should be encouraged to discuss how effective the techniques and approaches explored in the session would be in a YL classroom, as well as what adaptations may have to be made for success. For example, when discussing the physical architecture of the classroom, participants can discuss what might work best in a YL environment. They would also benefit from discussing why certain approaches used for exploring language might not be suitable for YLs, and consider what alternatives could be employed. This addition follows examples of discussions on the similarities and differences teaching online present, and what alternatives can be used in this context.
The number of participants on these TEFL-i courses with previous teaching experience is on the rise. These include state primary or secondary school teachers who are obtaining these internationally recognised qualifications to enhance their careers. As such, they have a lot to share in terms of ideas, resources, classroom routines etc., and can be used as an additional training resource. Questions aimed at these course participants will keep them engaged on the course, and recognises the value of their input, which comes from their experience. Such questions include:
The subsequent discussions will benefit all course participants, take some pressure off the trainers and further encourage peer collaboration (acknowledging the vital role peers can play in continuing professional development).
While it would be difficult for many training centres to organise and get parental permission for the observation of a YL class, both the CELTA and CertTESOL allow for a certain portion of the guided observation to be conducted on pre-recorded classes, which gives ample opportunity for this.
I would suggest keeping this as the last guided observation with a task that encourages course participants to note down the similarities and differences between this class and the adult classes they have observed previously. Combining a ‘flipped’ approach, whereby course participants observe the recorded class in their own time in order to prepare for synchronous feedback, course participants should come with a variety of ideas and questions that can be explored together.
I should note that this technique could be equally effective for teachers who plan to work (or already do so) in other contexts, such as business English, EAP and online. The observers need not observe the same class in this case.
As mentioned above, when discussing the YL input sessions, some course tutors felt that YL teaching is somewhat outside their own expertise. In this case, a more experienced staff member with recent YL classroom experience, perhaps even with YL qualifications (such as Trinity’s Teaching Young Learners Extension Certificate, TYLEC), can be invited in to deliver the YL session. In this way, trainees have the opportunity to benefit from the exploration of techniques and resources within the framework of authentic, recent experiences. As an additional bonus, the teacher delivering the session gains some professional recognition of their expertise within the school, as well as much sought after (and hard to come by) teacher-training experience.
For any of the above to work, course participants need to understand why YLs are part of the discussion throughout the course (remember some people sign up to what they consider courses for teaching adults). From the first interview stages, potential course participants should be made aware that YLs make up a large portion of English language classes, and the training course aims to prepare them for both this and the adult classroom.
The above is just a few suggested tweaks to enhance the YL content of TEFL-i courses. This in no way replaces specialised training courses with a focus on YL teaching, which serve a different purpose and are usually reserved for teachers with experience looking to enhance knowledge and skills in this specialised area.
However, expanding on Saif Al Abri’s ideas (MET, 2023), I believe effective TEFL-i courses should aim to help participants prepare for the realities of the modern language learning classroom. As such, the course design demands further inclusion of issues relating to the YL classroom to ensure these course are fit for purpose. I welcome the continuing discussion on these ideas, and look forward to seeing further experimentation and implementation in future initial teacher training courses.
Al Abri, S. (2023). ‘Designing training that works’. Modern English Teacher. 32 1:50–51
British Council. (2018). The Future Demand for English in Europe: 2025 and beyond. Available from britishcouncil.org/education/schools/support-for-languages/thought-leadership/research-report/future-of-english-eu-2025. (Last accessed 22 May 2023).
Simon Dunton is a teacher educator, course designer and researcher with experience teaching a wide range of ages and abilities from around the world, both face to face and online. His interests include: integrating inclusivity and diversity into the language classroom; online teaching and learning; links between ELT and English as a medium of instruction (EMI); and materials adaptation and creation for specific learning contexts.
simondunton@gmail.com