Plan Introduction1. Teaching English as a foreign language. Methods of foreign language teachin Teaching vocabulary at the initial stage of instruction. Teaching English to children in an efl setting. Teaching vocabulary to children

Chapter 2. Teaching Vocabulary at the Initial Stage of Instruction


.1 Teaching English to children in an EFL setting
introduction of any language course is affected by a great number of contextual variables. One very important variable is the status of English in a given country. Children in non-English environments have limited opportunities to practise the language outside school and no immediate need or clear motivation to use and learn English unlike children who learn English in English environments. Its also important to consider both learners and teachers attitude to English. Children of primary school age may not have strong opinions about other cultures or language learning in general and may meet new cultures and new languages through the experience of a primary foreign language programme. So it is of crucial importance to establish positive attitude towards this process.
The Role of Motivation
An interesting study in 1999 by Marianne Nikolov, a Hungarian teacher and researcher, shows that children as they get older draw on different sources of motivation to learn English. At the beginning, the youngest age groups are motivated by positive attitudes to English and the learning context. They want to learn English because they enjoy activities and the comfortable atmosphere in class. Children also say that they like English because they like the teacher. Young children are therefore intrinsically motivated. This means that they want to learn as they enjoy the process of learning English for its own sake. Hence we can say that motivation plays a crucial role in foreign language learning.of the main experts on language learning motivation, Zoltan Dorney, suggests that there are four main components of motivational teaching. The first stage is to create motivating conditions for learning: a supportive and pleasant environment in the classroom. The next stage is to introduce initial motivational techniques such as talking about values, showing positive attitudes to learning, creating expectations of success. After the initial stage, teachers need to maintain and protect their learners motivation by offering stimulating activities and fostering self-esteem, self-confidence, and co-operation among learners. Finally, motivating teachers take care to turn evaluation and feedback into positive experiences.