Chapter II how to teach languages to different age groups

ELEMENTARY / PRIMARY SCHOOL LEARNERS
Whilst there are many similarities between teaching elementary school students and preschoolers (energetic, fun and fast-paced), it’s important to note that there are significant differences which should be reflected in lesson delivery and content.
Perhaps most importantly, these learners are now in a formal school environment with lessons, teachers and structure. It’s important to quickly establish a set routine for each class that’s easy for them to understand and follow. At the same time, it’s also vital to recognise their increasingly sophisticated development – students are beginning to think for themselves and are driven by imagining themselves in different situations. At this age role-playing is therefore highly effective and lessons can now also include competitive aspects.
As elementary language learners grow up, they also begin to develop their independent communication skills and are able to start expressing their feelings and opinions. Students are also able to build simple sentences and gradually lose their dependency on the teacher to direct their learning. Educators should therefore aim to create activities that maximise such independent communication through group and pair work i.e. the Cooperative Language Learning or CLL approach to language teaching.
Elementary school students are also the perfect audience for language teachers to use the so-called natural approach. As such, lessons focus on understanding communication in the foreign language, and place little or no importance on error correction, drilling or on conscious learning of grammar rules.
HIGH SCHOOL LEARNERS
Unfortunately, older children and teenagers can be more difficult to engage and excite. They are often studying an additional language because they have to – because it’s part of their school curriculum or because their parents want them to. Teachers of this age group need to work hard to stimulate their curiosity and to engage all learners, particularly when it isn’t cool to learn or speak an additional language.
It is hugely important for educators to begin by seeking to build rapport with students. Try (depending on where you teach of course!) to get to know them on a personal level and to bring those insights into your teaching. Whatever their interests (e.g. celebrities, film, music, politics and sport) try and build them into your future lessons. If the lesson is structured around a topic they understand or have an interest in, you will more easily keep them engaged.
Similarly be sure to maximise opportunities to leverage social media – could a written task, for example, be submitted as a tweet thread or a speaking task be provided in a TikTok? Be open to experimentation and give students a variety of options of how to respond. Building lessons around a task (a core element of the task-based language teaching or TBLT approach) also works well with these students, who feel empowered and motivated because they ‘own’ the language learning and can control the nature of the task response.
For many educators teaching this age group can be a joy. Learners are older and more mature and have typically developed a higher level of competency in their target language. Educators can deliver more advanced lessons to stretch learners, encouraging them to further develop their skills across the core language skill sets. Deploying the CLL approach in classrooms also enables high school students to flourish in pair / group work and whole class scenarios. These increase the time students spend talking, reduce the time the teacher spends talking and make the whole learning experience more engaging.