05 September 2014 / by Radmila Gurkova

Learning environments for young learners in English





Day after day, the richness of possibilities of the English language world brings us new opportunities and challenges. Our passion for discovering more and more new fields brought us the chance to meet a team of nursery school educators willing to implement the best educational proposal in English for their bilingual institution. They had to choose between the option of just hiring native English teachers or the alternative of finding the best educational project in English for their learners. They chose the second. When The Little One director Ixiar Vilas first called us, we had already been toying with the idea of exploring the world of very young learners of English. So her call couldn't have been done in a better moment. We met and our ideas on education immediately connected. We were dreaming the same dreams, sharing the same goals and we decided to partner up in the adventurous project of creating an exclusive methodology for very young learners in English, non-existing in the Spanish market right now.

September was the chosen moment for OxbridgeTEFL and The Little One to start intensive workshop sessions with one objective in mind: to create an ESL  methodology featuring learning environments for very young learners in English.

After researching the existing methods offered in the market nowadays, we realized that there is a total absence of material for very young learners: children aged 1 to 3 years old. Most publishers target their resources for 3+ years old learners but there is absolutely nothing for kids under that age. This gap in learning material for very young learners goes together with a gap in specific ESL teachers preparation for accomplishing teaching 1 to 3 year olds in English. There is no specific teacher training and there are no specific resources but there is one reality and this is parents wanting and looking for institutions who provide education in English for their children.

After analyzing the situation, we decided that if there isn't a specific educational project that would target very young learners of English language in Spain, then we would create it from scratch. We couldn't have done it alone and we couldn't have found a better partner: a young nursery institution with highly qualified educators who care deeply about the educational project they are offering in English and Spanish.

A team of young educators leaded by entrepreneur  Ixiar Vilas, director of the school and her partner Maite Martin, an experienced and vocational teacher, accepted the challenge to participate in the creation of an ESL methodology and resources for very young children under the expertise of OxbridgeTEFL.

We launched our first workshop in which our aim was to create the fundamentals of our project. Our goals were:

1. Setting clear educational objectives and goals for learners aged 1 to 5 years

2. Creating course syllabi for every particular age group between 1 and 5 years

3. Creating learners' materials and resources for the classroom in English for each age group

The two-week event ended with vary valuable conclusions and, what is more important, with full accomplishment of our goals. Now the first term class materials are being designed, printed and tested with our young learners. Ah… and we have a new family, The Little One family.

Our next steps include analyzing the results of our material in the classroom and preparing the next two terms of this academic year. Meanwhile, we cannot stop amazing ourselves with how quickly our young learners evolve and react to the stimuli we have suggested. Their smiling faces, the loving attitude towards their educators, their unconditional acceptance and their progress is our best reward. We know that what we've started was necessary and now we know it is worth it!

 

27

October 2017
The teachers are in the epicentre of the Oxinity growth model
by Jonatan Buxeda
Today I'd like to share what we have...

17

October 2017
Frustration of Students: Common Scenarios and How to Manage Them
by Jushua Cutts
‘’Mistakes are he portals to discovery’’ Frustration is defined as the feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something. This is a common feeling that ...

06

October 2017
Teaching kids: challenges and winning strategies
by Gabriel Ekoe González
In an increasing demand for English classes,  important points to consider when teaching kids are how to teach also what makes a good kids’ activity. Perhaps the most important thing to consider when teaching kids is their attenti...

04

July 2017
10 Real Reasons to do a TEFL Course in Spain
by Radmila Gurkova
TEFL Course in Spain - The time is now! July and August are the best months to decide to make the step into sunshine by signing yourself up to a TEFL course in September here in Spain. It's the perfect time to start something new. If you are a native English speaker or bilingual and you have an upbeat,...

04

July 2017
7 Tips on Giving Feedback to ESL Teachers
by Peter Nesbitt
Giving feedback to ESL teachers can be tricky, particularly when you have something critical to say. But yet it is also important, as without it, how can people learn? Sure, they can rely on their own self-evaluation of how they are doing, but if you have ever watched any TV talent show, you will see that a lot of people just aren't very good...

21

June 2017
Teacher Talks - Sharing expertise and experience
by Ryan Beaudelaire
Teacher Talks - Sharing expertise and experiences Things worth sharing We´ve had something up our sleeve for the last few weeks and we´re ready to do what we love and sha...

06

June 2017
Level testing: How to test a student's level?
by Ryan Beaudelaire
Level testing: How do you do it? Level testing...... Ooooh, lets talk! Unless you've been asked that awkward question outright: 'What level am I?' You won't know what's it like to to be a deer in the headlights and respond with something really daft in a high pitched voice like.... 'Yeah, really good!' Li...

02

June 2017
Teaching beginners: is translating really necessary?
by Radmila Gurkova
A big debate around teaching beginners has always been whether it is necessary or not to translate into the learners' mother tongue. Opinions are split and vary from definitely not to maybe sometimes yes or, in the other extreme, of course yes, translating is fast and effective. Translating seems straightforward and historically it has bee...

18

May 2017
Masterclass in ESL at Oxbridge to share and learn about expertise areas
by Gracia Guzmán
The Oxbridge English Teaching System (OETS) is made out of a wide and wide community of teachers from different countries and backgrounds. Offering a masterclass in ESL for different areas of expertise was necessary and easy at the same time, having in mind the richness of profiles of our community members. This is why we are currently devoti...

02

May 2017
Move to Spain - Have my life! It´s easy
by Ryan Beaudelaire
Move to Spain - Have my life! It´s easy! Last Sunday, this is how we spent our Sunday afternoon, chillin' up the Mountain at Montserrat! Just another mountaintop Benedictine monastery you know! ...