Trainers: Han Mol & Ma Xin

Abstract:
The majority of school curricula and the majority of course books for young learners are designed along grammatical criteria. But many communicative language teachers oppose the explicit teaching of grammar.

We feel that meaning should be our main focus in language learning and grammar should not be isolated outside the meaning framework. Grammar is a system that helps make meaning more precise.

This workshop gives insight in some of the theoretical background to grammar activities and presents activities for young learners that seek to achieve three goals:

1. to teach learners to express themselves as clearly as possible with confidence
2. to strengthen grammatical accuracy in a fun and purposeful way.
   
3. to increase grammar awareness among young learners
   

We also look at how learning styles come into play and how activities that appeal to different learning styles can help students and we will work on grammar activities that suit your situation.
Delegates will take home increased awareness of the value of grammar in the young learner English classroom and ideas to apply in their own situation.

Hans Mol has worked as a teacher, trainer and materials writer for more than 25 years. He is joint co-ordinator of IATEFL’s Young Learners and Teenagers SIG and is the author of a large number of courses and resources aimed at English learners ranging from young learners to adults. He has contributed to Megatrends, Creative English, Mega, Next Stop, Attitude, Shift, Style Update, Real English, Macmillan English Campus, Onestopenglish and is working on a new young Learner course, Take Shape and he has co-authored a bilingual illustrated dictionary for learners over the age of 8. His Grammar for Young Learners, co-written with Gordon Lewis, was published with OUP (2009). For teens and (young) adults he has (co-)written or contributed to Outlook, New outlook, Link-up, English for Tourism and Hospitality, Shift, Summit and Attitude. He has trained teachers and trainers in Holland, Germany, Indonesia, China and Mexico. He also writes and produces songs and music for English language learners (children, teens and adults).

Ma Xin, (MA, PhD Candidate), an English teacher and teacher trainer at School of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Beijing Normal University, P. R. China. Her research interests include in-service and pre-service teacher training, teacher change, ELT methodology, and materials development. In recent years, she has participated in a number of projects related to teacher development and textbook writing.