English in Early Childhood: Language Learning and Development (FutureLearn)

Overview

Discover how very young children learn English as an additional language and how you can help them progress. This course for parents and practitioners will explore how young children learn English and investigate many more aspects of early childhood learning and development.

Teaching English to children while they’re still learning their mother tongue is a challenging but rewarding prospect. In this online course, you’ll learn how and why children learn best through play. What can parents and practitioners do to enable children to get the most out of a learning experience?

This course for parents and practitioners will explore how young children learn English and investigate many more aspects of early childhood learning and development.

British Council educators will share their insights and experiences so that you can learn how to best talk to young children; how to create the best environment for them to learn English as an additional language; and how to monitor their progress.

Through articles, videos, and live events you will hear from early childhood experts and parents, and see for yourself how young children learn inside the early years’ classroom. At every stage, you will be offered tips, advice, and downloadable resources that will help you at teaching English as a foreign language to children.

You will join discussions and have the opportunity to interact live with our experienced educators.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to,

• Investigate how children learn and how they acquire language
• Discuss the importance of play and look at language development opportunities
• Reflect on ways to communicate effectively with young children
• Explore meaningful learning and developing language in the context
• Demonstrate the connection between learning and a child’s well-being
• Identify ways to support and challenge children, and measure their progress

Syllabus

Week 1: How children learn

Week 2: Learning through play

Week 3: How to talk to young children

Week 4: Learning: English and everything

Week 5: Feeling safe and happy

Week 6: Watching children learn

Teacher

• Sheona Gilmour