Page 48 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom
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Approaches to Language Teaching


                       son talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. [Council of Europe,
                       2001, p. 24]

                    In what way is the CEFR important for teaching learners at the level of pri-
                  mary schooling? Sešek and Pižorn (2009) argue that the CEFR is a relevant
                  framework also for teaching a foreign language to YLs although the element
                  of learners’ age is not specifically discussed. For example, the CEFR is used
                  in developing materials and tests for primary school learners. In addition, it
                  has been seen as the basis for the European Language Portfolio, which has
                  been developed for different languages and different age groups. The port-
                  folioisadocumentwhichprovideslearnerswithastructureinwhichtheycan
                  record their language learning and cultural experiences both within and out-
                  side formal education. Finally, teachers can use CEFR-based assessments to
                  determine whether learners are achieving the desired language proficiency
                  levels through communicative activities.
                    In 2018, the CEFR was complemented by a Companion Volume (Council of
                  Europe, 2018) which provides new descriptors as well as a more detailed and
                  up-to-date information on various aspects of language teaching and assess-
                  ment. It addresses contemporary issues in language education, including
                  digital literacy, multiculturalism, and mobility, and offers practical guidance
                  for educators and institutions. It serves as a valuable resource for shaping
                  language teaching policies and practices in Europe and beyond.

                  TotalPhysicalResponse
                  Total Physical Response or TPR is an approach to foreign language teaching
                  which was developed by James Asher (1977, 1981) in the USA from the mid-
                  1960s and is based on providing learners with plenty of comprehensible lis-
                  tening input related to actions. Language is introduced through the use of
                  instructions or commands which learners respond to with movement. The
                  initial instructions in beginner’s classes are simple (for example: stand up, sit
                  down,etc.) but aremademorecomplex asthelearnersprogress(forexample:
                  walktothewindow,pickupthebookinthedrawer, etc.). TPR is based on the as-
                  sumption that a target language is best acquired the way children naturally
                  acquire their mother tongue, which always starts with comprehension rather
                  than production. The focus is on language structures and formulas which are
                  internalizedthrough commands.Thiscan beassociatedwith thestructuralist
                  or grammar-based theory of language, while the type of drills and physical
                  reactionsinvolvedcanberelatedtobehaviourismandthestimulus-response
                  model of learning.


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