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

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.

48