Page 29 - ELG1906 May-Jun Issue 465

EU special .
FEATURES & COMMENT
Talking to Torquay about young learners PIXABAY

Kevin McNally, Managing Director of Torquay International School tells
We knowe know
Melanie Butler why Torquay is the ideal location for young learners W
I allow this new venture to negatively affect our learners are ‘more or less the same’. I am very it makes sense
never intended to get involved in young
There is a danger of assuming all young
core adult business.
learners. My interest had always been in
it makes sense
Some schools make the mistake of thinking
lucky in that my academic staff go to great
the high-end adult market, but after my
first summer in Torquay, I realised that
individual. They meet frequently with each of
product as adult courses. I believe they need a
this was the ideal destination for children. young learner courses are more or less the same lengths to view every young learner as an
I had been shocked to see kids as young very different perspective. the young learners to see what we can do to help
as 14 hanging round amusement arcades Safeguarding and welfare must come first. them each achieve their full potential, and we
at 10:30 at night, completely unsupervised. All the support staff who work with our young have classroom assistants on hand to help with
Their bags and T-shirts clearly indicated learners take the level three safeguarding any pastoral welfare issues.
that they were on a study programme run by course. We have a very high staff-to-student Taking on young learners has led to
one of the unaccredited providers who move ratio and students are constantly supervised. sleepless nights worrying that every child Multisensory learning benefi ts students of all abilities and is an excellent way for
into places like Torquay each summer and Unusually, no student under 15 is allowed to is safe and secure. But our systems and
set up short-term centres. walk alone to or from either school or activities. procedures do work, and as we go into our teachers to introduce inclusive practises, says Anne Margaret Smith
I work on the basis that everything I do for In Devon, we are lucky in that our local third year I feel more relaxed.
students should be good enough for a member council takes safeguarding and welfare The biggest reward has been seeing how nclusion’ and ‘inclusive practice’ are buzz- When we activate several input channels, timing allows more effective segmentation
of my family. I wouldn’t want a young member extremely seriously. We have an excellent much progress the young learners can make words in many educational sectors. Yet we stimulate more areas of the brain at and enhances phonological awareness in
of my family to be hanging around the streets relationship with a local Safeguarding Liaison in two weeks. Walking into a class of 11-year- some teachers may still not feel confident once, and make more connections with the other ways, too, such as sequencing of
in an unfamiliar town at 10:30 at night! Officer, she is on hand for anything and olds and seeing Italians, Turks and Algerians Ithat they know how to start implementing new material, which helps us to understand sounds.
I could do this, I thought, and I could everything. This gives me peace of mind, I feel engaging with each inclusive practices, especially if they haven’t and retain the information. This can be Some learners may also benefit from
do it better. We already had an excellent that we have a constant third-party oversight. other erases any any explicit training. done using elements of drama, for example, explicit coaching in perceiving pitch changes,
infrastructure at Torquay International Pedagogically, teaching young learners is only cynicism. I like to think These practices are rarely a part of initial adding gestures to new vocabulary items, in order to understand and produce a wider
School, and our base of homestay providers casually related to teaching adults. An adult having these kids at teacher training programmes, and it is only or acting out dialogues and stories. Larger range of intonation patterns. There are good
was easily adaptable for younger students. knows that they are investing time and money Torquay International with experience that we realise how much we physical movements have the added benefit arguments for helping learners to understand
All the statistics show demand is moving to be with us. Young learners have no such School means. in our don’t know. of stimulating blood flow, bringing fresh the effects of volume and tempo in their
to young learner courses. So, it made perceptions. They have to be kept engaged at own tiny way, we are Some institutions, unfortunately, only oxygen to the brain. speech, in order to communicate their ideas
business sense to start developing these all times, and this requires enthusiastic and helping our world have a pay lip-service to the idea. They set up Some techniques can be borrowed from in precisely the way they intend.
programmes, while being very careful not to dynamic teaching. better future. superficial procedures that tick the inspection visual arts: colour coding for parts of speech, Implementing inclusive practices does not
boxes, without investing in the professional or producing simple images to support have to mean increasing teachers’ workloads
development or resources teachers need to memory of new vocabulary. These strategies or breaking the school budget.
make the curriculum accessible to all their are appealing and beneficial to many We set the tone of our classroom culture
learners. students. by modelling the respect that we want
Many teachers, on the other hand, One of the best ways of making lessons our learners to show each other. By using
work constantly to develop a more multisensory is to multisensory activities in our classes, we
collaborative classroom culture, to make use of music, allow all learners to work to their strengths
create a culture which encourages Often, it is because it activates and have the opportunity to shine at some
their learners to recognise the many of the same point in the day.
PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN ENGLISH
diversity within the group, and small changes parts of the brain Simultaneously, we help them develop areas
https://tisenglish.co.uk/ to appreciate the benefits that as language. Apart of learning that may be a bit weaker, giving
this brings to their learning in classroom from playing songs them more strategies for approaching different
experience. in order to focus types of material. Most importantly, we also
A growing body of research management that on the lyrical send a message that language learning can,
evidence, including a European content, change and should, be collaborative and enjoyable for
Commission study from 2013, yield the biggest the mood of the everyone.
suggest that all students taught in class, or provide
inclusive classrooms benefit from impact. a springboard for REFERENCES
this experience, not only socially, creative writing, ■ European Commission (2013). Support for
but also pedagogically. Inclusive practice there are several children with special educational needs (SEN).
is good practice, and anything that makes elements of music that map directly onto ■ Overy K. (2003) Dyslexia and music from
the language easier to learn ought to be help aspects of language use. timing deficits to musical intervention. Annals
everybody. Rhythm, pitch, volume and tempo can of the New York Academy of Sciences 999:
Often, it is small changes in classroom be exploited as an easy and enjoyable entry 497–505.
management that yield the biggest impact. route for some learners who seem disengaged,
They foster a sense of belonging and mutual or are struggling to acquire communicative
respect for all the members of the group. competence. These elements, of course, are ■ Anne Margaret
For example, not all teachers are fully found in all types of music (and speech), but Smith is an ELT
in control of the course material they use, it may be helpful to isolate them and focus on teacher, trainer, author
but we can all choose how to present the one at a time, before recombining them into and dyslexia assessor.
material, and what aspects our students genuine utterances. She helped to set up
need to focus on. Language professionals working with the IATEFL Inclusive
We can also supplement our books with dyslexic learners have known for a long Practices & SEN SIG
multisensory activities, so that students time that working on a sense of rhythm, and and runs her own
simultaneously see, hear and interact attention to the syllable structure of words, company: ELT well
physically with the language. supports spelling skills. Improving auditory (www.ELTwell.com).

EU16 May/June 2019 editorial@elgazette.com 13