The pre-school years are a time of wonder and learning for very young children. They are learning about the world around them and they are developing the multidisciplinary skills they need to find their place in it.
They are developing speech and language skills as they learn to express themselves. They are gaining academic knowledge and the cognitive skills they need to process information and think for themselves. They are developing their motor skills as they explore the world and accomplish tasks. And they are learning the life and social and emotional skills they need to look after themselves, get on with other people and make informed decisions.
If pre-schoolers learn in a multidisciplinary way, we need to reflect this in their English language classes. Join us to explore how we can do this effectively.
According to the video, the speaker of this webinar is Susannah Reed, an author and educational consultant specializing in primary and pre-primary EL materials. The title of her talk is “The Whole Picture: Multidisciplinary Learning in English Language Classes with Very Young Learners”.
In the webinar, Susannah discusses the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to teaching English language learners (ELLs) at the preschool and kindergarten level. She argues that all areas of learning are important for this age group, including speech and language skills, academic skills, cognitive skills, motor skills, and life and social-emotional skills.
Susannah provides examples of how to integrate these different areas of learning into English language teaching. For example, she suggests using an activity where children are learning about animals while also developing their speech and language skills by watching a video and talking about the animals.
She also highlights the importance of play in learning for young children. Play allows children to experiment and try out new things, which helps them to develop their cognitive skills.
The webinar also includes a Q&A session where Susannah answers questions from attendees about topics such as the use of the native language in the classroom and the importance of setting rules and boundaries.