I have little experience teaching children and am always in awe of those who can manage the (to my eyes) chaos that comes with it. I feel that most teachers (and especially, ahum…., especially lecturers) could learn a thing or twelve from the average early childhood educator. Their range of communicative methods is so much larger than what you find in most adult classes. It’s a lot more hard work in some ways too. Long story short, I am not very good teaching younger learners, but one thing I did find works wonderfully is to get them to tell their own stories. As usual I like to find ways of using the computer for this and recently came across a neat tool that lets kids create their own cartoons. There are many tools for this, including free ones, but this one is particularly good and the results can be impressive. I’ve since used it during a workshop with adults. I never knew older learners could be noisier than a group of preschoolers, but it’s true. It certainly is a lot of fun, though, so have a look: www.toonboom.com. Especially for learners who are a bit reluctant to talk or write much, starting with visuals, such as a cartoon, can be a great way to motivate them.
Tags: call, cartoon, early childhood, kids, motivation