Metody i techniki nauczania jzyka angielskiego w ksztaceniu przedszkolnym i w szkole podstawowej

Zintegrowana edukacja jzykowo-muzyczna; zasady i techniki wykorzystania piosenek i rymowanek

1. Music is:
o highly memorable, (enhancing memory for sounds, words and utterances in fl),
o highly motivating (relating to everyday life),
o everywhere, people have musical tastes,
o effortless (starts to be perceived in the prenatal stage), addresses emotions,
o helpful with managing the class, reducing discipline problems,
o useful when goes to bringing variety to the class & providing the opportunities outside the
classroom

2. Music is highly memorable, because it:

o creates a state of relaxed receptivity (+fun without being exhausted),
o stimulatespositiveassociations,
o corresponds with body rhytm,
o isrepetitive,
o helps to visualise things (stimulate imagination and creativity),
o uses simple language (yet can be quite complex syntactically, lexically and poetically)

3. Songs are NOT enough.

Songs will NOT TEACH anyone how to use language, it will STRENGHTEN the context of foreign
language acquisition (and second language development).
Singing comunicating

4. MUSIC
Influencing emotional states of the learner + enhancing perception = STIMULATION OF
VOCABULARY ACQUISITION

5. Why is music important in language learning?

o Music activates memory, because it appeals to the subconscious mind. (Szpotowicz and Szulc-
Kurpaska, 2009)
o The song stuck in my head phenomenon seems to reinforce the songs work on our short- and
long-term memory. (Murphey, 1990)
o Egocentric language (Piaget, 1923) children talk without paying attention to an addressee.
o Krashen (1983) our brains have a natural propensity to repeat what we hear in order to
make sense of it. (manifestation of Chomskyslanguageacquisitiondevice)

6. Problems that may occur while using songs

o Too much fun and excitement (w/o taking it seriously),
o Songs are noisy (disturbing other classes),
o Songsaretime-consuming,
o Some students dont sing or pay attention to the song.
o What can we do with songs?
o Study grammar, vocabulary, proper intonation, culture,
o Practice selective listening comprehension (e.g. filling gaps),
o Learnusefulphrases, questions,
o Composethem,
o Translatethem,
o Usemusic for background,
o Energize, relaxclass
Metody i techniki nauczania jzyka angielskiego w ksztaceniu przedszkolnym i w szkole podstawowej
Zintegrowana edukacja jzykowo-muzyczna; zasady i techniki wykorzystania piosenek i rymowanek

7. Study by Medina (1993) effectiveness of music and illustrations in stories (English vocabulary
acquisition)
1st group (story in sung version, w/o illustrations) music, no illustrations,
2nd group (story in oral version, w/o illustrations) no music, no illustrations,
3rd group (story in sung and spoken version) music, illustrations,
4th group (story in oral version with illustrations) no music, illustrations.
RESULTS:
Vocabulary gain was higher for groups where either music or illustrations were used, however
the highest vocabulary gain was for the 3rd group (both music and illustrations used).

8. Georgi Lazanov Suggestopedia (introduction of classical music in an EFL teaching)

He used Baroque music which:
o by being regular and having harmony, corresponds with the heartbeat,
o provides dessugestion when Ss open up to new lg devoid from fears and prejudice from the past,
o helps to activate the right brain hemisphere (making experience more holistic),
o its tune can bring long stretches of lg which are associated with its piece (making retention of chunks
as a whole easier),
o tediousness of pronunciation exercises for practicing various aspects of phonetics may be reduced by
imitating the rhythm of intonation of fl with music,
o melodic teaching of lg chunk may have slower rate than in everyday speech (strengthen syllables,
pauses between groups of words are more distinctive),
o producing ones music helps with developing lg (getting to know names of instruments, going to
know instruments by playing or touching them, recognizing sounds), creativity and imagination)

9. Vocalizations
Exercises in which learners learn new vocabulary/structure using different pitch, volume,
dynamics and mood. It helps memorizing the vocabulary. (e.g. the rhyme of IncyWincy Spider =
the rhyme of Incy Daddy Spider).

10. Children like all kinds of music if they can move to it.
Bochen (2005) suggests usage of exercises that make Ss move to the song (pretending to fly to
Flight to the Bumblebee) teacher stops song and asks Ss to fly to the destination picked by
him/her.

11. Rhytm, dance, music

Romualda awrowska proposed a programme for musical education for teacher trainees for
preschool and early primary school. It consists of:
o relaxation,
o breathing,
o techniques of movement,
o stimulating and hindering movement,
o reacting with movement to changes in music,
o rhythm in speech,
o using different sounds in rhythm,
o choosing rhymes/counting rhymes.
Metody i techniki nauczania jzyka angielskiego w ksztaceniu przedszkolnym i w szkole podstawowej
Zintegrowana edukacja jzykowo-muzyczna; zasady i techniki wykorzystania piosenek i rymowanek

12. Romualda awrowska (a programme for musical education for preschools and early primary
schools) RELAXATION
(children are affected by tension at school, music helps release this)
o Involving physical and mental rest (comfortable position, loosening muscles, reducing mental
activities),
o ISOLATING THE ORGANISM FROM EXTERNAL STIMULI AND CALMING THE
INDIVIDUAL,
*for quietening Ss and encouraging imagination, T may read a text in FL and play soothing
background music.

13. Romualda awrowska (a programme for musical education for preschools and early primary
schools) BREATHING
(helps to rest and teach how to manage breathing system)
o Music regulates breathing system and provides rhythm,
o Rhythm involving activities may involve a change in music which affects breathing (instructions in
TL, T demonstrates)
*e.g. blowing feathers to keep them flying in the air as long as music is playing

14. Romualda awrowska (a programme for musical education for preschools and early primary
schools) TECHNIQUES OF MOVEMENT
(may develop conscious movement, sense of direction or orientation in space)
o Children are asked to imagine an activity while listening to music and to imitate it ->stimuation of the
awareness of conscious movement,
o Mimingactivities,
o Activities sensitizing to the direction of movement
o Activitiesenhancingorientation in space
*(with time) may change into more sophisticated ones

15. Romualda awrowska (a programme for musical education for preschools and early primary
schools) STIMULATING AND HINDERING MOVEMENT
(developing concentration, quick orientation, conscious enhancement of body, slowing down movement)
o Participants react quickly to signals given to them,
o To receive a required response from Ss, turn off/change the music (e.g. freezing),

16. Romualda awrowska (a programme for musical education for preschools and early primary
schools) REACTING WITH MOVEMENT TO CHANGES IN MUSIC
Activities may rely on reacting to changes in tempo (slow&quick), articulation with breaks
(staccato), linking w/o breaks (legato) and dynamics (loud or silent).
o Changes in tempo of music may be accompanied by accurate body movements and manner of
articulating language.
(example in Szpotowicz and Szulc-Kurpaska 2009, 191)

17. Romualda awrowska (a programme for musical education for preschools and early primary
schools) RYTHM IN SPEECH
Speech naturalsource in rythm
o Syllables, words, sentences are declared rhythmically,
o Rhythm in speech is based on stressed syllables (unstressed ones are said quickly, stressed
prolonged with stress),
Metody i techniki nauczania jzyka angielskiego w ksztaceniu przedszkolnym i w szkole podstawowej
Zintegrowana edukacja jzykowo-muzyczna; zasady i techniki wykorzystania piosenek i rymowanek

Melody of sentence is created by:

o rhythmic stress (the duration of syllable/word- long/short syllable),
o dynamic stress (intensity of voice in speech/singing-loud/quiet voice), and
o melodic stress (raising or falling voice)

18. Romualda awrowska (a programme for musical education for preschools and early primary
schools) USING DIFFERENT SOUNDS IN RHYTM
Rhythmic and movement activities are more enjoyable with sounds from different sources
(usage of everyday objects e.g. keys, sticks, spoons, paper blocks, boxes)
o Human voice used in an unconventional way (onomatopoeia), hands (clapping) and legs (stamping)
are also useful
o Realization of rhythmic themes, rhythm in songs, illustration of songs, chants and musical stories.

19. Romualda awrowska (a programme for musical education for preschools and early primary
schools) CHOOSING RHYMES OR COUNTING RHYMES
(favourite element of many childrens play)
o The text of a choosing/counting rhyme is often created by children in a spontaneous way,
o May contain element of nonsense, magic spell, yet its always enjoyable for Ss,
o Choosing/counting rhymes are characterized by rhythm of the text,
o Traditional choosing/counting rhymes in TL are perfect for activities which involve rhythm and
movement.

20. Songs
AT HOME:
o Accompany the development of mother tongue in childhood (mother sings to her children),
o Provide nice atmosphere, relax everyone, announce a well-known routine and create a safe
environment,
o Contribute the intimacy between mother and children,
o Sensitize the child to music,
o Provide a child with kinaesthetic activity (dancing to songs),
o May be repeated in order to provide meaningful lg practice,
AT SCHOOL:
o Help acquire native pronunciation, vocabulary and lg chunks,
o Developlisteningskills,
o Practicecommunicationturns,
o Introduce elements of to culture,
o (in younger classrooms) encourage shy children to participate in singing (repetition of lyrics in a
chorus),
o (since peer pressure extends to lg) more inhibited ls feel they should be doing what others enjoy not
to be taken as someone different.

21. Chants
(are integral part of most primary EFL course books illustrate the topic and are a powerful tool to
reinforce lg structures and vocabulary introduced by syllabus,
o Involve rhythm, characteristic beat and movement,
o Can be traditional action chants (Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around) or written for fl ls to
practice English rhythm and intonation patterns.
Metody i techniki nauczania jzyka angielskiego w ksztaceniu przedszkolnym i w szkole podstawowej
Zintegrowana edukacja jzykowo-muzyczna; zasady i techniki wykorzystania piosenek i rymowanek

22. American Language Institute of New York University.

..developed an interesting idea of using chants in foreign lg teaching.
Used the beat and rhythm of jazz music and made Jazz Chanting an integral part of their lg learning
programmes.
Carolyn Graham (teacher, jazz singer) has published several collections of books and cassettes
with jazz chants for different occasions and age groups, strongly recommends this teaching aid.

23. The main benefits of using jazz chants with children are:
o They are motivating, memorable and fun,
o They add variety to language practice,
o They provide for lots of natural and enjoyable repetition,
o They allow for physical movement,
o They are non-threatening,
o They reinforce vocabulary and grammar,
o They improve all aspects of pronunciation,
o They develop fluidity and natural speed in speaking chunks of language,
o They provide opportunities for rehearsal which helps children later transfer the language to other
contexts,
o They build up childrens confidence and help create a sense of achievement and success.

24. Rhymes
o Are a part of every childs culture, play important cultural role (representing the oral tradition of
poetry which was transferred from one generation to another),
o Nursery rhymes are an important vehicle for first lg acquisition,
o Finger rhymes, dancing rhymes and nursery rhymes are being used to stimulate lg learning,
o Are also used to teach lg, practice memory and tell stories,
o May be passed by children themselves w/o adult participation,
o Nursery rhymes develop language, thinking and worldview.
o Nursery rhymes may have developed from ballads and folksongs (which originally referred to crimes
such as murders, poisoning and adultery, but had to be changed to be understandable for kids),
o Ballads developed into nursery rhymes by changing from sophistication to simplicity,
fromdescriptive variety to unity of the image,
o Nonsense poetry nursery rhyme which doesnt have details crucial for understanding.
o World presented in nursery rhymes is impersonal, rhymes can be dramatized by reciting
(numerous opportunities for repetition -> cumulative repetition)
(examples: Szpotowicz and Szulc-Kurpaska, 2009 p. 193-194)

25. If the teacher is able to sing a song/chant on his/her own, it:

o Helps to adjust the pace to the capabilities of the ls,
o Facilitate pronunciation of the words in the ls,
o Has strong motivational effect (feeling that T is working with S personally),
o S appreciateTsefforts,
o Ss will learn a song/chant more eagerly if they see T is enjoying it,
o T feels more comfortable while introducing the activity,
o Saves time on finding a song/chant on cassette,
o May become a routine and a natural form of interaction between T and Ss
A song/chant may be sung/chanted any time: on ls request, to start/finish the lesson, to
discipline/relax ls, to change an activity.
Metody i techniki nauczania jzyka angielskiego w ksztaceniu przedszkolnym i w szkole podstawowej
Zintegrowana edukacja jzykowo-muzyczna; zasady i techniki wykorzystania piosenek i rymowanek

26. The advantages of using songs/chants in teaching young ls:

o The tune may help ls to produce longer stretches of lg, which otherwise would be difficult to repeat
(song-stuck-in-my-head phenomenon),
o Singing a song may create a pleasant atmosphere in class and entertain the ls, as it reduces the
tension.
o Singing may provide a variety from lg work in class and may be a break from monotony,
o If used before/after lesson it creates a lesson frame,
o May discipline ls when they are disruptive,
o May help create a friendly rapport between the T and ls.

27. It is highly advisable for ls to listen to chants and songs at home:

o It gives additional practice in learning the lyrics, tune and rhythm of the song as well as words of a
chant.
o It helps parents become familiar with what their children are learning at school, what makes the
experience more involving for the childs family circle.

28. Musical and rhythmical activities for different age groups: Preschool children
o Each verse should be accompanied with gesture (even if children cannot repeat the words, they will
repeat the gestures which represent them),
o Children at this age do not see the words, they ONLY learn through hearing and observing Ts
actions,
o All the onomatopoeic sounds should also be included so that the pupils may take pleasure in
singing/chanting just by saying these sounds, especially at the beginning of learning to sing a song,
o In the visualisation task, preschool children read a text while they listen to a piece of music and draw
what they could imagine.

29. Musical and rhythmical activities for different age groups:

Lower primary children
o Teaching a song should be accompanied by gestures and movement; however in grade three, due to
increasing inhibition, children may not be willing to sing or show gestures/actions,
o In order to differentiate practice of songs, ls may be asked to present their own interpretation of the
song, singing it in a funny way/sad manner like a child,opera Singer, pop star, etc.
o The ls may be given the words of a song/chant after learning it in an oral way,
o In the visualisation task, ls may be asked to recall the words which were used in the text read to them
while the music was playing.

30. Musical and rhythmical activities for different age groups:

Upper primary children
o Activities with song at this age may include filling in gaps in the text of the song (working on the
written form of the song/chant),
o Ls may be allowed to bring to class the songs they like to listen to (personalization of the experience
with singing songs, gives pride, develops self-identity),
o In the visualisation task, after listening to the text read by the T with background music, the Ls tell in
their own words what they could see/imagine.