How to have a good online English class

The area of human brain in charge of language learning is called "Brocas" area. The age of 3-12 is the most active period of children in this area and the best period of imitation memory. At this time, the language absorbed and stored by the brain will be set as the "mother tongue" by the brain. Therefore, learning English in this period will get twice the result with half the effort. When people reach the age of 12, most people's "Brocas" area will be closed. At this time, learning language will greatly reduce the learning effect of the brain.

Therefore, many parents hope to enable children to start English learning as soon as possible and help children establish habit of thinking and expression oneself in English.

Online foreign teachers' English class is welcomed by many parents because it is an all English Immersion Teaching of foreign teachers. The class time is convenient, not limited by time and space, and the price is reasonable.

However, when they study in the same online foreign teacher organization or even follow the same foreign teacher, sometimes the children's learning effect and learning progress are different.

Institutions and foreign teachers sincerely hope that every child can make the greatest progress and master English as his second language. However, due to the limitations of online teaching and other factors, sometimes the learning effect of some children seems not ideal, and parents have anxiety and doubt. As a teaching and research staff of Wordwise who has been engaged in online English foreign teachers for many years, the author puts forward some suggestions from many years of practical online teaching experience and summarizing the learning experience of many young students, hoping to be helpful to parents and students.

1、 Equipment preparation

Some parents have no problem temporarily using mobile phones to teach children in audition classes, but in the long run, parents had better prepare laptops or tablets for children as class equipment. Because the mobile phone screen is small, it will affect children's vision. In addition, sometimes mobile phone calls will interrupt class and delay the time.

Classin, the classroom app, used by Wordwise can be installed on Apple, Android, Mac and Windows systems. Parents are advised to use devices with a screen greater than 10 inches.

After installing classin software, please follow the instructions to check whether the microphone and camera functions normally.

2、 Parents' company in the early stage

Almost every child will have a degree of fear and anxiety when they begin to interact with foreign teachers who speak English. Therefore, if parents can accompany the children at the beginning of the course, they not only help the children ease their tension, but also help the children get familiar with the basic operation of the software.

Younger children are usually more active. They occasionally play with toys or eat something in class, which has no impact on their study in class. However, some children will play and ignore the teacher or run to one side and never come back. However, it is more difficult for online foreign teachers to manage classroom discipline across the screen. Therefore, in the early stage of learning, parents should accompany and assist the children to adapt to the online classroom. After the child has become used to the online foreign teacher and master the basic classroom tools’ operation, parents are encouraged to allow their child to be more independent by letting them do the class on their own.

2、 Parental support after class

1. Play the audio of the learned content to the children repeatedly

Listening and speaking are the most important channels for the development of language learning ability, in which listening occupies the primary position. Listening has become an effective way for people to obtain information and the reason why language learning ability will never decline.

American scholars wilt and Rankin's research on the objective phenomenon of language communication shows that the four forms of communication, listening, speaking, reading and writing, account for 45%, 30%, 16% and 9% respectively. In other words, listening communication accounts for nearly half of the time.

The core obstacle for most Chinese students to learn English is that they can't pass the listening test and can't get English language information through easy listening, so as to spontaneously improve their English ability.

Online foreign teachers' English class only lasts for 30 minutes. If there is no large amount of listening training after class, it will lack a very important factor to help children establish English thinking, cumulative vocabulary and syntax. Students listen to what they have learned and input it effectively, which will help them speak (output) better in the foreign teacher's class.

Wordwise provides electronic files such as audio of all courses and Raz graded reading to parents. Parents can download and install devices such as mobile phones, players and listeners, and play them to children when they play and walk. They don't need children to focus as much as they do on listening classes in school, but in fact, they are also doing effective listening input.

2. Click to read the textbook

The sets of textbooks used by Wordwise are internationally renowned and widely recognized. When purchasing textbooks, the parents of students in Chinese Mainland can not only buy genuine textbooks on Taobao, but also consider purchasing the Chinese version of point reading textbooks to match the point reading pen of Xiaoda people.

Point reading textbooks are very useful for children. Parents can accompany and lead children to establish the habit of review and preview after class, review the old and know the new, and can well guide children to establish the ability of self-study.

Oxford Children's English let's go (Fourth Edition, 6 levels), Oxford phonics world (5 levels), Oxford family and friends (6 levels) and graded reading Raz recommended by teachers are sold on Taobao and pinduoduo. Parents can consult Wordwise course consultants to share the valuable experience of other students.

3. Family English Context

Generally, in the language enlightenment stage, parents can use English cartoons, children's songs and videos at home to create a language environment, accumulate listening vocabulary for children, help cultivate interest and language sense, and stimulate and guide children to output high-frequency words and simple sentences in their daily life. Wordwise is a good auxiliary resource for parents to use English children's songs and cartoons.

The vast majority of parents have experienced English learning, so the primary online class content for children is not difficult for many parents. If parents can use the words and sentences learned by the children to have a simple English conversation with the children in the life scene after class, it will help the children convert the content on the screen to the real life scene. Similarly, some parents who are willing to learn a little English again are encouraged.

4. Cultivate the habit of reading RAZ every day

RAZ is the most famous online reading product of learning A-Z in the United States. It is also an online graded reading product adopted by more than 10000 schools in the United States. There are 28 levels from AA to Z. there are dozens of books under each level, including about 3000 books. If you finish reading and master them, your vocabulary can reach 20000 +.

RAZ covers dozens of different subjects, such as animals, nature, humanities, politics, economy, sports, code of conduct, traditional culture, astronomy and geography, followed by biographies, mathematical principles, abbreviations of famous works and Astronomy and geography. Correspondingly, the number of words is broad, covering all fields.

It can be said that RAZ is a set of excellent graded reading. In China, Raz's versions include: XRS official ABC reading app, Taobao pinduoduo's paper version, and several RAZ native reading apps.

No matter which one you choose to buy, the most important thing is to persevere and follow it for more than 20 minutes every day. Because the two sources of external language information stimulation are listening and reading. Follow RAZ, read app or read on paper. Both listening and reading are taken into account.

3、 Number of classes per week

Wordwise adopts the "double fixed" class mode of fixed foreign teachers and fixed class time. The number of classes per week needs to be determined in advance by parents and foreign teachers according to the situation. From the perspective of language stimulation, naturally, the more classes a week, the better. 

Wordwise also has some children who have a class with foreign teachers every day. However, considering the time of different families, children's preview and review and other factors, it is suggested that the number of classes per week should not be less than three, and the time of three classes can be selected as the next day, so as to reserve time for preview and review. Because the longer the interval between any language learning, the easier it is to forget and degenerate. Just like exercising physical muscles, "language memory muscles" also need regular exercise, which will have obvious results.

4、 Use the service group to upload jobs and voice and video

Wordwise's service group provides children with the service of correcting after-school exercises. Older children can complete the content of after-school exercise books and then upload them to the service group by their parents for correction and feedback. Parents can also upload children's English reading and speaking videos in the service group. The teachers will also give some encouragement and guidance after seeing them. Therefore, the English service provided by Wordwise is not limited to 30 minutes in class. Parents can make full use of the service group, still maintain communication and interaction with teachers after class, and give full play to the maximum function of the service group.

5、 Support children to establish friendship with foreign teachers

Therefore, it can encourage students to establish a stable relationship with Wordwise teachers and children in English, and encourage them to express their interest and friends in English for a long time.

In addition to the classroom learning content, some children and parents will also have more communication with teachers through the service group. For example, on teacher's day, Christmas, new year and other festivals, children draw a picture, write a few words of blessing and greeting to the teacher, or record a small video or voice greeting to the teacher, which not only makes the relationship between them better, but also exercises the students' English application ability. Parents can learn from this.

6、 Don't compare children horizontally, be patient and encourage them

English learning is a process that needs long-term persistence. It can't be learned in a month or two. From zero to mastery can be very fast, but from mastery to mastery actually takes a long time to polish, learn and make progress.

Children can master a language through four periods: language silence period (within 3 months), language imitation period (3 months-1 year), language outbreak period (1-2 years) and language maturity period (2 years). Language imitation period (3 months-1 year), language outbreak period (1-2 years), language maturity period (2 years). Language maturity (2 years).

01 what is the language silence period?

The silent period is when the child doesn't speak and has no language output. Stephen D. Krashen, a famous linguist, put forward that when children acquire their mother tongue, they always go through a period of "listening" (silent period), and then speak the first word. "Silent period" is a very necessary period for learners to build language ability. This rule is also suitable for learning a second language. The length of the second language silence period varies from person to person, some as long as a few days, others as long as months or more.

How can parents cooperate at this stage? First of all, coercion is absolutely forbidden, otherwise it will only prolong the child's silence period. What parents can do is to ensure a sufficient amount of English environment for their children. The purpose is to increase language input, that is, "listening".

02 what is the period of language imitation?

Children's language acquisition begins with imitation. When the amount of imitation accumulates to a certain extent, he will speak, then continue to imitate, continue to improve the language learning mechanism and provide oral proficiency.

Children's follow-up reading at the initial stage of online and foreign teaching, Raz reading offline and reading textbooks are effective imitation processes, which can train children's English pronunciation, promote children to deeply feel English culture, understand English materials and cultivate children's good sense of English language.

03 what is the language explosion period?

There was a survey on the basic law of children's language development in China. The data show that children will expand their vocabulary through imitation, and then children's typical words can produce more words and derive richer meanings. Finally, the reason why there will be a peak in children's language development. Some people call this interval a period of children's language outbreak.

Through these three stages, children's English Enlightenment can be regarded as effective.

Usually, boys and girls have different sensitivity to language, and different children's language outbreak periods are also different. Some children can talk with foreign teachers after three or four months of study, while some children can only simply respond to the teacher with words.

Parents need to recognize the law of learning a foreign language. When their children first come into contact with English, they should not often compare their children with other people's children, nor force their children to achieve their own goals. In this way, their children become more and more interested in English from the beginning and become more and more afraid.

In fact, every child can master English skillfully. English words and syntax are much simpler than Chinese. As long as students keep learning and inputting according to the progress, they will usher in the first outbreak of English sooner or later.

Seven,

The teaching contents of online foreign teachers are diversified, which can effectively establish children's native English thinking and expression. At the same time, online teaching also has its own limitations. No matter what form of education, parents' company and supervision are an important part of children's learning and growth experience. After many years, perhaps the warmest and best memory time you have is every moment of studying, reading and discussing together.

I wish every child a wonderful experience and outstanding breakthroughs and results in your pursuit to master the English language.