Teach English in GAoxu Zhen - Suqian Shi

When we think of education the first thing that comes to mind is the school as a training center and a nucleus of educational action, but it is fundamental to understand that it is not the only thing; there are many other channels that strengthen the learning process that are complemented by the educational process in the school. Teachers, students and parents make up the educational family, the educational family needs the participation of all its members to achieve a comprehensive and meaningful education. That is why the educational family, through the parents, develops the optimal context for learning and for the reconstruction and internalization of social rules. It is with them that the first context for socializing educational values within the two family environments occurs; where the first environment refers to the love, stability and personal dignity that make up the reason for the birth of a human being. And the second area is related to the cultural institution of the school where the family educational functions are completed, these two family areas have planning, systematisation and an intentionality exercising a strong educational power in human beings. That is why if we want a complete formation of the children we must favor from the school the participation of the families, and facilitate the family learning in the different topics, understanding that education is a continuous and permanent process.1 However, in the teaching of languages some problems arise, in the learning of the English language in particular, the students manifest more frequently obstacles to advance in the subjects where the parents make suppositions such as: "my son is badly given this language", "he does not advance anything", "he does not study enough", etc. But it is fundamental to understand that learning a new language is a slow, long process that requires a lot of practice and dedication; it is not something simple that can be learned from one day to the next, and it is here that parents must take control of this situation through observation, detailing every aspect of the learning process, considering each one' s personal situation, and finally detecting the barriers and learning to overcome them, only then will learning be more effective, rewarding and simple. I will now explain six shortcomings in the teaching of the English language to children, and give possible solutions where parents play a key role. Let's start with the little dedication in teaching, where the time received from teaching is not of quality, followed by this the second deficiency is the monotonous and little interactive classes, which become one more barrier in learning, thirdly, there is the fear that children feel to be made fun of, the fear of being made fun of by their peers when trying to put into practice what they have learned. As a fourth shortcoming we have the lack of constancy, which basically manifests itself when children do not understand that there is no magic formula for learning, and stop practicing, thus losing constancy in their study routine. The fifth shortcoming is the lack of motivation, basically we observe this deficiency when children do not feel any interest or enjoyment in the class, since it is difficult for them to keep up with it; and finally we find the false belief that there are no people with whom the child can practice this new language. Now, how do we solve these obstacles? Or better yet, how can parents help overcome these obstacles? It is important to understand that it is not convenient for children to have classes for several hours in a row in which only the subject of the class is given importance, the emotions of the children when learning, their needs, how they behave when they gradually understand the lessons, these things are what determine the success of the teaching and it is the starting point; Parents should review these aspects in detail, while it is recommended that the teacher plans classes with small groups and expresses in writing the learning experience of each child to their parents, so that they, along with the teacher, can have a dialogue based on the productive development of each lesson. On the other hand, monotonous classes should be redesigned by interactive classes, where all children participate actively, communication should be fluid and they should share their opinions and experiences during the class according to the development of each activity; with an interactive class, children will practice the language and also improve their communication with others, in conclusion they will learn in a fun way. To overcome the students' fear of practicing English in public, it is important to teach them that everyone is learning and that no one is a scholar. Parents can look at these small achievements in grammar, syntax or vocabulary of their children and day by day put them back into practice with different daily activities at home, which will obtain good results and increase the children's confidence; However, if the problem is about pronunciation, parents can help by talking to their children aloud in different places in the house and encourage them to practice in front of the mirror by reading a chapter of a story, singing, telling a joke, as this will further strengthen the children's confidence and be great fun for them and their parents. On the other hand, to overcome the lack of constancy we must be clear that it is not about studying more, but to keep the mind fresh and practice with defined objectives, parents can help by planning a schedule that incorporates a goal every day, so it will improve the constancy in children.2 Confidence is closely linked to motivation, if the problem is lack of motivation to learn English we must strengthen the confidence of children, so it is extremely important that parents teach them not to compare themselves with others, unlike this, is effective teaching them to compare themselves, what things did I know last week? and what things do I know now? how have I improved? what mistakes I do not make now? this exercise led by parents will generate confidence and translate into greater motivation to continue learning English. Finally, parents can help their children enormously in learning the English language by breaking the false belief that they have no one to practice with, the solution is in exposure, we can expose them as long as possible to the native English accent, with television programs, videos, cartoons, movies, music, tutorials, games, etc. It is also important that parents speak with their children in English, so that understanding in a real situation will improve and the interaction will be more and more fluid, helping the learning process significantly. 1. Margarita pino y Beatriz Rodríguez, La importancia de la participación de los padres en la enseñanza del inglés en la educación infantil, Abril, 2007. Universidad de Vigo, España. 2. Marieta Viedma, No hay ningún limite para la infancia, octubre 25, 2017,Founder at Lingokids, British School, Las Rozas, Madrid/España.