UNIVERZA V MARIBORU FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA Oddelek za anglistiko in amerikanistiko DIPLOMSKO DELO Katarina Zdolšek Maribor, 2016

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1 UNIVERZA V MARIBORU FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA Oddelek za anglistiko in amerikanistiko DIPLOMSKO DELO Katarina Zdolšek Maribor, 2016

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3 UNIVERZA V MARIBORU FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA Oddelek za anglistiko in amerikanistiko Diplomsko delo UČENJE IN POUČEVANJE ANGLEŠČINE V VRTCU Graduation thesis TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH IN KINDERGARTEN Mentorica: izr. prof. dr. Karmen Piţorn Kandidatka: Katarina Zdolšek So-mentorica: izr. prof. dr. Mihaela Brumen Maribor, 2016

4 Lektorica: Nina Skube, prof. slovenščine Lektor angleškega besedila: Terry Troy Jackson, BA in Cross-cultural Communication

5 ZAHVALA Iskreno se zahvaljujem mentorici, izr. prof. dr. Karmen Piţorn, za strokovno vodenje, usmerjanje in podporo pri izdelavi diplomskega dela. Zahvala gre tudi izr. prof. dr. Mihaeli Brumen, moji somentorici, za vse strokovne napotke in pomoč. Rada bi se zahvalila vzgojiteljici angleškega oddelka vrtca Ponikva za vse strokovne nasvete pri skupnem delu, ki so mi bili v pomoč pri nastajanju diplomske naloge, ter otrokom le-tega oddelka, ki so bili zajeti v raziskavo. Ob tej priloţnosti se še posebej zahvaljujem moţu Klemnu za vso pomoč, spodbudo ter moralno podporo pri nastajanju naloge, ter hčerki Ajdi in sinu Tjaţu, ki sta mi s svojo otroško radoţivostjo vlivala motivacijo za pisanje diplomske naloge. Še posebej pa bi se rada zahvalila staršema, ki sta mi ves čas študija stala ob strani, me podpirala, spodbujala ter vlivala pogum pri izdelavi diplomskega dela.

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7 Koroška cesta Maribor, Slovenija IZJAVA Podpisani-a Katarina Zdolšek rojen-a študent-ka Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Mariboru, študijski program angleški jezik s knjiţevnostjo in filozofija, izjavljam, da je diplomsko delo z naslovom Učenje in poučevanje angleščine v vrtcu, Teaching and Learning English in Kindergarten pri mentorju-ici izr. prof. dr. Karmen Piţorn in somentorici izr. prof. dr. Mihaeli Brumen, avtorsko delo. V diplomskem delu so uporabljeni viri in literatura korektno navedeni; teksti niso prepisani brez navedbe avtorjev. Kraj, Maribor Datum, (podpis študenta-ke) ff@um.si t f trr: SI id ddv: SI

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9 ABSTRACT This BA thesis, Teaching and Learning English in Kindergarten is an empirical thesis. Its main aim is to discuss the integration of English into the National Pre-school Curriculum in Slovenia. Foreign languages are not compulsory at the pre-school level; as they are not part of the national pre-school curriculum, teaching and learning English in pre-school can be carried out only as an innovative project. In the empirical part of this thesis, teaching and learning English in a Šentjur nursery school (Ponikva) within the Innovative Network project are presented. By analysing the lesson units of one school year, the main purpose is to investigate the content- and language-integrated approach (CLIL), which was used to integrate English into the National Pre-school Curriculum. Furthermore, by interviewing the children, how they perceived and were motivated by foreign language learning in a nursery school was also investigated. The results show that English was integrated into the whole national pre-school curriculum; into the six learning areas, as well as into everyday routine learning activities. The most frequently used teaching method was play. The findings of the study show that children liked to participate in learning English and were motivated to do so. They preferred playful, movement, music and drama activities. The survey also shows that children were motivated by the use of different kinds of teaching materials and were able to understand and produce different language phrases after one year of daily exposure to the English language in the nursery school. Key words: early foreign language learning, content- and language-integrated learning (CLIL), pre-school children, nursery school, the national pre-school curriculum, innovative network project.

10 POVZETEK Diplomsko delo z naslovom»učenje in poučevanje angleščine v vrtcu«je empirično diplomsko delo. Namen je predstaviti integracijo angleškega jezika v nacionalni dokument, Kurikulum za vrtce. Upoštevajoč, da tuji jeziki niso obvezni v predšolskem obdobju in kot taki niso opredeljeni v Kurikulumu za vrtce, učenje in poučevanje angleščine v vrtcu lahko potekata samo v okviru inovacijskega projekta. V empiričnem delu diplomske naloge sta predstavljeni učenje in poučevanje angleščine v šentjurskem vrtcu (enota Ponikva), ki je potekalo v okviru mreţnega inovacijskega projekta. Na podlagi analize priprav enega šolskega leta je bil cilj empiričnega dela raziskati pristop CLIL (vsebinsko jezikovno integrirano učenje), ki je bil uporabljen pri integraciji angleščine v Kurikulum za vrtce. Poleg tega je bil na podlagi intervjujev otrok namen raziskave ugotoviti zaznavanje in motivacijo otrok za učenje tujega jezika v vrtcu. Rezultati kaţejo, da je bil angleški jezik integriran v celoten Kurikulum za vrtce; v vseh šest področij dejavnosti in prav tako v vsakodnevne rutinske dejavnosti v vrtcu. Najpogosteje uporabljena učna metoda je bila igra. Ugotovitve raziskave kaţejo, da so otroci radi sodelovali pri učenju angleščine in so bili motivirani. Najraje so imeli igro, gibalne, glasbene in dramske dejavnosti. Raziskava je prav tako pokazala, da je otroke motivirala uporaba različnih učnih sredstev in da so po enem letu dnevne izpostavljenosti angleškemu jeziku v vrtcu razumeli oziroma znali povedati različne besedne zveze. Ključne besede: zgodnje učenje tujega jezika, vsebinsko jezikovno integrirano učenje (CLIL), predšolski otroci, vrtec, Kurikulum za vrtce, inovacijski mreţni projekt.

11 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION... 1 THE THEORETICAL PART EARLY FOREIGN/SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AT PRIMARY LEVEL EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AT THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL CHILDREN AND FOREIGN/SECOND LANGUAGES AGE AND LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES THE CRITICAL PERIOD AND REASONS FOR INTRODUCING FOREIGN LANGUAGES INTO THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL PSYCHOLOGICAL-PEDAGOGICAL REASONS FOR INTRODUCING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL SOCIOCULTURAL REASONS FOR INTRODUCING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL THE ADVANTAGES OF EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING THE GOALS OF EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AT THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL ACQUIRING/LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE STAGES OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION IN SLOVENIA THE ORGANIZATION OF PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION IN SLOVENIA THE NATIONAL PRE-SCHOOL CURRICULUM FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN NURSERY SCHOOLS IN SLOVENIA THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE INTEGRATION IN THE NATIONAL PRE-SCHOOL CURRICULUM WAYS OF INTEGRATING FOREIGN LANGUAGES INTO THE NATIONAL PRE-SCHOOL CURRICULUM PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES OF PRE-SCHOOL FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS i

12 5 FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODS AT PRE-SCHOOL AND PRIMARY LEVELS CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING (CLIL) THE DEFINITION AND PURPOSE THE AIMS CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING (CLIL) IN NURSERY SCHOOL THE BENEFITS OF USING CLIL IN NURSERY SCHOOLS THE USE OF TARGET LANGUAGE AND THE MOTHER TONGUE TPR (Total Physical Response) GAMES AND PLAYING GAMES AND GAME-LIKE ACTIVITIES ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING RESOURCES INTEGRATING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE INTO THE SIX LEARNING AREAS OF THE NATIONAL PRE-SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND EVERYDAY ROUTINE ACTIVITIES LANGUAGE AS A LEARNING AREA THE ROLE OF STORIES IN EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING (STORYTELLING) MATHEMATICS AS A LEARNING AREA MOTOR SKILLS AS A LEARNING AREA NATURE AS A LEARNING AREA SOCIETY AS A LEARNING AREA ARTS AS A LEARNING AREA ART AND CRAFT ACTIVITIES MUSIC (Songs, Rhymes, and Finger Plays) DANCE PUPPETS AND OTHER DRAMA ACTIVITIES EVERYDAY ROUTINE ACTIVITIES TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH IN ŠENTJUR NURSERY SCHOOL (PONIKVA) INNOVATIVE PROJECTS INTEGRATING EFL AS AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT ii

13 7.2 TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH WITHIN THE INNOVATIVE NETWORK PROJECT IN PONIKVA NURSERY SCHOOL THE DESCRIPTION OF THE INNOVATIVE NETWORK PROJECT THE PURPOSE OF THE INNOVATIVE NETWORK PROJECT THE GOALS OF THE INNOVATIVE NETWORK PROJECT THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING EFL AT A PRE-SCHOOL INSTITUTION THE ROLE OF A TEACHER THE ROLE OF PARENTS ORGANIZATIONAL CONDITIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN NURSERY SCHOOLS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES EMPIRICAL PART THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH STUDY RESEARCH QUESTIONS THE PROCEDURE THE SCHEDULE THE ORGANIZATION OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN THE NURSERY SCHOOL DURING THE PROJECT THE LENGTH OF TIME OF THE ACTIVITIES RESEARCH METHODOLOGY SAMPLE THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS THE PROCEDURE OF DATA COLLECTION THE RESEARCH METHOD RESULTS/FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATION LESSON UNITS Which learning areas were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? Which language goals were most frequently pursued in teaching English in the nursery school? Which of the national curricular goals were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? iii

14 The Non-Linguistic Goals The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of the Slovenian Language The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Arts The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Motor Skills The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Mathematics The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Society The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Nature Which planned learning activities were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Arts Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Motor Skills Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Language Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Mathematics Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Society Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Nature Which everyday routine activities were most frequently selected in teaching English in the nursery school? Which teaching materials were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? Which forms of work were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? THE IMPORTANT FINDINGS OF THE LESSON UNITS ANALYSIS INTERVIEWS THE IMPORTANT FINDINGS FROM THE INTERVIEWS CONCLUSION LITERATURE APPENDICES iv

15 LIST OF GRAPHS Graph 1: The Frequency of Learning Area Graph 2: Language Goals Graph 3: The National Curricular Goals Graph 4: The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of the Slovenian Language Graph 5: Goals from the Learning Area of Arts Graph 6: Goals from the Learning Area of Mathematics Graph 7: Goals from the Learning Area of Society Graph 8: Goals from the Learning Area of Nature Graph 9: Planned Learning Activities Graph 10: The Learning Area of Arts Graph 11: The Learning Area of Motor Skills Graph 12: The Learning Area of Language Graph 13: The Learning Area of Mathematics Graph 14: The Learning Area of Society Graph 15: The Learning Area of Nature Graph 16: Everyday Routine Activities Graph 17: Teaching Materials Graph 18: Forms of work LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Language Goals Table 2: The National Curricular Goals Table 3: The Non-Linguistic Goals Table 4: The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of the Slovenian Language Table 5: Goals from the Learning Area of Arts Table 6: Goals from the Learning Area of Motor Skills Table 7: Goals from the Learning Area of Mathematics Table 8: Goals from the Learning Area of Society Table 9: Goals from the Learning Area of Nature v

16 Table 10: Planned Learning Activities Table 11: The Learning Area of Art Table 12: The Learning Area of Motor Skills Table 13: The Learning Area of Language Table 14: The Learning Area of Mathematics Table 15: The Learning Area of Society Table 16: The Learning Area of Nature Table 17: Everyday Routine Activities Table 18: Teaching Materials Table 19: Forms of Work Table 20: Like English as a language Table 21: Popular foreign language (English) activities Table 22: Like listening to stories Table 23: Types of stories Table 24: Story Vocabulary Table 25: Like singing and telling rhymes Table 26: Titles of songs/chants Table 27: Like Drawing Table 28: Art and craft motifs (drawings, paintings, different products) Table 29: Like performing/acting in the story Table 30: Children's answers Table 31: The types of stories children liked to act in Table 32: Like playing with puppets Table 33: Puppets Table 34: Nelly, the puppet Table 35: Like dancing, moving and using your body Table 36: Movement activities Table 37: Like counting, playing with the dice, sorting objects, talking about colours (Mathematic activities) Table 38: Mathematic activities Table 39: Stacking, sorting and labelling different objects Table 40: Stacking, sorting and labelling different objects Table 41: Activities from the learning area of society Table 42: Activities from the learning area of society vi

17 Table 43: Activities from the learning area of nature Table 44: The Weather Table 45: Like Playing Table 46: Play Table 47: Types of Games Table 48: Teaching Materials Table 49: Language Knowledge Table 50: Language Knowledge vii

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19 INTRODUCTION The main aim of this BA thesis is to discuss the integration of English into the National Pre-school Curriculum in Slovenia (Bahovec et al., 1999). I started working with pre-school children in the summer when I was still attending secondary school. Their endless positive attitude towards the world and their passion for trying out different kinds of things motivated me to start working in a pre-school and, later on, carrying out different kinds of English activities. Considering all the benefits of early foreign language learning, 1 I wanted to see in practice how children learn a foreign language, when they play, how different kinds of teaching aids are used, and how they are exposed to different (foreign language) teaching methods. I was especially interested in the children s response to foreign language learning: what they were interested in, what they liked or did not like doing. In the theoretical part of this thesis, first there is a discussion on the current pre-school situation of foreign language learning and teaching in some European countries and, specifically, the situation of early foreign language learning in Slovenia. Second, the organization of the pre-school education in Slovenia is described, and then the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) is thoroughly analysed. Considering the ways of learning languages and the fact that the foreign language is not compulsory at the pre-school level, the integrative approach/clil will be presented as a possible solution of how to include it into the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). Moreover, the reasons and benefits of early foreign language learning and the way preschool children learn and develop will be discussed. Furthermore, the second language acquisition mechanisms and methodological concepts of teaching and learning foreign languages at pre-school level will be described. Early foreign language teaching and learning in a small countryside nursery school that applied to participate in the Innovative Network project, supervised by the Slovenian National Educational Institute, will be presented at the end. 1 In this BA thesis, the term learning is defined as learning and acquiring foreign languages at preschool level in nursery schools. As children at this level learn languages in a holistic way, it is impossible to distinguish the two processes, i.e. learning and acquisition during all the planned and unplanned activities that take place on a daily basis in a nursery school. 1

20 In the empirical part, by analysing the lesson plans of one school year, the author of this study will investigate some issues related to the content- and language-integrated approach (CLIL), which was used to integrate English into everyday nursery school learning activities and learning areas of the national pre-school curriculum. The main purpose is to examine, which learning areas, goals and activities were most frequently used in teaching English in nursery schools. Furthermore, the author of this study will also explore which teaching materials and forms of work were most frequently used. Moreover, by interviewing the children at the end of one school year, their motivation and perception of the foreign language learning in their nursery school will be explored; the aim is to determine which activities and games the children liked the most; which teaching materials they preferred, and what they were able to understand or produce after one year of a daily exposure to foreign language learning in the nursery school. 2

21 THE THEORETICAL PART 1 EARLY FOREIGN/SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING Because of increasing globalization and the fact that the European Union is becoming a place that offers many opportunities for employability, goods, capital and, more generally, a place of freedom, the language skills have become a key competence for life and a great value in and of themselves. Language competence brings many benefits to many areas, especially if learning a foreign language starts at a very young age, for example at preschool level (Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe, 2012). The following chapter presents the situation of early foreign language learning in different European countries at the primary and pre-school levels and the current situation of early foreign language learning in Slovenia. The White Paper of European Commission (1995) and the European Strategic Framework ( ) are discussed with the aim of reflecting the importance of early foreign language learning. 1.1 EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AT PRIMARY LEVEL The key documents for encouraging multilingualism are the White Paper of European Commission (1995) and the Strategic Framework (Fras Berro & Piţorn, 2008, p. 4). The European Commission s White Paper Teaching and Learning: Towards the Learning Society (1995) states that all European citizen should be able to communicate in three languages of European Union, which means the acquisition of the two foreign languages in addition to the mother tongue. It also recommends the introduction of foreign languages at the pre-school level, i.e. at a very young age. To achieve the goal of acquiring three languages (M+2), European Commission designed the Strategic Framework , which aims to strengthen the linguistic competences of European citizens, by lowering the starting age of learning languages to the early childhood period (Fras Berro & Piţorn, 2008, p. 5). 3

22 According to the European Commission (2011), multilingualism (language competence) contributes to a better understanding among the nations, supports intercultural awareness and societal values, such as openness to diversity and respect. Being able to use more languages also offers better employment opportunities and freedom of movement. Taking into account the European language policy (M+2) and other benefits of early foreign language learning, Europe has witnessed significant changes in the field of teaching and learning foreign languages. Many European countries have lowered the age of introducing foreign languages to children. According to the Eurydice report, Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe (2012, p ) indicates that these changes have been observed in particular between 2003 and 2007: in most European countries compulsory learning of the first foreign language starts between the ages of six and nine years. English is by far the most taught foreign language in nearly all European countries, with French, Spanish, and German following far behind. For example, in Austria, Croatia, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, and Norway children start to learn their first foreign language when they enter school, at six years of age. While schools in Estonia, Sweden and Finland have some freedom to determine the grade in which the first foreign language is introduced as a compulsory subject. Central education authorities define an age (or grade) bracket for the introduction of foreign languages: between 7 and 9 years old in Estonia and Finland, and between 7 and 10 in Sweden (Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe, 2012, p. 25). At the other end of the scale stands the United Kingdom (Wales, England and Northern Ireland), where children start learning a foreign language as a compulsory subject at the age of 11. Scotland and Ireland are the only countries where learning a foreign language at school is not compulsory (Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe, 2012). Children in Slovenia start learning their first foreign language at nine years of age, as a compulsory subject, when they enter the fourth grade of primary education. There is growing interest in lowering the starting age for learning the first foreign language into the first triad of primary education (White Paper, 2011, p. 127). Recently, the amendment to the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law in Primary School was adopted, according to which from September 1, 2013, a gradual introduction of the first foreign language as a compulsory subject for first graders begins. In the 2014/2015 school years, the first foreign language as a compulsory subject was introduced in the second grade of 4

23 the primary school to about 60 primary schools, and in the 2015/16 school year a new cohort of schools will introduce the first foreign language as an optional subject in the first grade and as a compulsory subject in the second grade (Law on the Balancing of Public Finances, Paragraph 17, Article 72). 1.2 EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AT THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL According to the European Commission (2011) teaching and learning foreign languages at pre-school level is not yet regulated by legislation in the majority of European countries, with few exceptions. A survey by Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe (2012, p. 25) identified Spain and Belgium, as countries making the most effort at introducing foreign languages to the pre-school level, where children start learning the foreign language from the age of three years, as a compulsory subject: In Belgium (German-speaking Community), the legislation adopted in 2004 made pre-primary play activities in a foreign language compulsory, and more formal language learning from the first year of primary education both features of early education that had previously been optional but practised in the majority of schools for several decades. (Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe, 2012, p ) In Spain, children start learning a foreign language in the second cycle of pre-school education, in most autonomous communities, as early as the age of three (Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe, 2012, p. 25). Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p. 6 7) state that the number of bilingual nursery schools in Germany and France has increased. With the national curriculum, the foreign language has been introduced in France into the last year of the pre-school period (aged 5 years). According to the Eurydice report (2012 p. 36), there are also many pilot projects introducing a foreign language in the pre-school period with the main goal to raise language awareness of children at a very early stage, aged three years and older. For example, numerous projects have introduced English to pre-school children in Austria. 5

24 Similarly, in Lithuania, German is being introduced in 26 pre-school institutions. A minuscule number of other projects focus on other foreign languages. Mateja Dagarin Fojkar (2009, p ) indicates that early foreign language learning has also increased in Slovenia and appears in various forms: as part of the school lesson, as additional activity, or offered in language courses; it starts in the first grade, more often from the third grade onwards or even in the pre-school period. As said, although foreign language learning in the pre-school period is not regulated, in Slovenia extra-curricular learning of foreign languages is very common. In the 2007/2008 school year, more than half of pre-schools (53.7%) were carrying out foreign language teaching as an additional activity, where English again dominated with 74%, followed by German with 31%, and Italian with 7%: The studies show that both, the pre -school and early primary school level, show much interest in learning foreign languages. Due to the current chaotic situation, it would be meaningful to regulate and standardize the beginning of learning a foreign language to organize the linguistic vertical for children and enable everybody to have equivalent conditions for learning a foreign language. (ibid.) 6

25 2 CHILDREN AND FOREIGN/SECOND LANGUAGES Due to the increasing global awareness about the importance of (early) multilingualism, early foreign language learning in the pre-school period in Slovenia is expanding. Nevertheless, some doubts have been expressed by parents, pre-school teachers, and decision makers regarding foreign language learning becoming a compulsory part of the daily curricular activities in nursery schools. The open questions are primarily related to concerns whether the acquisition of a foreign language does not negatively influence the learning of the mother tongue or even hinder the child's speech development. Consequently, the developmental characteristics of pre-school children, including how they learn, and some of the important reasons and advantages for introducing a foreign language to pre-school education, in nursery schools, will be introduced in the next chapter. Some of the important goals of early foreign language learning will also be listed and presented in more details in the empirical part. 2.1 AGE AND LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES Firstly, it should be understood that the pre-school period covers the period from the first to the fifth/sixth years of age. In this BA thesis, the term early foreign language learning refers to the language learning at the pre-school level, i.e. in nursery school; this is for children of three to six years of age. The question of when the right time to start learning the foreign languages is can only be answered if the developmental characteristics of the pre-school children are taken into account (Pinter, 2006). Children go through certain stages in their development from their birth onward. The stages differ from one another according to certain abilities children acquire in a particular stage. Each stage has its unique characteristics that require specific environment and kinds of teaching. An understanding of these developmental stages is an important part of the early foreign language teaching and learning (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004, p ). Marcela Batistič Zorec (2003) states that children at pre-school level learn spontaneously. 7

26 They mainly learn through playful, practical, and everyday routine activities in different social interactions with their peers, pre-school teachers and other adults during the day in nursery school. According to Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p. 12), modern pre-school curricula especially emphasize the principle of active learning at this stage, which indicates that pre-school children learn best through active involvement in the activities and concrete experiences, which also applies to foreign language learning. Children learn foreign languages best when they move, dance, sing, listen to and tell stories, chants; they learn by imitating, designing different products, manipulating different objects and materials; they like to try new things, etc. The principle of active learning also represents one of the foundational elements of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ). Annamaria Pinter (2006) points out that in addition to the importance of developmental characteristics and the principle of active learning in early foreign language learning, the importance of remarkable neurological dispositions has to be pointed out; specifically, the special brain plasticity children possess (the so-called sensitive/critical period) generally makes children efficient language learners THE CRITICAL PERIOD AND REASONS FOR INTRODUCING FOREIGN LANGUAGES INTO THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL The importance of the sensitive period is especially emphasized by the National Preschool Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 19), which states that [ ] in the child's development there are periods, i.e. critical periods that are best suited for children to learn, acquire certain skills/abilities in the most effective way. According to neurological research studies (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004), young children s brains contain an infinite number of synapses. They must be stimulated by different kinds of learning experiences, such as music, math, learning languages, etc., during the child s sensitive period in order to make life-long connections. After the critical period is over, the connection of synapses is much harder. The learning experiences determine which connections are developed and which will no longer function. Learning a skill, such as a language, is natural for a child and requires much more effort for an older learner or adult. The ability to learn the foreign languages to native levels, especially the acquisition of the 8

27 phonological system of the new language, is reduced in older age (ibid.). Brumen (2009a, p. 67) emphasizes that because of all the confirmed research results of studies of brain development, we should stimulate the brain synapses as much as possible in the early childhood period with learning music, languages, etc. All these activities, especially languages should find its place at the pre-school level, in a nursery school, and at the first triad of primary education. Pinter (2006, p. 29) points out that according to recent research studies this special sensitivity for learning languages is especially true during the pre-school years, from birth to the age of six or seven. Piţorn (2009a, p. 10) indicates that the process or critical period for learning languages (some experts even call it windows of opportunity ) opens at the age of ten months: When the window closes, it is not completely defined, but it is generally accepted that the optimal age for learning a language is when the child s mind is open and flexible. The optimal time to begin learning a second language is therefore from birth to three years of age, under the condition that both parents speak it as their mother tongue. The next period, which is suitable for learning foreign languages, is between two to seven years (ibid.) Pinter states that the advantages of early foreign language acquisition in the critical period, especially concern: children s intuitive grasp of language; their ability to be more attuned to the phonological system of the new language; children s sensitivity to the sounds and the rhythm of new languages; their enjoyment of copying new sound and patterns of intonation. (2006, p. 29) Piţorn (2009a, p. 9) presents the neurological study made by Winslow, in 1997, which supports the introduction of a foreign language to the early childhood period, nursery school, or lower grades of a primary school. The study included twelve bilingual volunteers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. It showed that the ability to speak a foreign language is stored in different parts of the brain, depending on when a person becomes bilingual. Children, who learn a foreign language, store this ability in the same area as their mother tongue. Adults, who learn foreign languages, store each 9

28 language in another part of the brain. This finding explains why children can completely master two languages, and supports the fact that foreign language teaching should be part of the curriculum as early as in pre-school and the first grades of primary school and continue in secondary school PSYCHOLOGICAL-PEDAGOGICAL REASONS FOR INTRODUCING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL Based on the fact that nursery school and primary school present the foundation for all areas of learning, the recent research studies in the field of developmental psychology, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and linguistics foster the introduction of foreign languages in the early childhood period, especially into the pre-school period, nursery school (Piţorn & Pevec Semec, 2010, p. 113). Piţorn and Pevec Semec (2010, p ) discuss the psychological-pedagogical reasons for early foreign language learning, according to which the introduction of the foreign languages into an early childhood period (nursery school): uses age-related psychological and physical features of children like curiosity, the desire to learn, a need for communication, readiness and ability to imitate and an ability to pronounce new and unknown sounds; offers children an extra dimension to personal development; encourages a positive attitude towards additional languages and languages in general; gives children an opportunity for holistic learning of languages; -has a positive effect on learning in general (the cognitive aspect). (ibid.) SOCIOCULTURAL REASONS FOR INTRODUCING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL Apart from psychological-pedagogical reasons, Piţorn and Pevec Semec (2010, p. 113) indicate the importance of sociocultural reasons for early foreign language learning whereby introducing the foreign languages into an early childhood period (nursery school): has a positive effect on a student s self-confidence and the development of a child s self-image, and probably this impact is greater than when the start of the learning is 10

29 postponed to a later time; it gives the possibility of opening to otherness and, therefore, helps to stop the formation of ethnocentrism, e.g. belief in cultural superiority, superiority of own ethnic group, which is reflected in distinct ethnic consciousness and the underestimation and contempt of other ethnic groups; it prepares children for greater openness towards the unfamiliar and unknown. (ibid.) In addition to the reasons for introducing a foreign language in the pre-school period, the results of a questionnaire survey concerning the implementation of a foreign language in the Slovenian nursery schools in the 2007/2008 school year, presented by Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p ), must not be ignored. According to the results of the survey, foreign language teaching as an additional activity was carried out in 53.7% of nursery schools. It is important to emphasize that the foreign language teaching was mainly at the parents initiative. Furthermore, it should be noted that 66% of principals believed that teaching foreign languages should be included in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al, 1999): The introduction of learning and teaching foreign languages into nursery schools, is one of the ways how to carry out the vision of the European Council recommendations of 2002 or how to approach the goal that every man should be able to speak two foreign languages in addition to the mother tongue and should follow the fact that coexistence of different cultures is not enough, it is necessary to develop intercultural communication and jointly form a multilingual and multicultural society. (Fras Berro & Piţorn, 2008, p. 4) 2.2 THE ADVANTAGES OF EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING Research studies and international guidelines on language learning and teaching mention a number of advantages of early foreign language learning: 1. Starting to learn a second/foreign language early can help shape children s overall progress while they are in a highly dynamic developmental stage in their lives. Starting early also means that learning can take place over a longer period, which may support the achievement of more permanent results in language learning and in other areas of learning. When the young brain learns languages, it tends to develop 11

30 an enhanced capacity to learn languages throughout life. (European Commission, 2011, p. 7) This means that it generally improves the child s learning process; children improve performance in areas such as reading and math; children reach better concentration and become more self-confident (ibid.). 2. Early foreign language learning increases children's competences, such as communication, expression, comprehension and problem-solving abilities; children develop a greater appreciation for diversity and a life-long love of communication with others (Dulay, Burt & Krashen, 1982). 3. Children become aware of their own identity and cultural values, of the existence of other countries and cultures and hence develop positive attitudes towards them (Kecskes & Papp, 2000). 4. Children who have the opportunity to pick up a second language while they are still young appear to use the same innate language-learning strategies throughout life when learning other languages. Picking up third, fourth, or even more languages is easier than picking up a second (Dunn, 2008, p. 6). Piţorn (2009a, p. 6) adds the following advantages of early foreign language learning: Children learn a foreign language from a different perspective in comparison to adults; they learn it in a spontaneous way and are focused mainly on the meaning of the language, which means they are not afraid of using the language for communicative purposes. In that way, children also develop intercultural ability in addition to the linguistic ability. Multilingual children who use two or more languages in everyday life share different points of view of the world; which means they can compare different values, opinions, etc. Due to the increased self-criticism during puberty and the subsequent emotions and opinions, teenagers can have difficulties learning a new language. They do not want their friends to perceive them making mistakes or pronouncing words incorrectly since this could be the reason for their classmates to scorn them. Therefore, it is better to start learning a foreign language before the pubertal period, so that a child can create a good, solid foundation in the language before he becomes too selfcritical. 12

31 Brumen emphasizes that: [ ] the child s early exposure to foreign language learning does not harm the development of first language, in our case Slovenian; but it even increases, i.e. improves the child s language abilities in the mother tongue. Children learn a lot about the first language, especially if they learn the foreign language structures. The common vocabulary also encourages learning new words in the child s first language, mother tongue. (2009a, p. 69) Brumen (2009a, p. 69) also points out that early foreign language learning must take place under the right conditions, such as a competent teacher, adequate materials and suitable topics. On the basis of numerous research studies about the reasons and advantages for introducing foreign languages at the pre-school level presented above, the concerns expressed by some parents and pre-school teachers, (i.e. that children exposed to more than one language in nursery school may be confused by them, or that it may have the negative influence on their first language development) can be rejected, when learning a foreign language takes place under the right conditions. 2.3 THE GOALS OF EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING According to the European Commission, the goals: [ ] of any ELL policy for children in pre-primary education should be to foster intercultural and multilingual education focused on the development of the child s personal potential. Where appropriate, it could also be to provide an introduction to a particular language that will be taught later on in primary school. (2011, p. 9) The European Strategic Framework for Education and Training indicates the following global goals at early foreign language learning at pre-school education: support intercultural education: raising awareness of language diversity supports intercultural awareness and helps to convey societal values such as openness to diversity and respect; foster the personal development of the child: multilingual activities aimed at 13

32 systematically raising awareness of different languages contribute to the development of children s general competences and skills; consistency with a lifelong learning perspective: pursue equity of access, patch up the aims and the available resources and ensure continuity of approaches in the passage from pre-primary to primary; where appropriate, introduction to the same second/foreign language which will subsequently be learned in primary school as part of the formal curriculum. (2011, p. 8 9) Piţorn and Pevec Semec (2010, p. 114) state that children develop communicative, linguistic and intercultural competences at learning foreign languages. They indicate the most important goals of early foreign language learning:»to learn about, compare and identify similarities and diversity of experiencing the world of our own and other cultural-linguistic communities, and this way creating a common European and world identity; to take into account the cognitive and linguistic flexibility of early childhood and comprehensively develop a child's personality (development of emotional, creative, social, cognitive and linguistic abilities/skills); to develop interest in learning, strengthen internal motivation to learn languages and develop strategies in the acquisition of language in the child's environment (lifelong learning) so as to promote the development of autonomous and independent language users; to use an additional language as a means of communication; to better equip children with skills of becoming more effectively involved in international economic and social environment and to enable conditions for learning a second additional language in primary school all due to the prolonged period of learning the first language (achievement of the objective M + 2) (ibid.). Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) add that encouraging positive attitudes towards the foreign languages, different cultures and encouraging a child s natural interest and curiosity about a language is one of the most important goals of early foreign language teaching and learning. 14

33 3 FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AT THE PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL In the following chapter, the foreign language acquisition process will be presented; specifically, this is the way how pre-school children acquire and learn the foreign language. The difference between the process of acquiring and learning the language will also be discussed. It is very important that the foreign language teachers be aware of the foreign language acquisition process and the language development in order to prepare activities adjusted to the child s current developmental level, as well as his/her different interests and needs. 3.1 ACQUIRING/LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) emphasize the fact that the development and maintenance of the child s first language is connected to the child s basic need for communication with their parents, friends, teachers and others. If people around them speak different languages, children become bilingual because of the need to communicate with them. When the need for communication in one language disappears, the child s abilities of communication and comprehension in this language also starts disappearing. In contrast, Pinter (2006, p. 36) presents the study made by Marianne Nikolov, in 1999 that shows that during learning/acquiring the foreign language, especially in institutions such as preschools or the first years of primary school, there are no real-life needs for learning a language. She also has determined that children in nursery schools like learning a foreign language because they like the positive and comfortable atmosphere in the class; they enjoy and are interested in the different kinds of activities; children like learning a language because of the teacher, because they want to identify with him/her. Foreign languages can be gained (acquired) through the processes of acquisition or learning processes, which differ from each other. The difference between acquiring and learning a second or foreign language depends on the environment in which the child comes into contact with the language and the way he/she acquires/learns it (Prebeg Vilke, 1995, p. 61). Mirjana Prebeg Vilke (1995, p. 61) states that we learn a foreign language when doing so takes place consciously; when it is systematically planned and has specific objectives and content and takes place in a formal setting, for example in a school. While 15

34 the acquisition is a process in which language is developed spontaneously, unplanned and takes place in the natural environment in which the individuals (parents, children, teachers, and pre-school teachers) speak it as a mother tongue or the language of the majority population. As discussed in previous chapters, children at pre-school level and at the first triad of primary education learn differently in comparison to their elder peers or adults, which means that pre-school children acquire a foreign language while adults learn a language. Pre-school children acquire language structures unconsciously. They have a holistic approach to language, which means that they can understand the meaningful messages, but lack the ability to analyse or think about the language in a conscious way. They acquire the language from natural, everyday situations, with no effort, especially the melody and the accent of the language (Pinter, 2006, p. 18). Brumen (2009a, p. 65) indicates that foreign language learning is significantly harder in the school age or adulthood and is completely different from learning or acquiring the mother tongue. Learning a foreign language is a conscious process, based on rules. Foreign language learning in adulthood rarely reaches the perfection of the first language. The accent and melody of the first language are strongly imprinted in the individual s memory and accompany him for a lifetime and are often carried over into other learned languages. 3.2 STAGES OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING In the following chapter, the stages of the child s first language development, mother tongue, will be presented, which coincide with the stages of the second/foreign language acquisition. According to linguists (Pinter, 2006; Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004), language development happens gradually and follows certain stages, which are the same for all children. Depending on the starting age the processes of learning the first and foreign language can, therefore, be more or less intertwined: the younger the children are, the more similar the two processes will be. According to researchers (Barzso, 2008; Burger 2002; Dunn 2008; Pinter, 2004), there are three stages of language development: 16

35 1. The pre-linguistic or the silent stage: Children are natural language acquirers; they have an inborn ability to acquire their mother tongues (Curtain and Dahlberg, 2004). Language development starts early in human life before children can say anything. It moves from simple to complex. Some contemporary research even shows that acquiring the language starts even before birth: in uterus where the foetus is capable of recognizing the sounds of its mother's voice (Burger, 2002). In this stages babies are in the so-called receptive stage, listening stage, merely absorbing the language. Babies will first respond non-verbally by touching and pointing and communicating through gestures or facial expressions before they begin to speak. Children must be provided with the necessary input and opportunities for interaction to acquire the mother tongue (Pinter, 2006). When young children learn English, there may be a similar silent period when communication and understanding may take place before they actually speak any English words (Dunn, 2008, p. 3). Referring to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 62) at this stage, listening is a cornerstone of language development: in beginning classrooms listening is the main channel by which the learners make an initial contact with the target language and its culture. During this stage, the main emphasis should be on providing the meaningful language input in rich contexts, where children should be exposed to the familiar input which is relevant to them, such as toys, animals, family, weather, etc. (ibid.) According to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p ), young children may spend much time just absorbing the language and remain silent for some period in this stage. In the socalled silent period, children often refuse to speak, because they are shy or lack confidence. It does not mean that children are not learning and participating: they just do not feel comfortable enough to speak. According to the research, the silent period can last up to six or sometimes twelve months. During this time, spoken dialogues should be onesided, the foreign language teacher's talk providing useful opportunities for the child to pick up a language. Children should not be forced to speak until they are ready. 2. The linguistic stage (Beginning to talk stage): As previously mentioned, young learners first respond nonverbally to the new language using gestures and body language. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) point out that they would have a desire to start responding verbally after some period of exposure to the target 17

36 language. They want to communicate and interact with their foreign language teachers and especially with their peers. They claim that teachers should develop the useful vocabulary to encourage children to move from speaking stage to start producing the first words in the target language. Dunn (2008, p. 5-6) states that after some time, depending on the frequency of foreign language exposure/english sessions, children are able to memorize particular single words ( cat, house ) or ready-made short phrases, functional chunks ( What's that?, Time to go home, bye-bye, etc.) and imitate their pronunciation. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 37) state that, as in the process of acquiring the mother tongue, in the foreign language acquisition young children first learn to interact with others by using these memorized phrases, absorbed from what they hear over and over again. The functional chunks are an important part of foreign language development, because they allow children to participate in the communication even at very early stages and present the first building blocks for expressing meaning. 3. Building up a Foreign Language When acquiring the mother tongue after extensive listening and exercising their receptive skills, for a certain period of time, children start producing their first words. Despite their limited ability to produce the language during the first months, they are capable of understanding considerably more than they can produce. Most children have the so-called language burst around the age of two, when they acquire a huge amount of vocabulary (Pinter, 2006, p ). It is similar at foreign language learning. Dunn states that: Children gradually build up phrases consisting of a single memorised word to which they add words from their vocabulary ( a dog, a brown dog, a brown and black dog ) or a single memorised language to which they add their own input ( That s my chair, Time to play ). Depending on the frequency of exposure to English and the quality of experience, children gradually begin to create whole sentences. (2008, p. 5 6) Although it takes several years to move slowly from nonverbal responses and fragmented language to the ability of normal communication, most children have acquired their 18

37 mother tongue to the level of basic communication by the time they are five years old, no matter how complex or simple the language may be (Pinter, 2006, p ). Čok (2008a, p. 16) points out that children could start learning a foreign language in nursery school when the foundations of their mother tongue are established. Čok (1999b) adds that at learning the foreign language children can help themselves with words and structures that they have already mastered in another language (i.e. transfer). From the above, it can be concluded that the main aim of teaching and learning foreign languages at the pre-school level should be to approach the acquisition mechanisms of the first language, mother tongue, and to take into account certain stages of language development, following which the meaningful communication should be the main issue. 19

38 4 FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION IN SLOVENIA In the following chapter, pre-school education in Slovenia will be presented, with a focus on the current situation of early foreign language learning. Some experiences and difficulties of teaching foreign languages at the pre-school level will be discussed. Considering the fact that foreign languages are not part of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999), that document will be presented in order to show how foreign language (in our case English) could be integrated into nursery school activities, and into the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). 4.1 THE ORGANIZATION OF PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION IN SLOVENIA According to the Kindergarten Act (1996), Slovenian pre-school education is an integral part of the education system. One of its key objectives, in addition to full care, is providing every child with high quality and age appropriate learning and social experiences. Preschool education thus complements family care, which means that children acquire skills and experiences that the family environment cannot provide, for example, building the first friendships, social interactions, etc. (Marjanovič Umek & Kroflič, 2009, p. 6 17). Pre-school educational activities are carried out by pre-school teachers and pre-school teacher assistants, in some cases by education counsellors or some other professionals. Preschool education is divided into two age groups, from ages one to three and from three to six when children enter the school and is not compulsory. The parents have the right to include their child in the public or private nursery school. The nursery schools can offer different programmes: full-day programmes which lasts from six to nine hours, half-day programmes, from four to six hours and shorter programmes, which last from 240 to 600 hours per year, for children from remote areas (Turnšek & Batistič Zorec, 2009, p. 1 12). The content and professional foundation of the programs is found in the National Preschool Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). 20

39 4.2 THE NATIONAL PRE-SCHOOL CURRICULUM The National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ) is a document that presents the theoretical foundation for educational work at pre-school level in Slovenia. The first part contains the fundamental curricula principles: the principle of active involvement; democracy; horizontal integration; autonomy and a responsible and a professional approach by the staff; the principle of equal opportunities for children and parents by taking into account the differences between children; the principle of cooperation with parents; the right to choose and diversity; a balance in various aspects of the child s mental and physical development; the principle of pluralism; of multiculturalism and the principle of the importance of the environment. In its second part, the goals are discussed, and activities of the six major core content learning areas (Language, Arts, Motor Skills, Mathematics, Nature and Society) are presented. All of these core content learning areas are interwoven throughout the day in nursery school in planned activities, spontaneous activities and in the play. The everyday routine activities are of equal importance as all other planned activities in individual core content learning areas. These kinds of activities include the arrival of children to the nursery school, feeding (breakfast, snack, lunch), rest, returning home and related rituals, schedule, customs and rules of cultural behaviour. The cross-sectorial activities, such as moral development, health care, safety and traffic education, are also integral parts and represent a way of life through all core content learning areas (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 7 8). The principles and goals present the guidelines and foundation for carrying out the preschool educational activities in nursery schools (ibid.) The National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 18) also emphasizes the importance of the developmental characteristics of children and the holistic approach to the process of learning. Despite different programs and a wide range of principles and goals offered by pre-school education in pre-school institutions, foreign language learning is not yet regulated by preschool legislation and, as such, is not part of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). Other languages are mentioned only with connections to the national 21

40 minorities (Hungarian and Italian) and to the autochthonous minority (Roma children) (ibid. p. 8 9) FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN NURSERY SCHOOLS IN SLOVENIA As mentioned, despite the absence of formal integration, the teaching and learning of foreign languages in Slovenian nursery schools has been provided for many years, mainly at the parents initiative (Brumen, 2010, p. 4). The results of internal reports conducted in 1998, 2001 and 2008 by the Slovenian National Educational Institute (Fras Berro & Piţorn, 2008) show that in more than half of Slovenian nursery schools, foreign language learning was organized in the age group of 4 6 years old, where English was being taught most frequently. Brumen (2010, p. 4) states that the most frequently offered form was a language course where children from different classrooms learnt a foreign language once or twice a week, minutes. According to Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p ) experiences from the so-called language courses indicate several problems: foreign language activities in language courses are usually performed by external experts, who are specialists in their area, but are not skilled in the personal, physical, intellectual, moral and social development of the children; because parents pay fees for the courses, only some children participate in them, and this represents the violation of the principle of equal opportunities for all children (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 12); teaching methods and approaches are frequently not adjusted to pre-school children and, therefore, not consistent with contemporary learning areas; experts complain about bad discipline, badly-behaved children; which means that pre-school children behave differently to the person who spends only an hour or two per week with them, in comparison to professional worker (pre-school teacher, foreign language teacher) who is present in nursery school all day and has established a personal, close relationship with children and thus also established authority (ibid.) Brumen (2010, p. 4) states that according to numerous studies it is better that children are 22

41 daily exposed to foreign language learning situations in shorter time periods. Pre-school children should be exposed to foreign language learning every day, not only once or twice a week as is the practice of foreign language learning offered in language courses, in order to approach the natural acquisition mechanisms of acquiring the mother tongue. Furthermore, Piţorn (2009a, p. 36) adds that for successful early foreign language learning, the following conditions must be taken into account: a) a child is exposed to foreign language learning for a longer period, b) the continuity of early foreign language learning from pre-school level to primary level, c) foreign language learning must be sufficiently intense THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE INTEGRATION IN THE NATIONAL PRE- SCHOOL CURRICULUM Based on several already mentioned difficulties and issues at learning foreign languages in language courses, Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p. 38) present an alternative to the course teaching of a foreign language seen in the integration of a foreign language in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). Because foreign languages are not part of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999), Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p. 27) suggest two possible solutions in updating the National Pre-school Curriculum: that the foreign language is added as a separate (new) learning area of activities in the nursery school, that the contents and goals of teaching and learning a foreign language are included primarily in the learning area of Language, and in addition the content of any other core content learning areas of activities in The National Pre-school Curriculum are suitably complemented. (ibid.) It needs to be emphasized that foreign language integration is not in contradiction with the principles and goals of the National Pre-school Curriculum. For foreign language integration in the National Pre-school Curriculum, the following principles should be taken into account: enabling choice and diversity, the professional merits of the national preschool curriculum, the development-process approach, the principle of active learning, the role of play and the importance of intrinsic motivation for learning. 23

42 Furthermore, the participation of professional staff is extremely important, in particular, the principles of team planning and implementation of early childhood education and professional training, and the principle of critical assessment (evaluation) (Fras Berro & Piţorn, 2008, p. 27). Moreover, when integrating the foreign language into the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999): the principle of multiculturalism (by learning a foreign language children also learn about foreign nations and their cultural dimensions) and the principle of cooperation with parents and the principle of the importance of environment (the cooperation with people who speak a foreign language; cooperation with cultural institutions, etc.) must also be taken into account (Fras Berro and Piţorn, 2008, p. 28) WAYS OF INTEGRATING FOREIGN LANGUAGES INTO THE NATIONAL PRE-SCHOOL CURRICULUM Fras Berro and Piţorn state that the integration of the foreign language into the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) can be carried out in two ways. In the first: [...] the teacher employed in the nursery school who masters a foreign language and educational work with pre-school children. He/she carries out activities in a foreign language with children from several departments every day (or at least often enough), together with children's regular pre-school teacher and assistant teacher. Together they plan, implement and evaluate the educational work. In this case both, mother tongue and foreign language, are associated with a particular person on the principle one person one language, where the pre-school teacher and assistant teacher communicate with children in Slovenian, and the third (occasionally present) teacher in a foreign language. (2008, p. 38) Čok (2008b) states that this method will provide the easiest and the most natural connection between the first and foreign language, while the language teacher, who will come to the nursery school to carry out only foreign language activities, will have a smaller possibility of integrating the language education with different contents. Without agreements with the parents and teachers his work will be torn from the regular educational work and less successful. 24

43 Second: [...] that a pre-school teacher who masters a foreign language, in certain situations or activities communicates with children in a foreign language. In this case, the principle one educational activity one language is used. Čok (2008b) states that in this case, transition between the first and the foreign language should be planned under the usual protocol. For example, foreign language is introduced by a puppet that comes at a certain time on a visit to a nursery school; activities are carried out in a particular foreign language corner, etc. (ibid.) PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES OF PRE-SCHOOL FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p. 39) present the two possibilities of the teacher education at teaching the foreign language in nursery school: The first possibility is that a person with a degree in foreign language finishes a training programme on preschool education. This programme has been carried out for a few years now at all three Slovenian teacher training faculties (in Ljubljana, Koper and Maribor). It lasts one year and takes some graduates of university programmes, art academies and high schools of social work to obtain specific knowledge in the field of early childhood education, enabling them to be employed as pre-school teachers of pre-school children in nursery schools. The second possibility: at the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana the renewed (Bologna) first-level study of early childhood education was prepared in a way that enables the students to obtain 8 credit points from [the] English language in a form of elective courses. This allows them to continue their training and enrol into a professional development course Early English Language Teaching and thus acquire the qualification for early foreign language teaching. (ibid.) To summarize, foreign language learning should start at the pre-school level and become part of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999); in this way, all children will be equally involved and daily exposed to foreign language learning in an appropriate manner. Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008) add that early foreign language learning should be carried out systematically, continuously and often enough; in shorter time units (at least 25

44 three times a week for minutes each) which is more effective than learning a foreign language less frequently for longer time periods. Learning a foreign language should be carried out during different kinds of activities at different parts of the day as content and language integrated learning or CLIL. (ibid.) 26

45 5 FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODS AT PRE- SCHOOL AND PRIMARY LEVELS In the following chapter, the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teaching approach will be discussed, as a possible solution for the integration of foreign languages into the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). Referring to several research studies Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008); European Commission (2011); Dagarin Fojkar (2009); Jazbec and Lipavic Oštir (2009); Piţorn (2009b); CLIL is one of the best approaches to teaching foreign languages at pre-school level, in nursery school, which enables the daily exposure to foreign language acquisition in a natural way. Moreover, because pre-school children learn the foreign language best when they are actively involved in the activities (when they dance, move, etc.) and learn mainly through play, the Total Physical Response (TPR) and learning through playing will also be presented. Taking into account that foreign languages at early stages must be carried out very vividly, the use of different teaching materials will be discussed at the end. 5.1 CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING (CLIL) Piţorn and Pevec Semec (2010, p. 108) state that according to a study by the European Commission from 2006, there are four models of teaching foreign languages at an early age (3 to 9 years old): a) learning a foreign language is carried out approximately in one lesson per week, the content is linked to textbook/curriculum; b) learning a foreign language is carried out in at least one lesson per week, set goals are more flexible and related to students' interests and environment, the contents are associated with other study/learning areas; c) children are only becoming aware of other languages and cultures and, at least initially do not learn a particular foreign language; d) language immersion/integration of foreign languages (partial or complete). Piţorn (2009a, p. 12) adds that according to research studies model d leads to the highest linguistic level, but it is not possible in all environments because it requires the satisfaction of certain conditions (appropriate skills and competences for foreign language teachers; such as sufficient language skills, good pedagogical/methodological skills, etc.). 27

46 The latest model of the integration of a foreign language into the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) will be presented. There are many terms that combine content and language learning (e.g. language immersion, integrated approach or embedding, the content and language integrated learning or CLIL). The methods are similar to each other, and all of them are based on the integration of a foreign language. For the purpose clarity, the term CLIL or Content and Language Integrated Learning will be used in this thesis THE DEFINITION AND PURPOSE CLIL is a generic umbrella term for bilingual, content-based education, which has been spreading throughout Europe since the mid-1990s. It is an open, modern methodological approach in the European educational system. It is an educational approach that integrates content and language, either by learning a content subject through the medium of a foreign language or learning a foreign language by studying a content-based subject (Coyle, Hood & Marsh, 2010). Jazbec and Lipavic Oštir (2009, p ) state that the studies of the last decade, show that CLIL has been proven in the research literature to be one of the most successful approaches to teaching and learning the foreign languages, especially in early childhood period. Experts in cognitive psychology emphasize that although CLIL can be used for different age groups, it is especially intended for young learners (children at pre-school level or learners at the first triad of primary school). They indicate three main reasons for using CLIL in early childhood: the child's great brain plasticity; the child's inner motivation for learning foreign languages at pre-school level; and, as already emphasized, holistically-oriented curricula for learning in preschool period. (ibid.) THE AIMS Jazbec and Lipavic Oštir state: The aims of the lesson are primarily focused on the acquisition of nonlinguistic content and the simultaneous acquisition of L2 is only a side effect, 28

47 i.e. with the use of authentic contexts. This method of learning L2 is comparable to the natural learning of L1. (2009, p. 180) In CLIL, language is a tool for achieving non-linguistic goals and it is never a goal of education itself, the acquisition of language skills is happening as a side effect. (ibid.) Sauer points out that pre-school children always understand the contents of foreign language as being primarily important, and, therefore, the foreign language is not in the object of their primary interest: They understand linguistically expressed content as realities. For example, when playing shopping in a foreign language they understand the act and its contents as to what in fact it is, and not as the use or exercise of language. At this point the principle of CLIL is conditioned by the age of children, it works automatically and turns learning a foreign language into a by-product. (1996, p. 87; in Jazbec & Lipavic Oštir, 2009, p. 183) Jazbec and Lipavic Oštir (2009) emphasize the fact that because pre-school children learn differently in comparison to adults, with a holistic, active way of learning, the implicit acquisition of knowledge as made possible by CLIL suits them highly; older learners are at a different stage of cognitive development and thus explicit learning, meta-linguistic knowledge, etc. is also important for them CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING (CLIL) IN NURSERY SCHOOL According to Dagarin Fojkar (2009, p. 163), at an early stage (in nursery school), foreign languages are increasingly taught in an integrated way, in association with other core content learning areas and with the daily routine. One of the mentioned principles of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) is called The principal of horizontal integration, according to which, pre-school teachers: integrate activities of various core content learning areas in the nursery school, such 29

48 as Arts, Motor Skills, Language, Nature, Society and Mathematics, from different aspects of children's development and learning, as other aspects of pre-school children s development are typically related; choose those topics and teaching methods with pre-school children, taking into account distinct features of the pre-school child and, therefore, connecting different core content learning areas of activities in the nursery school (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 14). The principle also applies to teaching languages in nursery school. Integrating the activities of the six major core content learning areas is therefore one of the didactic principles, which experts in the field of pre-school education prioritize, and also applies to the integrated way of teaching and learning foreign languages in pre-school education. It is based on the finding that pre-school children experience the world as a whole; therefore, early foreign language learning is based on a holistic and multi-sensory learning, so it does not make sense to teach them separately within core content learning areas along the lines of school subjects (Fras Berro & Piţorn, 2008). Čok (2008a) states that work in nursery school differs from school work, in comparison with the school subject teaching methods in nursery school there are no school subjects; specifically, the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) is based on the six core content learning areas. According to contemporary research studies, learning and teaching a foreign language in nursery school is effective if it takes place in the context of content from a variety of learning areas of activities. Children in nursery school thus learn a foreign language holistically, using all five senses (taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound) and in integrated way with all core content learning areas of activities (Language, Nature, Society, Mathematics, Motor Skills, Arts). They learn the foreign language in everyday communication with the foreign language teacher, their peers; through play, songs, stories, dramatizations, imaginative plays; through social games, fairy tales, rhymes, jokes, wordplays; with the help of puppets and other teaching aids; and with other daily activities in nursery school (at bed time, at meals, during walks, etc.) (ibid.). Brumen (2009a, p. 69) states that in this way children are completely immersed in different foreign language situations, while listening to different content in the foreign language; the foreign language is offered as content-integrated learning, during everyday learning 30

49 activities in nursery school (for example, washing clothes, planting flowers, making different products, etc.). In this way, children are exposed to the target language in meaningful, (if possible) authentic contexts, which enable children natural foreign language learning through everyday situations (ibid.) Therefore, when using CLIL in a nursery school, foreign language teachers integrate the foreign language into the learning areas of Mathematics, Nature, Society, Arts, Language and Motor Skills and other everyday routine activities. Jazbec and Lipavic Oštir (2009, p. 180) state that the emphasis is on the content and non-linguistic goals, while learning language skill and structures has a secondary role and is happening as a side effect. Čok (2008a, p. 16) emphasizes that when systematically integrating the foreign language into the whole National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999), in all six core content learning areas and into everyday routine activities in nursery school, it becomes part of the child s total experience. Learning a foreign language in nursery school therefore embraces the child s whole personality, the cognitive, language, personal and social development of the child. (ibid.) THE BENEFITS OF USING CLIL IN NURSERY SCHOOLS There are numerous benefits and reasons for using CLIL in early foreign language teaching and learning in nursery school: Children unconsciously start using the foreign language in a carefree manner (Brumen, 2009a, p. 71); Language skills acquired in the first year of CLIL in a foreign language teaching are comparable to those after three to four years of learning a foreign language to the extent of at least five hours per week (Jazbec & Lipavic Oštir, 2009, p. 183); CLIL encourages the acquisition of language skills in L1 and the cognitive development of the child (Jazbec & Lipavic Oštir, 2009, p. 183); Pre-school children at this age possess sufficient abilities to learn, which means that learning a foreign language does not lead to deficits in other areas, for example in the development of the mother tongue, mental development or success in school. The human ability to learn language is oriented towards multilingualism and not towards monolingualism (Jazbec & Lipavic Oštir, 2009, p. 183). -If the language is learnt naturally in meaningful situations during the day in 31

50 nursery school, children will be able to use it outside the nursery school in real-life situations (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004); THE USE OF TARGET LANGUAGE AND THE MOTHER TONGUE Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 33) suggest the exclusive use of the target language, for all classroom purposes, not just for carrying out activities, but also for organizing activities, managing behaviour, praising, etc. in order to be completely immersed in foreign language environment. The foreign language teachers should provide the language input consistently, from the very first day and throughout every class period. The use of the target language for all classroom purposes will help children to understand that this language is important to teachers and therefore must be important to them too. It also helps children to get used to the sound of the foreign language and the intonation patterns. Jazbec (2009, p. 2 3) adds that with the foreign language teacher s consistent use of the target language, when using concrete materials and visual aids, children will internalize the structure of the language, understand it, and later start to use it. However, it needs to be emphasized that there are also several reasons for using the mother tongue. Reilly and Ward (2008, p. 5) suggest the use of the mother tongue especially if the child is emotionally upset, needs a private conversation in his/her native language or in order to provide security. Children must feel secure in the environment of the new language. They also recommend the use of the mother tongue when organizing the activities when it is difficult to communicate in English. It is very important to let children respond in their mother tongue whenever they like. Communication is a vital part of [the] learning process but if we tell the children they can only speak in English (which of course they cannot do) it is as good as telling them to be quiet. (ibid.). 5.2 TPR (Total Physical Response) Another appropriate and commonly used teaching method at the pre-school level is Total Physical Response. In order to make the foreign language comprehensible to children, Brumen (2004, p. 9) states that the teaching and learning foreign languages at early stages must be carried out 32

51 very energetically, with foreign language teachers use different kinds of body gestures, facial expressions, and different visual aids/materials. Referring to Pinter (2006, p. 50) one of the best approaches to achieve that is the so-called Total Physical Response (TPR), which was originally developed by the psychologist James Asher in the late 1960s. Pinter (2006, p. 50) claims that TPR [ ] links learning to physical actions and ensures that learners will hear a lot of natural English in meaningful contexts without having to respond verbally. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p ) point out that in TPR children do or mime what teachers are talking about. Foreign language teachers interact with learners by delivering commands. Learners demonstrate comprehension through physical response without pressure to speak. The following sequencing and examples are recommended by Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) and Pinter (2006): 1. Commands that involve the entire body and large-motor skills ( Jump, Sit down, Touch your mouth, Look left, Look up/down, etc.) 2. Commands that involve interaction with concrete materials, pictures, numbers, colours, etc. ( Take the red ball and put it under your chair ; Listen and draw/colour/stick, etc.) Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 42) point out that this strategy involves little or no pressure to speak, and the very important aspect is a constant creation and combination of new commands [ ] which encourages careful and creative listening. In its simplest terms, with the help of TPR, children learn new concepts of the foreign language through the body. They discover [ ] that they can make [a] connection themselves between new language and meaning, without translation or explanation by the teacher. (ibid.). 5.3 GAMES AND PLAYING The main method of teaching and learning foreign languages at the pre-school level is play, which means that children at that level mainly learn through playful activities (Pinter, 2006). In her article The role of game-based techniques, motor activities and expressive arts in primary foreign language teaching and learning (1999a, p. 54), Čok characterizes play as the child s basic need and the child s work. She claims that play has a crucial role in the child's development and education, especially at the pre-school level (ibid.). It is a unique activity that is the closest to the child's nature and the laws of growing up. Through the play, a child gains the concepts of the world/ experiences new notions and 33

52 the environment. It is one of the most important parts of the child s learning process (ibid.). Referring to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999), play has an important role in the child's verbal, social and mental development. It is a fundamental learning experience and the child's natural medium of learning in pre-school period. It should be spontaneous, and it should happen without effort on the part of the children GAMES AND GAME-LIKE ACTIVITIES According to several authors (Curtain & Dahlberg 2004; Pinter, 2006; Sharpe, 2001), games and game-like activities develop a context for communication and prepare a setting for foreign language acquisition at pre-school education. They are a good way for practicing useful language phrases and move children from the listening to the speaking stage. They also contain the elements of fun and joy which contribute to the children s motivation and development of the positive attitude towards learning the foreign language, which is one of the most important goals of early foreign language learning. There are numerous kinds of games or game-like activities the foreign language teacher can use in an early language classroom. Some well-known games suggested by Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) and Sharpe (2001) are Dominoes, Chinese Whispers, Odd One Out, Bingo, Snap, Noughts and Crosses; game-like activities connected to the total physical response such as Chalkboard Monster, What s the Weather, etc.; activities with flash cards; paper or pencil game-like activities; games focusing on body parts; activities connected to the curriculum content; action games (Bear Hunt, Going Fishing, etc.); Guessing Games (Hot and Cold, What s Missing, etc.); game-like activities with circles, shapes and numbers and many others. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 331) indicate that the foreign language teacher could also use or invent their own games for introducing and practicing the language; children will be able to use in natural context, and real-life situations for communicative purposes, or just to make early foreign language learning more interesting. The most successful games require little explanations and rules and are simple. In addition, an element of surprise or mystery will motivate children. Some additional guidelines for using and choosing the 34

53 proper games are summarized by Curtain and Dahlberg (2004), Pinter (2006), and Sharpe (2001) and are presented below: 1. Choose or adjust games to the level of the language that the children will understand. The foreign language teacher will provide the most of the language at the early stages of foreign language acquisition, but the foreign language must play an important part in every game. 2. Provide many opportunities for children to participate. All children should be engaged in the activity all the time. They must know that everybody will have a turn. 3. Organize the game in such a way that most of the playing time can be spent communicating in the target language. 4. A teacher may add a competitive element, but strong individual competition that can lead to a low self-esteem or bad feeling at the child who lost the game should be avoided. 5. Choose games that are easy to play and will move quickly. Short games that can be repeated for several rounds are preferred to long ones. 6. Stop the activity when the children still want more, rather than continue it until their interest begins to fall. 7. Change the activities often. Do not repeat the same games during the same class. It helps to keep them fresh and motivating. 8. Name the games, especially if they are used in a similar form. Children consider the games to be something special if they have names. 9. Integrate the games played in the target culture as often as possible or the games of other cultures around the world. Sajtosne Scendes (in Barzso, 2008, p. 17) points out since play is a child s natural medium of learning at the pre-school level, it should have a crucial role in early foreign language learning, where foreign language teachers should incorporate a great variety of different playful activities in their teaching through which children would learn a foreign language in the child s most natural way: through play. 5.4 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING RESOURCES Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) state that pre-school children learn the foreign language on 35

54 the basis of concrete experiences and active involvement in the activities. Integrating different kinds of materials into an early language classroom is crucial for creating the concrete context that is necessary for meaningful communication and the comprehension of the target language. To achieve the comprehension of the target language, Brumen (2004, p. 9) points out that teaching and learning foreign languages at the pre-school level must be carried out very actively with the foreign language teachers using a variety of teaching aids and materials in their teaching; they demonstrate the content of the language with puppets, drawings, and pictures; they also include different visual aids, stories, songs and other non-verbal means of expression into their teaching. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 315) state that foreign language teachers should pay attention to using as many authentic materials and realia as possible from the target culture to make the target language real and make the target culture close to the children. There is a wide range of materials available. Some suggested teaching materials are summarized by Curtain and Dahlberg (2004), Pinter (2006), Reilly and Ward (2008), and Sharpe (2001) and are presented below: 1. Real-life objects: Enable foreign language teachers to create a real, natural foreign language situation in the early language classroom. There are many authentic objects available that the teachers can use to improvise different kinds of activities, such as classroom furniture (as chairs, tables, rugs, etc.); toys; gym requisites (balls, hoops, etc.); real clothes; objects used from the target culture such as flags, hats, typical clothes, food, etc. (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004, p. 311). 2. Picture visuals: At the beginning stages, pictures help foreign language teachers to convey the meaning and keep the early language classroom in the target language. They also provide an especially colourful aspect of the target culture. Some examples of picture visuals are flash cards; travel posters and brochures; pictures from calendars, magazines, postcards, catalogues, brochures, etc. (Curtain and Dahlberg, 2004, p ). 3. Classroom and Audio-visual equipment: According to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p ) the child follows ICT (information and communication technology) activities in a foreign language, observes and distinguishes them. Examples of AVmedia activities for foreign language learning are: the child observes different photos, pictures from magazines and books, posters, watches and listens to the selected film and video projections, CDs, and TV- 36

55 programmes, observes, recognizes and comments photos, describes them and imagines a story. (ibid.) According to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 329), this kind of equipment makes the learning experience interesting, meaningful and authentic for pre-school children. Audio visual equipment can make it possible for children to have a direct visual or auditory experience with the target culture and with speakers of the language [ ] (ibid.). 4. Visual Reinforcement in The Early Language Classroom Different kinds of visual reinforcement in early language classroom, according to experts (Curtain and Dahlberg, 2004; Pinter 2006; Sharpe, 2001), are a great way to create an environment where it is obvious that the other language besides the mother tongue is spoken. If children are constantly surrounded with the existence of the target language, it will intuitively influence and increase their motivation to get to know the target culture and stimulate their inborn curiosity to learn the foreign language. According to the same authors, there can be different kinds of visual reinforcement, such as: Labels: different objects, such as classroom furniture or corners in the nursery school can be labelled in the target language. Calendars; Weather Cards; or the Weather Wheel: having a calendar in the target language is a good way to have the target culture present in the early language classroom at all times. The foreign language teacher can use it as a daily opening routine. Children can make the calendar and all the weather symbols by themselves and post them in the English corner. 5. Books: Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 303) suggest the use of different kinds of books in early foreign language teaching and learning that bring the target culture and language close to the children and make it an authentic experience, such as: Folk and Fairy Tale, which are good for reading aloud, or children browsing at a reading table or in an English corner; Songbooks: A selection of songbooks from the target culture will make it easier for the foreign language teacher to choose songs that reinforce specific topics and 37

56 vocabulary in the curriculum (ibid.); Books of Simple Rhymes, Finger Plays: finger plays are rhymes with corresponding actions, which are very popular in early foreign language teaching. Using rhymes from the target culture rather than translations of rhymes written in the mother tongue provides more cultural experiences in the early language classroom; Colouring Books and Dot-to-Dot Books are a great source for visuals and activities, especially when they come from the target culture. (ibid.) 6. Teacher/learner produced materials: According to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 318), teacher- or children-made materials are [ ] among the most effective means in communicating a concept, structuring an activity, or motivating a lesson, because they are usually tailored to the special needs and interests of a specific class and situations. They add a personal quality and are often the most effective of all teaching tools. With the children, a foreign language teacher can make all sorts of classroom materials connected to the current topic/content of the curriculum they are talking about (such as Memory Game, Dominoes, etc.) or different kinds of objects that add to the children s imagination and also represent a great source to increase their motivation, such as magic bags, boxes, wands, etc. (ibid.) To conclude, learning foreign languages, in comparison with the first language in early ages, is usually time limited. To approach the natural language acquisition mechanisms of the first tongue, the efficiency of foreign language learning is therefore associated with the amount of time children are exposed to the target language and selected teaching approaches, methods and materials in early language teaching and learning (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004). In order to make the language comprehensible to children, the teaching and learning of foreign languages in nursery school must be thus carried out very clearly, where the foreign language teachers use different kinds of body gestures, expression, visual aids and other materials. According to Brumen (2004) and Piţorn (2009a), the teaching approaches, methods and materials should follow the principles of early language didactics; they should be adjusted to the learner s developmental, cognitive characteristics, their needs, and interests. They must be focused on the child s holistic and multisensorial approach to early foreign language learning. 38

57 6 INTEGRATING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE INTO THE SIX LEARNING AREAS OF THE NATIONAL PRE-SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND EVERYDAY ROUTINE ACTIVITIES In order to understand the integration of the foreign language (English) into different activities of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999), the six core content learning areas and within it, the role of songs, stories, and the use of puppets will be presented in teaching and learning foreign languages in nursery school. Because the everyday routine activities are of equal importance as all other planned learning activities in individual core content learning areas (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 7), they will also be presented. The individual core content learning areas and everyday routine activities will be discussed and explored in more details in the empirical part. 6.1 LANGUAGE AS A LEARNING AREA According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec at al., 1999, p ), the preschool period is most important for the development of speech. The linguistic activity includes the verbal and nonverbal communication with adults and children, learning the written language and first encounters with the national and world literature. A major role in the language development is held the child s family and later different forms of institutional pre-school education, such as nursery school. According to Čok (2008a, p ), activities that are important for the development of the child s speech and that can also be transferred to foreign language learning are listening to everyday conversations among adults, among adults and children, and among children; listening to the out-loud reading of adults, describing things and events, the use of foreign language in imaginative plays and dramatizations, making up stories and poems. Additionally, foreign language learning through social games, fairy tales, counting games, rhymes, jokes, riddles, wordplays and so forth, as the cultural heritage of the nation, cannot be ignored. Among the most important linguistic activities are stories, specifically, listening to and telling stories. 39

58 6.1.1 THE ROLE OF STORIES IN EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING (STORYTELLING) According to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 31), reading and telling stories is one of the most beloved contexts for early foreign language learning. The familiar structure of a story helps to make the meaning comprehensible, especially when it is richly supported with gestures, visuals, and learner s participation, and provide the great listening opportunities. As Pinter (2006, p ) points out, listening to stories is one of the most authentic activities where storytelling can be used as additional listening practice. Children will learn a new language as well as having enjoyable listening practice (ibid.). As songs, stories contain a lot of repetitive patterns, which enable children to pick up the foreign language more quickly, the foreign language input becomes more noticeable (ibid.) Egan (1997) claims that in stories many values come together and identifies the story form as one of the most effective means for communicating new information to young learners. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 63) claim that stories for very young children, at very early stages of language acquisition, should contain the following criteria: 1. The story is highly predictable, or familiar to the children from their native culture. It must contain a large amount of previously learnt vocabulary. In early stages, with very young children, it is especially helpful to choose stories that include vocabulary representing the home environment of the children. 2. The story is repetitive, making use of the patterns and formulas that occur regularly and predictably. These repeated elements provide foreign language that children can later use for their own communicative purposes. Good examples of these types of stories are pattern stories, such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear (1983) by Bill Martin Jr., or cumulative stories like The House that Jack Built. 3. The story line lends itself to pantomime and dramatization. 4. The story lends itself to heavy use of realia and visuals to illustrate its content. The stories that include these criteria can be presented without use of the mother tongue. (ibid.). Considering the fact that most pre-school children do not read yet, Reilly and Ward (2008, 40

59 p ) point out that a foreign language teacher must use different kinds of techniques when telling a story. There is an emphasis on the heavy use of body gestures, visual aids, dramatic tones of voice and expressions to bring the story alive. When representing the vocabulary of the story, they suggest the use of puppets, stuffed animals, or other concrete objects, the foreign language teachers can draw from magic boxes, mystery bags, or some other special hiding place to make the meaning clear. Most children enjoy listening to them especially if the teacher creates a special, magic atmosphere when telling the story. Preschool children have a vivid imagination and enjoy fantasy worlds. When telling a story, it is important to create a close and intimate atmosphere where children feel comfortable and relaxed. There are many children s stories available, modern and traditional. According to the same authors (2008, p. 18), the best choice is to choose the traditional stories at the beginning, from the children s own cultural background that are already familiar to them. The story books written by native speakers are very useful, because they contribute to natural language exposure. 6.2 MATHEMATICS AS A LEARNING AREA Children encounter mathematics very early in everyday situations. For example, they have an overview of their toys, clothing, everyday objects which they count, compare, describe, talk about them, etc. (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 64) According to Brumen (2009b, p ), children learn a foreign language successfully in the context of all these mathematical activities. Children learn to count in a foreign language and the use it in reasonable contexts, e.g. counting and classifying objects that surround them, presenting their age, birthday ( I'm six years old. Tina is seven years old ). They also learn the basic mathematical operations like, sequence, observing geometric shapes, classification and determining missing objects ( Close your eyes. What's missing? ) (ibid.). According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 74) the following examples of mathematical activities are listed below, in which a child: counts objects, people, etc.; sorts objects into types one after another, etc.; uses expressions for the description of geometric and physical characteristics and positions (colours, shape, e.g. round, flat, pointy), areas (e.g. soft, wet), size (e.g. big, small), under, over, left, right, etc.); plays with geometric bodies and shapes (cube, sphere, pyramid, triangle, square, 41

60 circle, line, dot, etc.); learns the concepts of left and right and about simple orientation in the room; observes patterns on clothes, toys, everyday objects, paintings and photos; observes the sequence in getting dressed for a walk a pullover, a coat, socks, shoes; sorts objects into groups according to different characteristics (colour, shape of plant leaves); observes and self-designs tables and graphical presentations; depicts everyday things, to observe nature with numbers and counting, such as weather calendars, table of learned songs, presentations of stories with symbols and so forth. 6.3 MOTOR SKILLS AS A LEARNING AREA It is well known that the needs to move and play are the child s primary, basic needs. Therefore, the nursery school should daily provide children with possibilities and encourage them with different indoor and outdoor activities to meet and develop their motor skills and, through them, develop socially and emotionally. Physical activities are also connected with other core content learning areas including Language, Nature, Society, Arts, and Mathematics. In terms of connection of psychical activities with other core content learning areas, pre-school teachers should talk with children, describe and explain the events through which they will learn new concepts, since they will more easily learn and understand them in connection with psychical activities (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ). According to Čok (2008a, p. 26), all the above stated also applies to learning a foreign language in nursery school. Physical activities represent one of the methods for foreign language learning or gaining new vocabulary; since [ ] when the child verbally expresses and with a move illustrates, what he/she said in a foreign language, it strengthens his/her lingual knowledge with the physical experience (Čok, 1999c, p. 145). According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p 27 28) the following examples of motor skills activities are listed below, in which the child: carries out the natural forms of exercising/movement (walking, running, crawling, 42

61 creeping, climbing, throwing, jumping, rolling, etc.): indoors, in nature; moves on various surfaces; on different parts of the body; in different directions; at different speeds; with various props; playing with different objects (balls, cords, clips, boxes, hoops, ribbons, etc.) and substances (water, sand) that enable movement of fingers, palms, hands, legs and feet (kneading, overflowing, pouring out, etc.), contributing to the development of fine motor skills; exemplifying objects, animals, and concepts (jump like a frog, fly as a bird; move like the snowflakes, etc.); creative moving accompanied by music. According to Čok (2008a, p. 26) it is very important that in early learning of a foreign language in a nursery school, a child plays in symbolic and role play, where he/she imitates and acts like a person, an animal, and an object; participates in different motion games, understands and names individual movements, actions, etc. Čok adds that with the motion experience the child strengthens his/her linguistic knowledge: The contents, we provide the child within the foreign language, are generally connected with movement. Merrymaking games, folk songs and dances we usually search from within the treasury that is in the culture of every nation rich and unique. We offer the child original performances, which we later and with the help of their creativity supplement, but try to preserve the components of authentic and nationalized work. (1999c, p. 146) In her article Učenje tujega jezika v otroštvu (2009b), Brumen also stresses the importance of movement in teaching and learning foreign languages in nursery school, since during such learning the child learns to use his/her body to express linguistic contents, specifically for easier communication and the memorising of foreign linguistic structures. In doing so, the child develops both rough and fine motor skills. Čok indicates that play and movement are often connected: Movement in playing helps the child to discover the world and is a constituent part of his activity from the very first weeks in his life. It prevails in the play of the pre-school and school periods, it gives playing certain dynamics and diversity. (1999a, p. 55) Since play and movement are a child s basic needs, foreign language learning in nursery 43

62 school should daily include many playful activities and activities connected to movement. As Jones and Coffey (2006, p. 76) state, children enjoy these kinds of activities and will participate in these with less inhibition. 6.4 NATURE AS A LEARNING AREA Nature is a special core content learning area, where within it we develop the child's abilities to get actively involved in the physical and social environment and to create a healthy and safe living environment and habits. The emphasis is on gaining experiences in living beings, natural phenomena, and the joy of exploring and discovering. (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 55) While learning a foreign language, children in nursery school also become familiar with the characteristics of the environment or nature and society (e.g. pets, weather, and clothes, food, holidays, etc.). In addition, they develop their mental operations, their abilities to experience and recognitions of perceptual qualities, related to objects, space, concepts and events (Brumen, 2009b, p. 15). According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ) the following examples of nature activities are listed below, in which the child: searches, observes, researches, and takes care of plants and animals in environments where they live, at farms and zoos, etc.; visits a zoo, park, farm, field, garden, forest, etc.; artistically depicts plants, animals, and their offspring and imitates their vocalization, movement and behaviour; shapes from dough, plasticine and clay, knits baskets, paper braids, weaves, stacks mosaics, etc.; learns about different materials and compares them (e.g. leather, wood, stone, metals); plays with water in different variations (rain, puddle, snow, ice, stream, lake, etc.); observes and talks about the weather and makes observations about it in a short period. 44

63 6.5 SOCIETY AS A LEARNING AREA A person is a part of the social environment in which he/she grows, lives, and functions. At the primary level of socialization, which first takes place within the family and later in the institutionalized forms of pre-school education, including nursery school, the child first becomes familiar with his/her hometown, its cultural heritage and simultaneously with other cultures and civilizations: with the lifestyles, celebrations, languages, etc. All of this is the first education in mutual tolerance and accepting or respecting others. Therefore, in nursery school, children get their first experiences with the realization of fundamental human rights and democratic principles, with respecting privacy and the consideration of the child as an individual (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 49). In particular, familiarity with the foreign language is one of the paths in becoming familiar with diversity and its acceptance. Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008) claim that integrating the foreign language into the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) is not merely about learning a language. By learning a foreign language, children thus also learn about foreign nations, their cultural dimensions, customs, and traditions: the principle of multiculturalism is therefore taken into account. Pinter (2006) states that the cultural context, as well as the influence of the child's peers, parents and teachers, therefore, have a significant role in the child s overall development and foreign learning process. Marjanovič Umek (2001, p. 50) emphasizes the importance of social interaction when learning a foreign language. She points out that for learning a foreign language in nursery school it is important to provide: a symbolically rich environment: where the child learns the foreign language in cooperation and communication with adults/foreign language teachers and children and through learning and experiencing national and world literature; talking, shared reading, symbolic playing, formal teaching with the help of stories, visitors, trips, books, etc., the child becomes familiar with important parts of the foreign culture; social backgrounds: communication with peers in a foreign language environment, cartoons and other TV shows in a foreign language (ibid.). According to Brumen (2010, p. 9), positive social interaction among children and adults (foreign language teachers, pre-school teachers) at early foreign language learning in 45

64 nursery school [ ] enables collaborative learning, the child perceives and understands him/herself and others, and develops the abilities to get accustomed to the environment, estimation, compassion. Activities such as games, role plays, partner and small group activities motivate learners and enhance learning (ibid.). 6.6 ARTS AS A LEARNING AREA According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 37), artistic activities are of the particular importance because they enable children to express themselves (their feelings) in different ways, not just linguistically. The child s creativeness manifests in different artistic learning areas: within art and craft activities, music, dance, and drama. This is also applicable to foreign language learning. Čok (1999c, p. 143) states that among the important goals of foreign language learning is developing the child s communicative competence. In the context of linguistic means of a foreign language it is not easy to achieve; therefore, an integral part of communication, particularly important, are nonverbal means of expression; movement, gestures, body language, drawing, artistic production, disordered voices, the harmony of singing and dancing: in short, everything that can be parts of the verbalized content. The child thus also learns the foreign language in context of activities from all individual artistic learning areas: ART AND CRAFT ACTIVITIES Čok (1999c, p. 145) states that children can express the meaning of the foreign language as well as their feelings through art. Art and craft activities are an important part of early foreign language learning and should, therefore, be commonly used in early foreign language classes. Reilly and Ward (2008, p. 25) point out that this kind of activities also provide a valuable way of giving the learners comprehensible language input, through which the foreign language teacher develops new kinds of vocabulary at giving directions and modelling, supported by many demonstrations. 46

65 According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ) the following examples of artistic activities are listed below, in which the child: draws, models, assemble, and forms even finer forms, details, patterns etc., depicts the same themes and motifs in drawings and paintings with different art materials (such as crayons, colour pencils, clay, etc.), pictures, chooses and designs puppets, elements of the costume and scenes for dance, drama and audio-visual activities, designs decorative and useful things. Reilly and Ward (2008, p. 25) point out that children enjoy creating crafts that reflect the target culture; they also like participating in other art-related experiences. They claim that foreign language teachers should enable children with a free painting activity in nursery school that contributes to the child s development of independence. By drawing what they like, they can express their feelings and emotions, which make them feel important. Arts and crafts also serve as a good setting for foreign language acquisition to take place in a spontaneous way. The materials and activities must be adaptable to the child s age level and the interests of individual children. It is also very important to display children s work, which gives them a sense of achievement and self-confidence MUSIC (Songs, Rhymes, and Finger Plays) Another vehicle for creating a natural context for foreign language acquisition in nursery school is songs, finger plays, and rhymes, which enable children to express their feelings, emotions and meaning of the foreign language through music (Čok, 2008a). Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 361) emphasize that music from the target culture adds to the authenticity of the language setting if it is used for background or listening experience. Referring to Sharpe (2001, p. 149) songs learned in the target language can have a double effect: 1. They contribute to the child s internalization of the sounds, the vocabulary, rhymes and structures of the new language. 2. They are the most effective entry into a new country and its language, where children get the experience with an important dimension of the target culture. 47

66 According to the same author (2001, p. 149), as with games, songs also provide the occasion for real language use in a situation if they are fun and enjoyable. Sharpe (2001, p. 149) says that [ ] young children readily imitate sounds and will usually have learnt to associate singing and playing with rhythm and rhymes with pleasure from an early age. According to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004), regarding the choice of songs for early foreign language learners, the foreign language teacher should use songs with limited musical challenge. The songs that are musically difficult will require considerable time for learning the music, causing the foreign language to be overshadowed. One of the best choice of songs, rhymes or finger plays at an early stage of foreign language acquisitions, are those with a potential for actions, dramatizations, rhythm accompaniment, or performance. Preschool children will participate in the songs enthusiastically if they are accompanied by actions. Their active involvement in the songs, by using their body motion and gestures, will help them to remember the words and their meanings more easily. In particular, rhymes and finger plays for young children are designed to incorporate large or small physical motor actions and are built entirely around the use of the fingers and hands to enter into the performance of a rhyme. Foreign language teachers should also pay attention to choosing songs that reflect the target culture. Songs translated from the child s native language are familiar to children, but they lack cultural authenticity. Sharpe (2001, p. 148) points out that it is also very important to choose the songs that are highly repetitive in their text, melody, and rhythm and have a refrain that is easily memorable. By repeating the same structure over and over, the child will internalize repeated foreign language structures without any conscious effort. According to Sharpe (ibid.), singing is a vital part of the life of a young child, inside and outside of the nursery school. Incorporating the foreign language in this fundamental activity is another way of normalizing it and positively influencing the child s attitude towards the foreign language learning (ibid.). According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ) the following examples of music activities are listed below, in which the child: rhythmically expresses folk and children s counting rhymes and jokes, accompanies the rhythmic expression with different musical instruments and movements, 48

67 listens to performances and recordings of selected pieces of music literature (domestic and foreign), sings children s, folk and art songs in the range of his/her voice, participates in didactic music games DANCE As mentioned, through movement and dancing, children express their feelings in a nonverbal, creative way in learning the foreign language. According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 44) the following examples of dance activities are listed below, in which the child: expresses, communicates and creates through motion and dance; imagines and creates dancing moves for drama plays and video; through dance plays and exercises the coordination, balance and becomes familiar with different rhythms (slow, fast). According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ), the child also performs simple merrymaking-motion games and motion-voice, rhythm and singing games, simple dances and social dance games PUPPETS AND OTHER DRAMA ACTIVITIES According to Čok (2008a, p. 26), children especially express and observe the verbal speech in a foreign language when with the help of a puppet and toys they form a dialogue and participate in the dramatization of foreign stories. Slattery (2009) points out that using puppets with the young learners is one of the most effective visual tools for facilitating meaning and stimulating verbal communication in an early foreign language classroom. Puppets are positive creatures which encourage children s motivation and bring about positive responses (ibid.). Children love to watch a puppet come to life in front of their eyes while at the same time enjoying the knowledge that this character lives in an imaginative world where anything can happen (Slattery, 2009, p. 11). According to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004), puppets can take on the role of 49

68 different personalities otherwise not present in the classroom, such as a person who is much older or younger than the children, a pet, or a special friend to all. A puppet can serve as an alter ego for the foreign language teacher, performing exaggerated or foolish actions that the teacher can react to or built on (ibid.). Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) point out that in the early stages of foreign language learning, the desire to hold the puppet and cuddle it can motivate children to speak, even very shy ones. Many children who are hesitant about speaking in class will start to speak much more easily if they are speaking through the new personality of the puppet. Slattery (2009) emphasizes the fact that using a puppet helps the teacher to keep the early foreign language classroom in the target language in a natural way, by having conversations in English that the children can listen and understand. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) point out that when the foreign language teacher introduces and incorporates a puppet in the class with personality and feelings, she or he creates an illusion that can be very powerful. A puppet can create a magical atmosphere in the classroom and becomes a great support for children to learn and become motivated. It can also become the child s best friend and comfort him/her when he/she is sad. To sustain this illusion, it is crucial to treat these personalities with respect. When we take our creatures seriously, they are more likely to be meaningful and memorable to our learners. Above all, the most important thing at using a puppet in the early foreign language classroom is to develop a good relationship with children. Slattery (2009) adds that the puppet s main job is to create an environment in which children feel secure and happy. According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ) the following examples of drama activities are listed below, in which the child: animates the puppets, toys, or other objects, plays, identifies with and imitates animals, people and relations between them with the use of voice, body, room/space, a puppet, an object, a costume or mask, imagines and performs an animation with different kinds of puppets and objects, participates in games with others, reads a drawing or photograph and creates a story. 50

69 6.7 EVERYDAY ROUTINE ACTIVITIES Equally important as the written goals and the content of the national pre-school curriculum are daily activities in the nursery school, communication and interactions with children and among children, the use of praise, reprimand, and rules for controlling time and space (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 20). The everyday routine activities in nursery school include the arrival of children, feeding (breakfast, snacks, lunch), rest, returning home and related rituals, schedule, customs and rules of cultural behaviour (ibid.). Čok (2008a) states that these kinds of activities are of equal importance for learning a foreign language in nursery school as all other activities in individual core content learning areas. When teaching and learning English in nursery school, the foreign language teachers should integrate the foreign language into all kinds of everyday routine activities, including everyday communication (e.g. giving directions, managing behaviour, using polite expressions, etc.); greetings; body care (e.g. washing hands, brushing teeth, etc.); meals (children become acquainted with the different dishes, cultural behaviour, etc.); resting time (e.g. reading stories, etc.) and other similar activities during the day in nursery school. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 33) point out that the integration of the foreign language into all of the aforementioned everyday routine activities demonstrates that the new language works, that [it] can be used for all the important business of the classroom (and by natural extension-of life). They emphasize the fact that by doing so, foreign language teachers create an environment where children are surrounded by the target language in different situations and occasions, where, in addition to learning the target language, children experience and become familiar also with the target culture its customs and traditions. If we spend much of the time talking in mother tongue, we are actually denying children access to the foreign language and the culture. Most importantly, at integrating a foreign language into everyday routine activities, the language will be used for meaningful purposes (ibid.). According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p ), through these kinds of activities, children also become familiar with rules in groups and the nursery school; children learn about different diets and gain healthy and diverse eating habits; children become familiar with safe behaviour and lifestyles: at home, in traffic, in nursery 51

70 school, when playing etc.; children develop habits about body care and learn the basic principles of hygiene. Most importantly, the stated needs provide the child with a feeling of membership and create a pleasant atmosphere that enables the connection between the nursery school and the child s family (ibid.) 52

71 7 TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH IN ŠENTJUR NURSERY SCHOOL (PONIKVA) This chapter aims to present the teaching and learning of English in a small countryside nursery school. First, the innovative projects, its definition, purpose, and goals will be defined. Second, the teaching and learning of English, within the Innovative Network Project under the guidance of the Slovenian National Educational Institute will be discussed, to which the small countryside nursery school applied. In the end, some of the important factors for the successful teaching and learning of foreign languages in nursery school will be presented. 7.1 INNOVATIVE PROJECTS INTEGRATING EFL AS AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT The Innovative Projects (IP) of the Slovenian National Educational Institute are one of the most advanced forms of updating the curriculum. In the Slovenian school system, they have had a rich tradition since 1997 when they were defined in the Regulations of Innovation Projects (Official Gazette RS, No. 13/2003). Komljanc (2008, p. 6) indicates that the main purpose of innovative projects is lifelong learning, which requires being innovative, and constantly developing and searching for new ideas. The innovative projects can be carried out by all educational institutions, which also includes nursery schools. According to Komljanc (2006) a nursery school enters in the innovation project with its idea and testing options in the immediate practice. The Slovenian National Educational Institute provides the institutions involved in the innovation project with professional support in the form of advisory services or consulting. Because foreign languages are not part of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999), teaching and learning English as a foreign language in nursery school can be carried out only as an innovative project. As a result, several Slovenian nursery schools have applied to the innovative network project under the guidance of the Slovenian National Educational Institute (Brumen, p. 5). In an attempt to implement the teaching and learning of foreign languages at the pre-school level, in addition to learning languages as additional activities in language courses, the small countryside nursery school 53

72 also applied to participate in the innovative network project supervised by the Slovenian National Educational Institute. 7.2 TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH WITHIN THE INNOVATIVE NETWORK PROJECT IN PONIKVA NURSERY SCHOOL THE DESCRIPTION OF THE INNOVATIVE NETWORK PROJECT The case study was performed in one small countryside nursery school, which participated in the innovative network project supervised by the Slovenian National Educational Institute with the title Zgodnje učenje tujega jezika-odraz vzgajanja predšolskih otrok v duhu kulturnega relativizma. This school applied in 2008 and was one of the first nursery schools to participate in the innovative network projects carried out between 2008 and The project manager was the headmistress of the nursery school. The small countryside nursery school had five departments of children at different age groups; the youngest, 1 2 years old; a department of 2 3-year-old children; a department of 3 4-year olds, and the department of the oldest children, 4 6 years old. There were 12 professional workers employed in the nursery school: six pre-school teachers, five assistants of pre-school teachers and one foreign language teacher. The teaching and learning of English were carried out in the department of the oldest children, at the age of 4 6 years. There were 21 children included into the innovative network project, who learnt English every day. English was offered as content and language integrated learning (CLIL) during everyday nursery school learning activities. There were team meetings among all of the participating nursery schools organized monthly, under the supervision of the Slovenian National Educational Institute and the Faculty of Education, of the University of Ljubljana where the foreign language teachers work in nursery school was observed and analysed. The observations were followed by a collaborative assessment of the pedagogic work, which included constructive discussions on how to improve the quality of foreign language organization and its performance. The foreign language teachers were given opportunities to assess and reflect their teaching in order to improve their own practice and exchanged experiences with other participating 54

73 nursery schools (Brumen, 2010, p. 5) THE PURPOSE OF THE INNOVATIVE NETWORK PROJECT According to Fras Berro and Brumen: The main purpose of the innovative network project (of participating nursery schools) is exploring and testing the effective learning strategies and innovative approaches in the field of teaching and learning a foreign language at the preschool level. The results should contribute to the preparation of the professional guidelines for learning and teaching of foreign languages in nursery schools and thus to the systematic organization of learning foreign languages at pre-school level (to organize the linguistic vertical for children). (2015, p. 11) The main purpose of teaching and learning English in the small countryside nursery school written in its publication within the innovative project was [ ] searching for paths to creative and effective learning environments for teaching and learning English in nursery school (Ketiš, 2008, p. 1). Ketiš (2008, p. 3) emphasizes that introducing early English language learning in the small countryside nursery school (in departments of 4 6-year-old pre-school children) with the English teacher/pre-school teacher is not linked solely to achieving and developing a child's language skills/competences, but rather to developing the child s overall essence. The organization and implementation of the process of learning with regard to contemporary didactic, pedagogical, psychosocial findings lead to the development of all areas of a child's personality, which in the global world of lifelong learning represents the bridge toward intercultural dialogue of nations, respect for their diversity, and tolerance. To achieve that, the new teaching methods, materials and ideas were explored with the aim of being innovative and of presenting the foreign language learning to children in a childfriendly way. In this manner, they would learn the foreign language from natural situations and use the natural mechanisms of the first language acquisition. At the same time, they would learn about the target country (their customs, traditions) and develop the positive attitudes towards foreign nations. To achieve that goal, the content and language integrated 55

74 approach (CLIL) was used by which the foreign language was integrated into the entire National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). English was integrated into all six core content learning areas and everyday routine activities, where children spontaneously learnt the language from everyday situations during the day in nursery school, which will be presented in the empirical part THE GOALS OF THE INNOVATIVE NETWORK PROJECT As part of the innovative network project in the small countryside nursery school there the following global goals were set: understanding, experiencing and learning a foreign language (English) in preschool children in daily situations of the national pre-school curriculum as part of the spontaneous and planned learning activities, employment and routines; understanding the otherness of the target language from the mother tongue, which represents the linguistic richness and a bond to intercultural dialogue among nations. (Ketiš, 2008, p. 3) Besides the mentioned goals some other goals set by the National Pre-school Curriculum were also pursued, which will be presented in more details in the empirical part. 7.3 THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING EFL AT A PRE-SCHOOL INSTITUTION According to Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008), there are several factors that must be taken into account for successful foreign language teaching and learning in nursery school including the role of a teacher; the role of parents; the proper space and time organization for learning a foreign language in nursery school THE ROLE OF A TEACHER The foreign language teacher, as well as the pre-school teacher, should encourage the child s active involvement in all elements and activities of the National Pre-school Curriculum, at planning; organizing and performing the activities and evaluation (Fras Berro & Piţorn, 2008). 56

75 Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008) indicate the following factors for successful teaching and learning a foreign language in nursery school, where they emphasize the role of the foreign language teacher: to maintain the positive environment in the play room; the foreign language teacher must be kind, respectful; s/he should encourage children, empathetic and supportive towards the children; who likes to sing, dance, play and smiles a lot; and with his overall positive personality and positive attitude towards the children creates a relaxed, comfortable environment for learning the foreign language; good knowledge of the National Pre-school Curriculum and annual work plan (LDN) of the classroom, where the foreign language teacher has detailed knowledge about the pre-school education, the contents of activities and organization; the foreign language teacher is required to have, good language skills and above all the pedagogical (methodological) knowledge: s/he needs to understand the principles of child development, the characteristics of pre-school children, not just foreign language teaching, in order to provide a wide selection of suitable teaching materials, approaches, and strategies adjusted to the child s developmental level, his needs and interests to facilitate the natural foreign language acquisition; the foreign language teacher must know how to combine activities in the first and foreign language; know the children's mother tongue and is able to make conclusions on the transfer between the two languages, and offers children the best patterns that can be easily remembered and repeated. As already said, children quickly remember and easily imitate perfect as well as false foreign language patterns; the quality planning of time in tandem (a foreign language teacher and a pre-school teacher). According to Brumen and Piţorn (2008, p. 28), it must also be underscored that at this stage of foreign language acquisition, the emphasis should be on gaining information about the child s progress and making children enjoy the learning process, while giving grades and correcting mistakes is inappropriate. The activities which serve to gather information about the individual child s progress must take into consideration the child s holistic approach to learning; such as their ability to express themselves, their ability to be creative 57

76 and the child s social and linguistic involvement. The progress of each individual has to be seen and recognized by a foreign language teacher and also a child. (ibid.) In addition, a foreign language teacher, as well as a pre-school teacher, should: observe the development of each particular child on his emotional, creative, cognitive, and language field; think and evaluate their work with children; improve and individualize the goals, in particular on the basis of their own observations; plan their work in the manner that enables the progress of all children and simultaneously adapt the teaching to each child and encourage the development of each child (ibid.). Children should: learn to recognize their own progress, which gives them a new reason/motivation for further learning; learn to explain their linguistic abilities and capabilities of other children in the group; learn to use their abilities to help others. Parents: should be provided with the possibility to observe the child s language development; should be provided with the possibility to be actively involved in the educational process in the nursery school. (ibid.) THE ROLE OF PARENTS In the teaching and learning of English in a nursery school, the principle of cooperation with parents, in addition to other mentioned principles, must also be taken into account. As already stated, the parents should be provided with the possibility to observe the child s language development and opportunities to be actively involved in the educational process in the nursery school (Brumen & Piţorn, 2008, p. 28). 58

77 Piţorn and Vogrinc (2010, p. 94) emphasize the importance of the parent's role in a child's foreign language learning, especially in early ages. Parents can contribute to foreign language learning in different ways: enable the child s first encounter with the foreign language in everyday situations; enable additional foreign language learning in the form of vacations or language camps; travel to target countries in order to enable their child the practical use of the target language; enable their child to attend different forms of payable language education (at a language school, etc.); go abroad with the whole family for a couple of years, which contributes to language proficiency; encourage their child to watch different foreign language TV programmes; provide their child different sorts of foreign language materials by means of which he/she acquires the new language spontaneously (such as, CDs, magazines, books, games, songs); become friends with people from abroad and maintain regular contacts in which they include their children (children become friends with their children, etc.); encourage their child by their positive personal attitude towards foreign languages (tell their child about their positive experiences and their successes of learning a foreign language when they were in school, etc.) (ibid.) The importance of including parents in the process of foreign language learning in nursery school is reflected in the empirical research presented by Fras Berro, Brumen, and Čagran (2009). Fras Berro et al. (2009, p ) present the results of empirical research on the parents attitude (suggestions and opinions) towards foreign language learning in nursery schools. The results are based on the sample of 267 parents whose children (at the age of 4 6) learnt a foreign language within the innovative network project in 2008/09. The parents were interviewed at the end of the school year. The results show that parents were positively oriented towards the foreign language learning in nursery school. The majority of them were satisfied with the work of professional workers and selected didactic approaches and methods for teaching and learning a foreign language in nursery school. They were aware of the fact that knowledge of a foreign language gained in nursery school 59

78 would help their children in the further learning of any other languages; contribute to the successful integration of their children into the society; contribute to the development of positive attitude towards foreign languages; obtaining an ear for language and gaining a self-confidence (Fras Berro et al., 2009, p ). To summarize, the results show that parents believe that learning a foreign language at the pre-school level influence positively on the child's overall development, his/her interest in language strengthens his self-esteem and language ability (Fras Berro et al., 2009). In contrast, Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p. 8) states that the integration of foreign language into the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) may cause some difficulties between the parents different expectations in comparison with the goals of the early foreign language learning. Many parents see foreign language learning mainly due to their own school experiences, where the learning activities take place from the front of the classroom, solving the tasks printed on worksheets, etc., while expecting visible and concrete results (for example, knowledge of songs, words, etc.) Therefore, it is very important that pre-school (foreign language) teachers and other stakeholders help parents to understand that, in nursery school, it is not only about learning a language in a school sense and that language proficiency cannot be measured easily, and at the beginning there is practically no language production although children can understand quite a lot if supported by visual and other aids. As Dunn (2008, p. 3) states, the parents' role is not correcting the mistakes or demanding particular foreign language achievements within a certain time, but encouraging children as well as praising them, as any success motivates them and makes them feel that they are making progress ORGANIZATIONAL CONDITIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN NURSERY SCHOOLS Proper space and time organization are crucial for learning a foreign language in nursery school (Fras Berro and Piţorn, 2008, p. 39). Piţorn and Pevec Semec (2010, p ) claim that the more often children are exposed to a foreign language, the greater the chance they have to learn the language. However, this factor depends on some other factors, such as the efficient use of time, a competent teacher, and the distribution of time units to three 60

79 times a week. Research shows that it is better if children learn foreign languages several times a week over a shorter period. Moreover, it is necessary that teaching and learning a foreign language at pre-school level take place in smaller groups. Apart from that, Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p. 39) emphasize the importance of ensuring an adequate environment for teaching and learning a foreign language. Foreign language activities should be carried out in an environment (e.g. an English corner ) that is familiar to children and contains toys, objects children play with and use in everyday activities in nursery school. Furthermore, the English corner should contain those materials which have been prepared in the context of the current curricular topics of the project. The department/playing room should be equipped with modern information and communication technology (radio, DVD player, video, computer, CDs, Internet access, etc.). The area should be equipped with educational games and teaching aids, picture books and other literature to stimulate foreign language learning (ibid.). Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 8) emphasize the importance of creating a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom (play room) in the foreign language learning process. Children will resist learning if anxious or suffering low self-confidence, while when motivation is high, and the child is self-confident, and when the learning process takes place in a relatively anxiety-free environment, they will be willing to do anything; they will learn very quickly when provided with interesting activities and things they want to know and explore (ibid.) FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES According to different experts in the field of early foreign language teaching and learning, the following criteria for selection of the content were considered: The foreign language content must be adapted to the current developmental stage of the children, their interests and take into account different core content learning areas of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Brumen & Piţorn, 2008, p. 27). The foreign language content must be emotionally acceptable and attractive; it should encourage children to join in; to develop their imagination and creativity and especially be interesting that children enjoy and have fun in the language process (Piţorn & Pevec Semec, 2010, p. 114). The content should be derived from the children's culture in a certain country where the language is used, from the general curriculum and from the information 61

80 on a foreign land. The choice depends on topics that inspire the most interest in children in a given environment (Piţorn & Pevec Semec, 2010, p. 115). The priority is teaching meaningful content and not the foreign language in isolation, which is achieved with the content integrated learning in the context of different core content learning areas (Brumen & Piţorn, 2008, p. 27). The content should include familiar contexts which are relevant to children, such as toys, family members, food, animals, body parts, weather, vehicles, etc., that is connected to the child s prior knowledge and to which children can relate. Foreign language topics should be therefore focused on the children, their social and natural environment, interests and needs (Brumen, 2010, p. 5). The usefulness and the meaningfulness of the foreign language are the main criteria for the selection of foreign language content, while the structural features of the foreign language are of secondary importance (Brumen & Piţorn, 2008, p. 28). Brumen and Piţorn (2008, p. 28) add that children should experience, comprehend and use the foreign language in mutual communication. The main emphasis is on listening and speaking skills. Moreover, verbal and non-verbal means of communication (pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation, body language, gesticulation) have an important role in teaching and learning a foreign language in nursery school. 62

81 EMPIRICAL PART 1 THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH STUDY Foreign languages are not part of the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999), which means that they are yet not regulated by the legislation. Because of that, teaching and learning foreign languages in a small countryside nursery school was carried out within the innovative network project, the nursery school applied to, and was supervised by the Slovenian National Educational Institute. By analysing the lesson plans of one school year, the author of this study investigated issues related to the content and language integrated approach (CLIL) which was used to integrate English into everyday nursery school learning activities and learning areas of the National Pre-school Curriculum. English was integrated in different situations throughout day in nursery school; within all six core content learning areas (Language, Motor Skills, Arts, Nature, Society, Mathematics), where the foreign language was integrated in planned/guided activities and also in other everyday routine activities, (e.g. at meals, body care time, resting time, in the morning circle when children daily counted themselves and talked about the weather, etc.) In teaching English in the nursery school, the pre-school foreign language teacher took into account that the topics of the foreign language activities were always linked to the contents of the activities carried out by other pre-school teachers in the language of instruction (Slovene). In the empirical research, the author of this study analysed the lesson plans of one school year, with the main purpose of investigating which learning areas, goals, and activities of the National Pre-school Curriculum were most frequently selected in teaching English in nursery schools. Moreover, she also wanted to explore which teaching materials and forms of work were most frequently used. Furthermore, by interviewing the children at the end of the school year, the case study researcher wanted to explore the children s motivation and perception of the foreign language learning in the nursery school; The aim was to determine which activities and games the children liked the most; which teaching materials they preferred and what they were able to understand or produce after one year of daily exposure to foreign language learning in a nursery school. By analysing the lesson plans and interviewing the children, the case study researcher also wanted to explore whether the teaching methods and approaches were successful. 63

82 2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS The case study examined the following research questions: 1. Which learning areas were most frequently selected in teaching English in the nursery school? 2. Which language goals were most frequently pursued in teaching English in the nursery school? 3. Which goals set by the National Pre-school Curriculum were most frequently selected in teaching English in the nursery school? 4. Which planned learning activities were most frequently selected in teaching English in the nursery school? 5. Which everyday routine activities were most frequently selected in teaching English in the nursery school? 6. Which teaching materials were most frequently selected in teaching English in the nursery school? 7. Which forms of work were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? 8. How did children perceive and how were they motivated by foreign language learning in the nursery school? 9. Which kind of activities and games did children like the most in foreign language learning in the nursery school? 10. Which teaching materials did children prefer in foreign language learning in the nursery school? 11. What are children able to understand and produce after one year of daily exposure to foreign language learning in the nursery school? 64

83 3 THE PROCEDURE The small countryside nursery school applied to participate in the innovative network project supervised by the Slovenian National Educational Institute in 2008 and was one of the first nursery schools which participated in the innovative network project, which was conducted from 2008 to The oldest group of children, aged 4 to 6, was taught English. There were 21 children included into the innovative network project who learnt English every day. The author of this study worked in the nursery school as a foreign language teacher (employed as assistant to the-pre-school teacher) and was present in the department the whole day, where she integrated English according to the principle one educational activity (one person) one language (Fras Berro & Piţorn, 2008, p. 38). The main teaching approach was content and language integrated learning (CLIL). 3.1 THE SCHEDULE Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 2) claim that one of the most important elements in teaching and learning foreign languages in achieving efficient language acquisition in a natural way is planning the use of time. Teachers should devote a considerable amount of time to planning the activities and also to strategies for making the language comprehensible to young learners. (ibid.) Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008) emphasize the importance of the quality planning time in tandem (both the foreign language teacher and a pre-school teacher) in nursery school. In teaching English in the small countryside nursery school, the activities were planned and performed according to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) in tandem with the pre-school teacher (the foreign language teacher and a pre-school teacher). Firstly, at the beginning of the school year, a school year syllabus (the annual work plan) was prepared, in which the thematic units/topics and goals were defined. Based on the school year syllabus, a monthly syllabus was designed. The latter included topics and activities that were planned to be performed. The foreign language teacher and the preschool teacher exchanged their ideas and materials, and defined goals and activities for the Slovene and the integrated English parts. The topics of the monthly plans were usually in accordance with the four seasons of the year, children s interests, wishes and needs. For example, in October and November the English language teacher and a pre-school teacher 65

84 planned the activities connected to the autumn; where they talked about the changing nature, colours; visiting a forest, etc. At the beginning of the week, a weekly plan was also prepared, for a better overview of the planned curricular activities in the Slovene part (carried out by the pre-school teacher in the mother tongue) and the integrated English activities. In accordance with the Slovene activities, the English language teacher made a detailed lesson plan of the expected integrated foreign language activities for each day, in which she defined the goals and activities she wanted to carry out on a particular day. It must be emphasized that the activities were often adjusted to the current situation and children s interests. In teaching English in the nursery school, foreign language activities were planned and performed within all six core content learning areas. The foreign language was integrated into the pre-planned and guided activities and was also integrated spontaneously in other everyday routine activities (such as meals, body care, resting time, etc.) and different situations throughout the day in nursery school, taking into account children s holistic approach to learning. 3.2 THE ORGANIZATION OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN THE NURSERY SCHOOL DURING THE PROJECT Fras Berro and Piţorn (2008, p. 12) state that modern pre- school curricula give priority to the educational work in small groups and individual work which enable more qualitative learning, instead of a frontal and guided activities. Such methods of work take into account the principle of diversity which is also emphasized by the contemporary modern curricula of early childhood education (ibid.) Therefore, it is necessary that teaching and learning a foreign language at the pre-school level take place in smaller groups (up to 15 children). (Piţorn & Pevec Semec, 2010, p. 128) The foreign language teacher usually divided the whole group of 21 children from a department, into two or sometimes three smaller groups. There were 8-12 children in one group. One group of children was taught in the target language (English) where foreign language activities were performed and in the other group, other curricular activities were performed by the pre-school teacher in the mother tongue. Then the groups were switched. To achieve a better quality of learning the foreign language, the majority of the foreign 66

85 language activities were carried out in a separate area: the English corner or in the gym. The English corner (an area in the playroom) contained toys, objects children played with and used in everyday activities in the nursery school. The English corner was equipped and organized with the help of the children in which it was obvious that besides the mother tongue the English language was spoken. Different kinds of visual reinforcement were displayed in the English corner (e.g. different posters, pictures of stories, flashcards, foreign language literature/children s books, weather calendar, CDs, different kinds of didactic games and other teacher and children made material). Children also often brought some English CDs or stories from home and put them in the English corner. 3.3 THE LENGTH OF TIME OF THE ACTIVITIES Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p. 205) indicate that the most appropriate time to carry out foreign language activities is in the morning, when the motivation is high and children are full of energy and also want to share different experiences they had at home with others. According to Reilly and Ward (2008, p. 7) children at pre-school level have a short attention span. Therefore, the foreign language teacher must offer children a great variety of activities, but must keep in mind that they tire easily. Activities must constantly be changed in order to keep children motivated. Because of their short attention span, the length of one particular activity should not last more than ten to fifteen minutes. Due to this, the planned foreign language activities were performed mostly in the morning, after breakfast, from 8.30 to approximately The length of the activities varied; they usually lasted from 20 to 45 minutes, which depended on the children s current moods, responses and interests in a particular activity. Children were offered a great variety of activities which were adjusted to their wishes and interests. There were also many other foreign language activities which were carried out spontaneously at different occasions during the day (counting children when going out, labelling weather, naming food at the meal time; naming clothes/part of the body when getting dressed, etc.) 67

86 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.1 SAMPLE The lesson activities were carried out on a non-random sample of 21 children, who were from four to six years old who learnt English every day within the innovative network project, in the department in which I worked as a foreign language teacher and was employed as a pre-school teacher s assistant. When I worked in the nursery school, I was finishing my English degree (BA thesis). There were six children who were four years old, ten children were five years old, and five children were six years old. According to the information obtained from the children s parents, the children commonly watched English programmes on TV (such as cartoons, Baby TV), or listened to English songs on the radio. Two children learnt English once a week in a language course. There were no bilingual children in the department. For the purpose of the empirical research, the data was also collected from the interviews, on the same non-random sample of 21 children, from the department, who were interviewed at the end of one school year of English language learning. 4.2 THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS The data was collected on a sample of 123 daily lesson plans, which the author of the study (the foreign language teacher) carried out within the 2010/2011 school year of teaching English in the small countryside nursery school and from semi-structured interviews with children. In accordance with the Slovene activities, carried out by a pre-school teacher in the mother tongue, the English language teacher made a detailed lesson plan of the expected integrated foreign language activities for each day. The individual lesson plan contained the learning areas, goals, learning activities, teaching materials and forms of work that were about to be carried out/used/pursued on a particular day of teaching English in a nursery school. Each lesson plan contained approximately five to eight different foreign language activities that were about to be carried out. While performing the activities, the English language teacher was monitoring the responses of the children. After completing the activities, she made 68

87 notes (evaluated her work, children s responses, how they liked certain activities, materials used, etc.). Taking into account the evaluation of her work and the children s responses, the English language teacher prepared the next lesson plan. The data was also collected on the same non-random sample of 21 children from the department, who were interviewed at the end of one school year of foreign language learning. The interview included 31 questions, 11 close-ended questions (yes/no) and 20 open-ended questions, in which children mostly answered in their mother tongue (i.e. in Slovene) although some of them answered some of the questions in English. Because some children gave more answers to an individual question, the number of answers exceeds the number of children included in the interview for some questions. The questions covered the motivational factors in learning English and aimed to determine the children's perception of English learning in a nursery school. Children were asked about the popularity of foreign language learning in the nursery school in general; they were asked about their perception of activities from individual core content learning areas (Language, Arts, Motor Skills, Mathematics, Society and Nature); they were asked which games they liked to play; which teaching materials they preferred and what they were able to understand or produce after one year of daily exposure to foreign language learning in a nursery school. 4.3 THE PROCEDURE OF DATA COLLECTION In the empirical research, the 123 lesson plans were analysed, which were delivered in the 2010/2011 school year. The activities were carried out in the foreign language (i.e. in English); if necessary, the English language teacher also spoke in the mother tongue (i.e. in Slovene). The predicted activities from daily lesson plans were often adjusted according to the current children s needs, wishes, interests and current events. The foreign language activities were carried out from October to May. The lesson plan contained the following elements/data: learning areas, goals, activities, teaching materials and forms of work. The frequency of data/elements (learning areas, goals, activities, teaching materials and forms of work) in 123 lesson plans were analysed. The data were analysed at the level of descriptive statistics. The frequencies (f, f %) of the mentioned variables/elements of lesson plans were calculated. 69

88 The data was also collected from a semi-structured interview for children, which was developed for the purpose of the study. All children were interviewed after one year of English language teaching. The English language teacher carried out the interview with each child in a separate room. When interviewing children, she helped herself with the hand puppet and a home-made microphone to achieve and maintain the motivation during the interview and to create a relaxed atmosphere, in which children would feel secure and comfortable. While interviewing the children, the English language teacher recorded the children s answers and made notes. 4.4 THE RESEARCH METHOD The case study method of collecting data was used in the empirical research. Case study refers to the presentation and collection of detailed information about a particular participant or a small group. It is important that the participant pool remains relatively small. The case study takes place in natural setting (such as a private home, classroom, neighbourhood) and strives for a more holistic interpretation of the situation or event under study. It is a form of qualitative descriptive research. It looks intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group in that specific context ( Case Studies, 2015). Typically, data are gathered from a variety of sources and by using several different methods (e.g. observations & interviews). The research may also continue for an extended period of time, so processes and developments can be studied as they happen. (McLeod, 2008) In this study, the object of observation was a group of 21 children, four to six years old, who were learning English as a foreign language on a daily basis for one schoolyear in a small countryside nursery school. The desk research data was analysed. By interviewing the children at the end of one school year, the main aim of the study was to find out how children perceived and were motivated by English language learning; which activities they liked; which teaching materials they liked to play with, and what they were able to understand or produce after one year of daily language exposure in a nursery school. By analysing the lesson plans of one school year, the aim of the study was also to find out which learning areas, goals, and activities of the National Pre-school Curriculum were most frequently selected and which teaching materials and forms of work the English language teacher most frequently used in her teaching. The case study method, which is a 70

89 form of qualitative descriptive research methods, proved to be the best suitable research method. As is typical for case studies, a small group of participants (children) were observed in their natural setting (attending nursery school). The data from the interviews was analysed at the level of the descriptive method. The data collected from lesson plans and children s interviews are presented in graphs and tables. In analysing the data. the Microsoft Office Excel programme was used. The children s answers from interviews and data collected from lesson plans are also interpreted with regard to the relevant literature. 5 RESULTS/FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATION 5.1 LESSON UNITS Which learning areas were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? Sample: 123 Lesson Units Graph 1: The Frequency of Learning Area The results from Graph 1 show that in 123 lesson units carried out in one school year, the foreign language was integrated into all six core content learning areas. The most 71

90 frequently used learning area was art, which appeared 95 times in 123 lesson units and represents 77% of the pattern and motor skills which appeared 81 times (66%); followed by the language of instruction (Slovene) which appeared 63 times (51%) and mathematics that appeared 61 times (49.5%). As it is evident from Graph 1, the learning area of language is divided into English language (target language), which represents all the activities in 123 lesson units that were carried out in target language in one year of teaching English and represents 100%. While the figure Slovene language (the language of instruction) represents those activities of language learning area that were also carried out in the target language (English) but at the same time contributed to the development of the mother tongue. While the least frequently used learning areas of teaching English were Society, which appeared 44 times (36%) and Nature, which appeared 34 times (27%) in 123 lesson units. The greater difference between the frequency of the learning areas of Nature and Society in comparison to other learning areas is probably the result of the fact that English activities were mostly carried out in the morning time and performed inside, in the nursery school (in the English corner in the playroom; in the hallway; in the nursery school library). While the English activities from the learning area of nature were mostly carried out outside (in the forest, in the meadow, in the field), which was less frequent; such a lesson also depended on the weather conditions. This means that the learning area of nature was most commonly used in the spring time, when more time we could be spent outside with children. While the learning area of society was more frequently used in the beginning of the year, in autumn, where the English activities were oriented towards getting to know each other, other countries and foreign languages. As mentioned, the results show that the foreign language was most frequently integrated to the learning areas of art and motor skills. It is probably due to the fact that the learning area of art contains the largest spectrum of activities in the national pre-school curriculum and contains different artistic fields (music, dance, drama, art and craft activities). It also corresponds to the fact that in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999, p. 37) artistic activities are of special importance, because they enable children to express themselves (their feelings) in different ways, not just linguistically; children can express themselves through art and craft activities; music, dance and drama. Čok (1999c) states 72

91 that (in addition to verbal means of expressions in foreign language learning) non-verbal means of expression are particularly important: movement, gestures, body language, drawing, artistic production, disordered voices, the harmony of singing and dancing, all of which can be parts of the verbalized content. Moreover, according to the results, the foreign language was also frequently integrated into the learning area of motor skills, which is in correspondence to the fact that according to research studies (Čok, 2008a; Pinter, 2006) different kinds of motion activities and children s active involvement in the activities are a basic need in their development Which language goals were most frequently pursued in teaching English in the nursery school? Table 1: Language Goals LANGUAGE GOALS FREQUENCY (f) 1 Developing listening skills 95 2 Encouraging positive attitude towards the foreign language 82 3 Acquiring and revising the vocabulary 72 4 Developing the rhythm and sound of the language (phonetic awareness) 68 5 Developing speaking skills 47 TOTAL 364 Graph 2: Language Goals 73

92 It is evident from Table 1 and Graph 2 that there were five different language goals pursued in teaching English in the nursery school. The results show that the most frequently developed language goals were (1) Developing listening skills, which appeared 95 times in 123 lesson units and represents 26% of the total and (2) Encouraging positive attitude towards the foreign language, which appeared 82 times (22%). Slightly less frequently, the goal (3) Acquiring and revising the vocabulary was developed, i.e. 72 times (20%). The goal referring to (4) Developing the rhythm and sound of the language (phonetic awareness ) was developed in 68 sessions (19%) in which children through different kinds of language games, singing songs, chants and making rhymes became aware of the difference between the sounds and letters of the mother tongue and those of the foreign language while simultaneously becoming aware of the existence of other languages and cultures besides their own, which should have also contributed to the development of the mother tongue. This is in correspondence with the findings (Brumen, 2009a, p. 69) that through learning the foreign language children also learn and develop the language skills in their mother tongue. The least frequently developed goal was (5) Developing speaking skills, which appeared, 47 times (13%). This is the result of the fact that in teaching English the activities were mainly oriented to the developing of listening skills and acquiring and revising the vocabulary, which matches the theory of language acquisition and the theory of the silent period. When observing children during the activities, the majority of them mainly responded in their mother tongue (Slovene) or with their body gestures in the first months of the foreign language learning. It is interesting that after four months of daily exposure to the foreign language, almost all children started to respond in the English language. This is in correspondence with the findings (Curtain and Dahlberg, 2004; Dunn 2008; Pinter 2006) that there is a stage in the foreign language learning, called the silent period. According to the same authors, in this stage children just absorb the language and may remain silent for some time. This stage can last from six months to even one year before children feel comfortable to speak in the target language. 74

93 FREQUENCY Which of the national curricular goals were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? Table 2: The National Curricular Goals THE NATIONAL CURRICULAR GOALS FREQUENCY (f) LANGUAGE (of instruction) 126 ARTS 86 MOTOR SKILLS 61 MATHEMATICS 55 SOCIETY 53 NATURE 35 TOTAL 416 THE NATIONAL CURRICULAR GOALS LEARNING AREAS Graph 3: The National Curricular Goals Graph 3 shows that the foreign language was integrated in all six core content learning areas. It is evident from Table 2, that in 123 lesson units the national curricular goals were developed 416 times. The individual lesson unit contained five to eight different kinds of foreign language activities, where the individual national curricular goals covered more activities at the same time. According to the results from Graph 3, the most frequently pursued national curricular goals were those from the learning area of language, representing 30% of the pattern. It is 75

94 followed by the goals of the artistic area (21%), and motor skills (15%), which correspond to the fact that the art activities and those from the area of motor skills were the most frequently used in teaching English. The mathematic goals represent 13% and are followed by the goals related to the knowledge about the society and represent 13%. The least frequently pursued national curricular goals are those from the learning area of nature (8%) which can be explained with the already mentioned fact that the activities from that learning area were mostly carried out in the spring time The Non-Linguistic Goals Table 3: The Non-Linguistic Goals THE NON-LINGUISTIC GOALS FREQUENCY (f) ARTS 86 MOTOR SKILLS 61 MATHEMATICS 55 SOCIETY 53 NATURE 35 TOTAL 290 Graf 1: The Non- Linguistic Goals Table 3 and Graph 4 show that there were five different non-linguistic goals of the National Pre-school Curriculum pursued in teaching English in the nursery school, i.e. the goals from the learning area of Arts, Motor Skills, Mathematics, Society and Nature. The most frequently pursued non-linguistic goals in teaching English in the nursery school 76

95 were those from the learning area of Arts (30%), followed by the goals of the learning area of Motor Skills (21%), and Mathematics (19%). The goals that were related to the knowledge about the society represent 18% of the pattern. The least frequently pursued non-linguistic goals in teaching English in the nursery school are those from the learning area of Nature (12%) The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of the Slovenian Language Table 4: The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of the Slovenian Language THE GOALS FROM THE LEARNING AREA OF THE SLOVENIAN LANGUAGE FREQUENCY (f) 1 Listening, understanding and experiencing a language 44 2 Promoting language skills (articulation, vocabulary, texts, communication, etc.) 38 3 Language as the object of a game 17 4 Being aware of the existence of your own and other languages 15 5 Experiencing and learning about basic children s literary work 12 6 Promoting creativity 0 7 Developing non-verbal communication skills 0 Language development from the perspective of moral-ethical 8 dimension 9 Learning symbols of a written language 0 10 Experiencing the status of the Slovenian language 0 Total

96 Graph 4: The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of the Slovenian Language There are 10 different curricular goals from the learning area of language mentioned in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). As it is evident from Table 4, among those ten goals, five were developed using the activities from the mentioned area in teaching English in the nursery school. They appeared 126 times in 123 lesson units. It is evident from Table 4 that four linguistic goals out of 10 were not developed in teaching English in the nursery school and were developed through different kinds of activities in the Slovene parts by the pre-school teacher. The results show that the most frequently developed goals in integrating English into the learning area of language were (1) Listening, understanding and experiencing a language which appeared 44 times in 123 lesson units (35%) and (2) Promoting language skills (articulation, vocabulary, texts, communication, etc.), which appeared 38 times (30%). The first goal was developed with the activities in which children listened to different stories, watched foreign language videos (cartoons) and played symbolic and role-play games, while the second one was developed with the activities in which children were telling and summarizing (short) stories, doing chants, reciting and developing rhymes. The goal (3) Language as the object of a game appeared 17 times (13%), which was developed with different kinds of linguistic games such as Chinese Whispers, Tell it loudly 78

97 quietly etc. Slightly less frequently, the goal (4) Being aware of the existence of your own and other languages was developed 15 times (12%). To meet this goal, the children played with different foreign language sounds, vowels, consonants and letters in different linguistic games (e.g. Let s play with letters! Say aaaa, ttt, ooo, etc.). The goal referring to (5) Experiencing and learning about basic children s literary works was developed in 12 sessions (10%) with the activities from the language area, in which children became acquainted with some of the traditional children s literary works, such as The Enormous Turnip, The Gingerbread Man, Three Little Pigs, in which they were discovering the main principles of literary works The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Arts Table 5: Goals from the Learning Area of Arts GOALS FROM THE LEARNING AREA OF ARTS FREQUENCY (f) 1 Developing abilities to express the same experiences in different artistic languages dance, drama, art, music, movie, etc Developing creativity and specific artistic skills 12 3 Experiencing, learning about and enjoying 0 4 Developing aesthetical perception and artistic visualization 0 5 Learning about individual artistic genres 0 Total 86 Graph 5: Goals from the Learning Area of Arts 79

98 There are five different curricular goals from the learning area of art mentioned in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). As evident from Table 5, among five curricular goals from the artistic area, two were developed using the activities from that area in teaching English in the nursery school. They appeared 86 times in 123 lesson units. Also evident from Table 5, three artistic goals out of five were not developed in teaching English in the nursery school. These goals were developed by the pre-school teacher in the Slovene part of the nursery school curriculum by making children participate in activities such as getting to know different types of art materials (charcoal, finger colours, clay, etc.), and the activities in which children became familiar with particular artistic works, etc. The results show that the most frequently developed goal was (1) Developing abilities to express the same experiences in different artistic languages dance, drama, art, music, movie, etc., which appeared 74 times in 123 lesson units (86%). This result is probably the consequence of the fact that the children could express their feelings and emotions best through artistic activities, which simultaneously developed artistic goals. The children expressed themselves through music activities in which they listened to selected pieces of music work (Vivaldi, Flight of the Bumblebee, etc.); they listened to different songs and sang along; children listened to different kinds of music played with different strength/ speed (loudly, quietly, slowly, quickly); through playing different rhythmic instruments and performing melody patterns by clapping, stamping along with music of different paces, etc. According to Čok (2008a), in order to develop the rhythm of the language, it is helpful to develop a sense of rhythm through the music. Through music, children express their feelings, emotions and meaning of the foreign language. The children also expressed themselves through movement, dancing and other drama and puppet activities, where they animated the puppets/toys, etc.; and experienced the foreign language through art and craft activities in which they depicted the same motifs and themes in drawings, paintings and by making different art products. This corresponds to the fact (Čok, 1999c) that in foreign language learning, the non-verbal means of expression are particularly important; music, the harmony of singing and dancing, movement, gestures, body language, drawing, artistic production, drama activities and puppets, disordered voices all can be parts of the verbalized content. Čok (1999c) emphasizes that the signs 80

99 that enable the information to be seen, heard and touched. Children will understand them, analyse them and respond to them. The goal referring to (3) Developing creativity and specific artistic skills was developed in 12 sessions (14%). To meet this goal, the children were encouraged to use their imagination and create/decorate different things, such as colouring Easter Eggs; making puppets/costumes for Carnival; decorating the playing room, a Christmas tree at Christmas time, etc The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Motor Skills Table 6: Goals from the Learning Area of Motor Skills GOALS FROM THE LEARNING AREA OF MOTOR SKILLS FREQUENCY (f) 1 Being aware of their own body and experiencing comfort in motion 32 2 Enabling and encouraging motional activities in children (a child expresses himself through movements and gestures) 17 3 Allowing children to learn about their motor abilities 13 4 Developing motive skills 0 5 Gaining self-confidence about your own body and motor skills 0 6 Acquiring basic motion concepts 0 7 Gradual learning and acquiring basic elements of different kinds of sports 0 8 Learning about the importance of cooperation, respect and complying diversity 0 Total 62 81

100 MOTOR SKILLS 21% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Being aware of their own body and experiencing comfort in motion Enabling and encouraging motional activities in children (a child expresses himself through movements and gestures) Allowing children to learn about their motor abilities Developing motive skills 27% 52% Gaining self-confidence about your own body and motor skills Acquiring basic motion concepts Gradual learning and acquiring basic elements of different kinds of sports Learning about the importance of cooperation, respect and complying diversity There are eight different curricular goals from the learning area of Motor Skills mentioned in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). It is evident from Table 6 that there are eight different goals from the learning area of motor skills among which three goals were pursued and were attempted to be developed a total of 62 times in 123 lesson units. The results show that the three goals (1) Being aware of your own body and experiencing comfort in motion, (2) Enabling and encouraging motional activities in children (a child expresses himself through and gestures), (3) Allowing children to learn about their motive abilities) were developed with motion activities in teaching English. As evident from Table 6, the other five goals, (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) were developed by a pre-school teacher in activities carried out in the mother tongue in which children became familiar with different sports genres and practised different games (cycling, playing different ball games: basketball, football, volleyball, etc.); they tested themselves in overcoming the obstacles in 82

101 obstacle course; they tested themselves in group games where they needed to cooperate with their friends, etc. The most frequently developed goal refers to the children (1) Being aware of their own body and experiencing comfort in motion, which appeared 32 times (52%). It was developed with the activities in which children motionally illustrated different animals, objects, weather phenomena, etc.; with different rhythmic movement games performed with hands, legs and other body parts; motional games with different requisites (balls, ribbons, balloons, hoops, cards, etc.); with the activities with rhythmic instruments in games such as Jumpity Jump, Find your Chair!, The Frog and the Stork! etc. The foreign language teacher noticed that the children enjoyed themselves, laughed a lot and participated actively while carrying out these types of activities. The goal (2) Enabling and encouraging motional activities in children (a child expresses himself through movements and gestures) appeared 17 times (27%), which was developed with different games (e.g. Run and Catch, Hide and Seek, etc.); and playing in the snow (making a snowman, etc.). The least frequently occurring goal (3) Allowing children to learn about their motor abilities was developed, i.e. 13 times (21%). To meet this goal, the children performed different natural forms of movement, where they were walking, running, jumping, climbing, and crawling; indoors, in nature; on different kinds of surfaces; in different directions; with different speeds and so forth The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Mathematics Table 7: Goals from the Learning Area of Mathematics GOALS FROM THE LEARNING AREA OF MATHEMATICS FREQUENCY (f) 1 Encountering mathematics in everyday life 19 2 Experiencing mathematics as a pleasant experience 19 3 Developing mathematical skills 17 4 Developing mathematical thinking 0 5 Using mathematical terminology 0 Total 55 83

102 MATHEMATICS 0% 0% 31% 35% 34% Encountering mathematics in everyday life Experiencing mathematics as a pleasant experience Developing mathematical skills Developing mathematical thinking Using mathematical terminology Graph 6: Goals from the Learning Area of Mathematics There are five different curricular goals from the learning area of mathematics mentioned in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). According to the results in Table 7, there are five curricular goals from the learning area of mathematics, among which three were developed using the activities from the mentioned area in teaching English in the nursery school. They appeared 55 times in 123 lesson units. As evident from Table 7 and Graph 8, the goal (1) Encountering mathematics in everyday life, which appeared 19 times (35%), was developed with the mathematical activities, in which children counted and enumerated different things (such as counting children; different objects/living beings -in the playroom, during walks, etc.). In playing different kinds of didactic mathematical games (Memory, The Gingerbread Man, etc.); games with a dice; jigsaws, the goal (2) Experiencing mathematics as a pleasant experience that appeared 19 times (34%) was developed. (3) Developing mathematical skills, which appeared 17 times (31%), was developed with the activities in which children labelled different events with symbols, graphical representations (e.g. recording weather on the weather calendar; graphical representation of the number of family members, etc.); described physical characteristics of things (by type, colour, shape, size)/identifying missing items; classifying and sorting objects by colour, type, size, substance, shape, number of activities (e.g. classifying different balls into suitable coloured hoops/boxes; hanging clothes on the wire by colour, type and size; identifying missing 84

103 objects, etc.) As evident from Table 7, the two mathematical goals were not developed in teaching English in the nursery school, which might be because a great deal of descriptive language is necessary to meet these goals, and this was not yet available in the target language. Therefore, it was decided to pursue these goals within the activities performed in the Slovene language The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Society Table 8: Goals from the Learning Area of Society GOALS FROM THE LEARNING AREA OF SOCIETY FREQUENCY (f) 1 Learning about yourself and others 18 2 Learning about the immediate and broader social and cultural environment as well as intercultural and other differences 17 3 Learning about different holidays and traditions 12 4 Possibility of becoming familiar with different cultures and traditions 6 5 Encouraging sensitivity for the ethical dimension of diversity 0 6 Forming the basis for the understanding of historical changes; recognizing that people, environment, society and culture change with time 0 7 Forming basic lifestyle habits and learning about differences among lifestyles 0 8 Experiencing nursery school as an environment with equal rights to participate in activities 0 9 Learning about safe and healthy lifestyle 0 Total 53 85

104 Learning about yourself and others SOCIETY Learning about the immediate and broader social and cultural environment as well as intercultural and other differences 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Learning about different holidays and traditions 23% 11% 34% Possibility of becoming familiar with different cultures and traditions 32% Encouraging sensitivity for the ethical dimension of diversity Forming the basis for the understanding of historical changes; recognizing that people, environment, society and culture change with time Forming basic lifestyle habits and learning about differences among lifestyles Experiencing nursery school as an environment with equal rights to participate in activities Graph 7: Goals from the Learning Area of Society There are nine different curricular goals from the learning area of society mentioned in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). As evident from Table 8, the learning area of society contains nine goals, and four were developed through English. These goals appeared 53 times in 123 lesson units. The results show that the two most frequently developed goals were (1) Learning about yourself and others (34%) and (2) Learning about the immediate and broader social and cultural environment as well as intercultural and other differences (32%). The first goal was developed with different kinds of activities in which children firstly learnt about/became aware of themselves and other people. (e.g. the child looked at himself in the mirror; he named parts of a body; he listened and identified his recorded voice, voices of others, etc.) and in other social games in which children recognized their friends 86

105 (e.g. Who is hiding under the sheet?, etc.). The second goal was developed with the activities in which children became familiar with their immediate social environment by discovering the playroom, the nursery school; the buildings in the vicinity (the post office, the library); talked about their homes, and their families. After the children had become familiar with their closer environment, in learning the foreign language they started to learn about the broader social environment by getting to know about other cultures, the cultural differences, the traditions, and the customs in different games. Developing the goal of (3) Learning about different holidays and traditions was encountered 12 times (23%). To meet this goal, the children learnt about different foreign language customs and traditions in different games (e.g. Go for an Easter Egg Hunt, etc.); children got to know different dishes; they celebrated their birthdays in English, and became familiar with other holidays or celebrations (e.g. Easter, Christmas). The results show that the least frequently developed goal in integrating English into the learning area of society was (4) Possibility of becoming familiar with different cultures and traditions that appeared six times (11%). The goal was attempted to be met by different kinds of social games that children played at the beginning of the school year to get to know each other (e.g. The Green Crocodile, Who is Sitting on Your Back?, etc.) As evident from Table 8, five goals were not developed in teaching English in the nursery school and were developed through different kinds of activities in the Slovene parts by the pre-school teacher The National Curricular Goals from the Learning Area of Nature Table 9: Goals from the Learning Area of Nature GOALS FROM THE LEARNING AREA OF NATURE FREQUENCY (f) 1 Experiencing and learning about animate and inanimate nature in its diversity, connectivity, continuous changing and aesthetic dimensions 18 2 Developing a devotional, respectful and responsible attitude towards animate and inanimate nature 11 3 Learning about substances, space, time, sound and light 6 4 Learning about your body, lifecycle and healthy and safe lifestyle 0 87

106 GOALS FROM THE LEARNING AREA OF NATURE FREQUENCY (f) 5 Becoming familiar with technical objects and developing technical and technological skills 0 6 Encouraging different approaches in experiencing the nature 0 TOTAL 35 17% NATURE 0% 0% 0% Experiencing and learning about animate and inanimate nature in its diversity, connectivity, continuous changing and aesthetic dimensions Developing a devotional, respectful and responsible attitude towards animate and inanimate nature Learning about substances, space, time, sound and light 31% 52% Learning about your body, lifecycle and healthy and safe lifestyle Becoming familiar with technical objects and developing technical and technological skills Encouraging different approaches in experiencing the nature Graph 8: Goals from the Learning Area of Nature There are six different curricular goals from the learning area of nature mentioned in the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999). It is evident from Table 9 that there are six different goals from the learning area of nature among which three goals were pursued and were altogether attempted to be developed 35 times in 123 lesson units. As evident from Table 9, three goals out of ten were not developed in teaching English in the nursery school and were developed through different kinds of activities in the Slovene parts by the pre-school teacher. The results show that the most frequently developed goal in integrating English into the learning area of nature was (1) Experiencing and learning about animate and inanimate 88

107 nature in its diversity, connectivity, continuous changing and aesthetic dimensions which appeared 18 times in 123 lesson units (52%). The goal was developed with the activities in which children were experiencing their individual senses when identifying different things (covered in baskets, boxes, etc.); by listening, touching and smelling; discovering, learning and observing natural phenomena (e.g. weather); listening, imitating and differentiating sounds of the nature and environment; identifying, what they are hearing; vocally imitating animals, weather, etc. The goal (2) Developing a devotional, respectful and responsible attitude towards animate and inanimate nature appeared 11 times (31%) and was developed with the activities in which the children learnt about and observed flora and fauna while taking walks in nature (e.g. visiting a forest, a meadow, a field); they were observing/naming meadow animals with a magnifying lens; observing the development of a frog in the living corner in a playroom; the bees in a hive, etc. The least frequently developed goal (3) Learning about substances, space, time, sound and light was observed six times (17%). To meet this goal, the children were learning and experiencing the characteristics of water, snow (e.g. melting of ice; different experiments with water, etc.) in the foreign language. The mentioned goal was the least frequently developed, because the foreign language activities such as experiments with snow/water/ice, etc. depended on the weather conditions and were performed only in winter Which planned learning activities were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? Sample: 123 Lesson Units Table 10: Planned Learning Activities PLANNED LEARNING ACTIVITIES FREQUENCY (f) Arts 208 Motor Skills 144 Language 116 Mathematics

108 FREQUENCY PLANNED LEARNING ACTIVITIES FREQUENCY (f) Society 83 Nature 79 TOTAL 731 LEARNING ACTIVITIES LEARNING AREAS Graph 9: Planned Learning Activities The National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999) contains planned and other everyday routine activities that are carried out during the day in the nursery school. The planned learning activities that were carried out in the foreign language in 123 lesson units within one school year will be presented first. The results from Graph 11 show that the foreign language, English, was integrated into all six core content learning areas of activities in 123 lesson units carried out in one school year. There were 731 different kinds of planned learning activities carried out in one school year. As evident from Table 10, the most frequently performed activities were those from the artistic learning area which appeared 208 times in 123 lesson units and represent 28% of all the planned learning activities carried out in the foreign language. As evident from Graph 11, the motion activities were also carried very frequently, i.e. 144 times (20%) which is in correspondence with the findings (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004; Pinter, 2006) that movement is a child s basic need, and the motion activities should be daily included in the early foreign language learning. It is interesting that the activities from the language learning area were also carried out almost daily and appeared 116 times in

109 lesson units (16%), while the mathematical activities appeared 101 times and represent 14% of the pattern. The activities from the learning area of society (11%) and nature (11%) were carried out the least frequently in teaching English in the nursery school. According to the results presented in Graph 11, foreign language activities were integrated in all of the six core content learning areas, which is in correspondence with the findings (Čok, 2008a) that teaching a foreign language in the nursery school is effective, if it takes place in the context of content from a variety of learning areas of activities (Language, Mathematics, Nature, Society, Arts, Motor Skills), in which children learn the language in planned and other everyday routine activities Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Arts Table 11: The Learning Area of Art THE LEARNING AREA OF ART FREQUENCY (f) 1 Music Activities 89 2 Puppets and other Drama Activities 68 3 Art and Craft Activities 35 4 Dancing Activities 16 TOTAL 208 ARTS 16; 7% 35; 17% 68; 33% 89; 43% Music Activities Puppets and other Drama Activities Art and Craft Activities Dancing Activities Graph 10: The Learning Area of Arts 91

110 It is evident from Table 11 and Graph 12 that the English language was integrated into different activities from art, which appeared 208 times in 123 lesson units. (1) Music activities appeared 83 times (43%) and were the most frequently performed activities in integrating English into the national pre-school curriculum. The researcher (the English language teacher in this case study) observed that the children were highly motivated when they listened to different English songs and sang along. They seemed to like singing very much, which may be due to the rhythm or the fun the children had while using the body gestures and facial expressions while singing to demonstrate the text of the song. (2) Puppets and other drama activities were also often carried out, i.e. 68 times (33%). It is the result of the fact that the English teacher in this case study liked working with puppets, especially considering the positive results and responses she got from the children. The researcher observed that children were very motivated when the special hand puppet, a soft toy hippo named Nelly, was used. Children seemed to like it very much, because they smiled a lot and cuddled it constantly. The puppet was present weekly in teaching English in the nursery school. With the help of the puppet the English teacher presented most of the new vocabulary; the puppet played different games with the children and became their close friend. (3) Art and craft activities appeared 35 times (17%) in which children, together with the English language teacher drew, painted, modelled, glued, and designed different art products from different materials (e.g. clay, dough, etc.). Reilly and Ward (2008, p. 25) point out that these kinds of activities provide a valuable way of giving the learners comprehensible language input, through which the teacher develops new kinds areas of vocabulary for giving directions and modelling, supported by many demonstrations. The results show that the (4) Dancing activities were performed the least frequently, i.e. 16 times (7%), which might be because there were many other motion activities carried out in teaching English in the nursery school. The case study researcher observed that children also spontaneously danced many times in the English corner while listening to English songs on different occasions during the day in the nursery school. 92

111 Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Motor Skills Table 12: The Learning Area of Motor Skills THE LEARNING AREA OF MOTOR SKILLS FREQUENCY (f) 1 Rhythmic movement games 83 2 Illustration of objects, animals and concepts 31 3 Natural forms of movement 13 4 Elementary games 13 5 Playing and moving around in the snow 4 TOTAL 144 MOTOR SKILLS Rhythmic movement games 13; 9% 13; 9% 4; 3% Illustration of objects, animals and concepts 31; 21% 83; 58% Natural forms of movement Elementary games Playing and moving around in the snow Graph 11: The Learning Area of Motor Skills The results from Table 12 show that the English language was integrated into different activities from Motor Skills, which appeared 144 times in 123 lesson units. The most frequently performed were the game-like activities (1) Rhythmic movement games, which were carried out 83 times in 123 lesson units and represented (58%) of the pattern. This corresponds with the findings (Čok, 1999a) that play is characterized as a child s basic need and a child s work. Play and game-like activities have a crucial role in the child's development and education, especially at the pre-school level. It is a unique activity which is closest to the child's nature and the laws of growing up. The researcher (and the English 93

112 teacher in this case study) observed that children very much liked these kinds of activities, because they participated without any problems and wanted to play certain games over and over again. According to the foreign language teacher s observations, the children s high motivation might be because there were many different sport requisites (e.g. coloured hoops, balls, pillows, etc.) and rhythmic instruments used for carrying out the (1) Rhythmic movement games. The motion activities referring to (2) Illustration of objects, animals and concepts were also frequently performed, i.e. 31 times (21%). According to the English teacher s observations, the children were especially interested in using the special magic wand to make the magic and turn other children to different animals, vehicles, etc. They also seemed to enjoy moving around and demonstrating the motion of different animals and things, because they laughed a lot and participated actively. It is evident from Graph 12 that (3) Natural forms of movement and (4) Elementary Games were equally performed, i.e. 13 times (9%). This is probably the consequence of the fact that the purpose of these types of activities was to exercise children early in the morning when they were full of energy and motivate them for further activities that followed, either on the Slovene or English parts. The motion activities (5) Playing and moving around in the snow were performed four times (3%) in the winter time Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Language Table 13: The Learning Area of Language THE LEARNING AREA OF LANGUAGE FREQUENCY (f) 1 Listening to fairy tales and stories 30 2 Language (rhythmic) games 28 3 Narration of counting rhymes, chants, rhymes 19 4 Narration of stories 17 5 Verbal creativity 10 6 Watching cartoons and video material 6 7 Role-playing games; symbolic games 6 Total

113 6; 5% 6; 5% 10; 9% 17; 15% 19; 16% LANGUAGE 30; 26% 28; 24% Listening to fairytales and stories Linguistic (rhythmic) games Narration of counting rhymes, chants, rhymes Narration of stories Verbal creativity Watching cartoons and video material Role-playing games; symbolic games Graph 12: The Learning Area of Language It is evident from Table 13 that the English language was integrated into activities from the learning area of language, which appeared 116 times in 123 lesson units. The results from Table 13 show that the most frequent language activities performed were (1) Listening to different fairy tales and stories, i.e. 30 times (26%) in which children learnt about the basic child s literary works/traditional English stories (e.g. The Gingerbread Man, The Enormous Turnip, etc.) and experienced the foreign language through the literature. This corresponds with the findings (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004) that listening to and telling stories are highly important for the development of the child s speech and also represent the most authentic context for developing the listening skills and acquiring foreign language from natural situations. The results show that the (2) Language (rhythmic) games were carried out almost equally frequently and appeared 28 times (24%). (3) Narration of counting rhymes, chants, rhymes appeared 19 times (16%), while the language activities referring to (4) Narration of stories represent (15%) of the pattern and were carried out 17 times in teaching English in the nursery school. It is evident from Table 13 that the language activities connected to (5) Verbal creativity appeared less frequently, i.e. 10 times (9%), in which children tried to make up different rhymes, words and played with the (foreign) language sounds, letters, etc. The English language teacher observed that the children were not so motivated while carrying out these types of activities and did not participate as actively as they had in other types of language activities (such as in Listening to fairy tales and stories). It might be because children 95

114 found these types of activities difficult. The results from Table 13 show that the least frequently performed activities in integrating English into the learning area of language were (6) Watching cartoons and video material and the (7) Role-playing games; symbolic games which were carried out six times each and represent a 5% share. In the first type of activities, children watched short stories, movies, English songs, etc. While in the activities referring to Role-playing games; symbolic games children took part of different roles, such as hairdresser, shop assistant, etc.; and were carried only in spring time when children talked about their families Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Mathematics Table 14: The Learning Area of Mathematics THE LEARNING AREA OF MATHEMATICS FREQUENCY (f) 1 Didactic mathematical games 35 2 Counting and enumeration of different things 19 3 Labelling of different events with symbols, graphical representations 18 4 Describing physical characteristics of things (by type, colour, shape, size)/identifying missing items 15 5 Classifying and sorting objects (by colour, type, size, substance, shape, number 14 TOTAL 101 MATHEMATICS Didactic mathematical games 15; 15% 14; 14% 35; 34% Counting and enumeration of different things Labelling of different events with symbols, graphical representations 18; 18% 19; 19% Describing physical characteristics of things (by type, colour, shape, size)/identifying missing items Classifying and sorting objects (by colour, type, size, substance, shape, number) Graph 13: The Learning Area of Mathematics 96

115 The results from Table 14 show that the English language was integrated into different activities from mathematics which appeared 101 times in 123 lesson units. As evident from Table 14, (1) Didactic mathematical games appeared the most frequently, i.e. 35 times and represents 34% of the pattern. The number refers to those (1) Didactic mathematical games in which the English teacher played along with the children and encouraged them to talk in English while playing the games. The foreign language teacher observed that children were highly motivated to play different didactic mathematical games and played them almost every day on different occasions in the nursery school. It might be because didactic mathematical games along with some other games were always available in the English corner where the children could take them and play them whenever they wanted. As evident from Table 14, the mathematical activities referring to (2) Counting and enumeration of different things appeared 19 times (19%) in which children counted different kinds of objects in the playroom (e.g. balls, balloons, etc.); they counted animals, flowers during walks, etc. The mathematical activities in which children (3) Labelled different events with symbols and did graphical representations appeared, 18 times (18%). The less frequently performed activities were (4) Describing physical characteristics of things (by type, colour, shape, size)/identifying missing items, which were carried out in 15 sessions (15%) and (5) Classifying and sorting objects (by colour, type, size, substance, shape, number) which were carried out 14 times and represent 14% of all of the mathematical activities performed in teaching English in the nursery school Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Society Table 15: The Learning Area of Society THE LEARNING AREA OF SOCIETY FREQUENCY (f) 1 Learning about/being aware of yourself and other people Different celebrations/holidays Learning about the immediate social environment 15 4 Learning about the broader social environment 13 5 Social games 6 Total 83 97

116 13; 16% 6; 7% SOCIETY 26; 31% Learning about/being aware of yourself and other people. Different celebrations/holidays. 15; 18% Learning about the immediate social environment 23; 28% Learning about the broader social environment Social games Graph 14: The Learning Area of Society It is evident from Table 15 that the English language was integrated into different activities from the learning area of Society, which appeared 83 times in 123 lesson units. The results show that the most frequently performed activities were (1) Learning about/being aware of yourself and other people that appeared 26 times (31%) in which children learnt about themselves and each other activities (e.g. the child looked at himself in the mirror, named parts of his body; tried to recognize the recorded voices of his friends, etc.) These types of activities were carried out at the beginning of the school year. Almost equally frequently, the activities referring to (2) Different celebrations/holiday were carried out, i.e. 23 times (28%), in which children celebrated their birthday in English (e.g. the children counted the candles on the cake, sang the Happy Birthday song; named different kinds of food at the birthday party; danced the birthday dance, etc.); designed different masks for the Carnival; made the ornaments and decorated the Christmas tree at Christmas time etc. The activities (3) Learning about the immediate social environment were carried out in 15 sessions (18%) in which children talked about their homes, families (e.g. presented, named their family members, their pets, etc.); discovered the playroom, gym; visited the post office, the library, etc. The activities referring to Learning about the broader social environment were carried out slightly less frequently, i.e. 13 times (16%) in which children became aware of the existence of other cultures and languages besides their own. With the help of the puppet, the English teacher presented the target country (e.g. the puppet found England on a map; the puppet introduced herself and showed pictures of her family/friends/pets; the puppet 98

117 described how she travelled to Slovenia, she showed children the flag; made/baked different dishes with children, etc.). The above-presented results are in correspondence with the findings (Curtain and Dahlberg, 2004; Pinter, 2006) that when learning a foreign language, it is very important that children first get to know themselves, each other (their friends, foreign language teachers, pre-school teachers, etc.) and become familiar with their closer environment (the nursery school, the playground, etc.) where they feel safe, relaxed, and accepted. After that, they gradually start to become aware of the existence of other cultures, languages, traditions, customs other than their own. The least frequently performed were the (5) Social Games, i.e. six times (7%). In different games carried out at the beginning of the school year, (e.g. Who is Sitting on Your Back, The Green Crocodile, etc.) children got to know each other Planned Activities from the Learning Area of Nature Table 16: The Learning Area of Nature THE LEARNING AREA OF NATURE FREQUENCY (f) 1 Learning about and observing the flora and fauna 32 2 Experiencing individual senses (sensory perception) 15 3 Games, associated with nature (weather, animals) 13 4 Discovering, learning and observing natural phenomena (weather, water) 12 5 Listening, imitating and differentiating sound of the nature and environment 7 Total 79 99

118 NATURE Learning about and observing the flora and fauna 7; 9% Experiencing individual senses (sensory perception) 12; 15% 13; 16% 15; 19% 32; 41% Games, associated with nature (weather, animals) Discovering, learning and observing natural phenomena (weather, water) Listening, imitating and differentiating sound of the nature and environment Graph 15: The Learning Area of Nature According to the results presented in Table 16, the English language was integrated into different activities from nature, which appeared 79 times in 123 lesson units. The most frequently performed activities were those referring to (1) Learning about and observing the flora and fauna, which appeared 32 times (41%). Children visited the meadow, the forest, the field where they spontaneously learnt the foreign language by observing the animals/plants and played with the natural material (e.g. leaves, snow, water, etc.). Almost equally frequently performed activities were (2) Experiencing individual senses (sensory perception) which were carried out in 15 sessions (19%), (2) Games, associated with nature (weather, animals) that appeared 13 times (16%) and (3) Discovering, learning and observing natural phenomena (weather, water) which were carried out 12 times and present 15%. The results from Table 16 show that the least frequently performed activities in integrating English into the learning area of nature were (4) Listening, imitating and differentiating sound of the nature and environment which were carried out seven times in 123 lesson units (9%) in which children listened to audio records of weather events (thunder, rain, hail, etc.), different animal sounds (a wolf, a bear, a fly, a frog, etc.); identified, what they heard and vocally imitated the sounds. 100

119 DAYS OF WEEK Which everyday routine activities were most frequently selected in teaching English in the nursery school? Table 17: Everyday Routine Activities EVERYDAY ROUTINE ACTIVITIES ONE WEEK (FIVE DAYS) 1 Everyday communication 5 2 Morning circle 5 3 Meals 3 4 Rest time 2 5 Body care 2 6 Dressing up 1 TOTAL 18 4,5 5 3,5 4 2,5 3 1,5 2 0,5 1 0 EVERYDAY ROUTINE ACTIVITIES Graph 16: Everyday Routine Activities Everyday routine activities are the activities that are daily present in the nursery school and carried out on different occasions during the day in the nursery school. According to the National Pre-school Curriculum (Bahovec et al., 1999), they are of equal importance as all other planned learning activities from the individual core content learning areas. The examples of everyday routine activities that were carried out within a typical week in teaching English in the nursery school are presented in Table 17 and Graph 18. It is evident from Table 17 that the English language was integrated into six different types of everyday routine activities, which were performed 18 times in one typical week in teaching English in the nursery school. 101

120 The most frequently performed everyday routine activities were those referring to (1) Everyday communication, which were carried out daily. The foreign language teacher used polite expressions (e.g. thank you, please, etc.) and the greetings (e.g. Hello, good bye, good night); the English language was used in organizing different types of activities in the nursery school, at giving directions and managing the children s behaviour (e.g. Make a line/a circle please! Sit down/stand up! Find and bring something! Stick/cut something! Listen carefully please! etc.) The researcher (and the English language teacher in this case study) spoke in the target language most of the time. In addition, the mother tongue was used as well in different occasions such as comforting children, solving different conflicts, or explaining the puzzling situations. This is in accordance with the findings (Reilly and Ward, 2008) that the use of the mother tongue is recommended especially if the child is emotionally upset and needs a private conversation in his/her native language; organizing the activities in which it is difficult to communicate in English or in order to provide security. The activities referring to (2) The Morning circles, were carried out every day, in which children first in the morning, after the breakfast time, gathered in the circle in the English corner. They sang the hello song; the child who was assistant that day counted the boys and the girls; children recorded the weather on the weather calendar; they talked about things/current events they were interested in; they described their favourite toys. It is evident from Table 17, that three times a week the English language was integrated into different activities referring to the (3) meals (breakfast, lunch, snack) during the day in the nursery school, in which children helped at preparing the meals; they named different kinds of dishes; they became familiar with the food-related expressions (e.g. Here you are, I m hungry/thirsty, etc.) The activities referring to the (4) Rest Time were carried out twice a week in which children listened to the English story while they were resting, the English teacher sang a lullaby, or used the puppet to talk to them and cuddled them. The activities connected with (5) Body care were carried out twice a week in the bathroom where children brushed their teeth; washed their hands, faces and spontaneously learnt the body care-related expressions. The least frequently the activities connected to (6) Dressing up were carried out once a week. They were carried out in the wardrobe, where the English teacher talked to children in English when they were dressing up (e.g. children named, counted different types of clothes, named their colours and became familiar with different expressions, e.g. put on your coat/take off your scarf, etc.) 102

121 FREQUENCY Which teaching materials were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? Table 18: Teaching Materials EXISTING TEACHING MATERIALS EXTRA DESIGNED MATERIALS FOR EFL MATERIALS FOR EFL TOTAL 1 DIDACTIC MATERIAL REALIA EFL MATERIAL VISUALS PUPPET(S) ART AND CRAFT 6 MATERIAL BOOKS AUDIO-VISUAL 8 EQUIPMENT OTHER MATERIAL NATURAL MATERIAL DRAMA REQUISITES TOTAL PERCENTAGE 68% 32% 100% TEACHING MATERIALS EXISTING MATERIALS FOR EFL EXTRA DESIGNED MATERIALS FOR EFL Graph 17: Teaching Materials 103

122 Different types of teaching materials that were used in teaching English in the nursery school in one school year are listed and described in more detail in Legend 1 below. It is evident from Table 18 that there were eleven different types of teaching materials, which were used 652 times in 123 lesson units in teaching English in the nursery school in one school year. According to the results from Table 18, there were seven different types of Extra Designed Materials for EFL that were used 443 times (68%) and five different types of the Existing Materials for EFL that were selected 209 times (32%) in teaching English in the nursery school. The Extra Designed Materials for EFL are the materials that were not available in the nursery school and were extra designed/provided mostly by the English teacher for teaching purposes. The Existing Materials for EFL are those materials that were already available in the nursery school, and the English teacher could use them for teaching purposes. The most frequently used Extra Designed Materials for EFL was (1) Didactic material, which was used 114 times in 123 lesson units (17, 5%). It is followed by the (2) EFL material, that appeared 104 times (16%), e.g. flashcards, English CD-s with stories/songs, etc., that children or FL teacher brought to the nursery school The EFL material was constantly available in the English corner in the playroom. (3) Visuals were used 80 times (12%) and the (4) Puppets, were used 71 times (11%) in teaching English in the nursery school. As it is evident from Table 18, (7) The books (e.g. different English Fairy Tales, Songbooks, etc.) were used 42 times (6%) in teaching English in the nursery school and were entirely provided by the English teacher. (9) Other material was selected slightly less frequently, i.e. 27 times (4%), which was also extra designed for EFL and was not available in the nursery school. These were mostly different requisites made for the purpose of encouraging motivation and positive attitude towards the foreign language (e.g. magic hats, wands, little surprise boxes, etc.). The foreign language teacher noticed that the children were highly motivated while using these types of requisites during the foreign language activities. They enjoyed themselves, laughed a lot when they had magic wands, wore the magic hats and boots and did some magic (e.g. turned others into different animals, etc.). Children participated actively and wanted to play with the mentioned requisites over and over again. The least frequently selected (10) The natural material was 104

123 chosen 17 times (3%). It was mostly available in the nursery school, or it was collected during the walks in nature (e.g. flowers, leaves, chestnuts, etc.) The children brought the material into the nursery school five times (0.7%). The results from Table 18 show that among all of the teaching materials that have been used in teaching English in the nursery school, more than half of them (68%) were extra designed for EFL. While less than half of the teaching materials (32%) were already available in the nursery school, i.e. (2) Realia, which was selected 108 times (17%), (6) Art and Craft material that appeared 49 times (7%); the (8) Audio-visual equipment, which appeared 28 times (4%) and was mostly used in performing the activities from the learning area of the nature (e.g. different recordings of the sounds of the nature/animals etc.); most of (10) the Natural material that appeared 17 times (3) and (11) Drama requisites which were used 7 times (1%) in teaching English in the nursery school. LEGEND 1: Different types of teaching materials used in foreign language teaching and learning 1. Didactical material (teacher/children made material): painted posters; didactical games (Memory, The Gingerbread Man, The Hook Game, Roll the dice and tell the colour, Gather four bells, stars, angels, and presents); microphone; masks; weather calendars; tables/charts for the counting of children; things made of cardboard/collage (animals; weather events the sun, the clouds, etc.; clothes; a large window made of cardboard for playing The Weather Man; a large coloured box etc.). 2: Realia (authentic objects): toys, clothes, different objects available in the playroom (chairs, tables, etc.), instruments (bells, triangle, tambourine, drum), maps, flags; gym requisites (balls, hoops, pads); cubes, bags, baskets, hooks, ropes, new year s decoration, etc. 3. EFL material: flashcards, handouts, CDs of different learning collections (Hippo and Friends, Teaching with Bear, Playway to English, etc.); colourings, posters (course of stories), CDs - songs, fairy tales. 4. Visuals: images, posters, illustrations, photographs, plasticized cards/pictures of different objects, animals, etc. 5. Puppets: different puppets for the narration of fairy tales (made by children or brought by the FL teacher); shadow puppets, finger puppets, hand puppets. 6. Art and craft material (art consumable material): coloured pencils, felt-tip pens, watercolours, tempera; different types of paper (collage, cardboard, etc.); tubes, boxes; chalks, fabric; different designing material (clay, salty dough, plasticine); glues. 7. Books: Folk and Fairy Tales: The Giant Turnip, The Gingerbread Man, The Little Mitten; Stories from the 105

124 collection Hippo and Friends; books of nature (weather, frogs); Songbooks; Books of Simple Rhymes, Finger Plays; Colouring Books 8. Audio-visual equipment: recordings of children s voices; sounds of nature weather, animals; instrumental music for different games/dance. 9. Other material: magic wands ; magic hats, magic bags (surprise boxes); a fabric dice with numbers; a dice with images of meadow animals; magic boots. 10. Natural material (animate and inanimate nature): chestnuts, leaves, snow, water, field crops (turnip, carrots); animals which we observed in the living corner in playroom (frogs, spawn, meadow animals) 11. Drama requisites: ribbons; requisites for dramatization (animal ears, tails, aprons, kitchen/household utensils-aprons, spoons, etc.) Which forms of work were most frequently used in teaching English in the nursery school? Table 19: Forms of Work MONTH FORMS OF WORK FRONTAL GROUP INDIVIDUAL TOTAL October November December January February March April May TOTAL PERCENTAGE 33% 61% 6% 100% 106

125 INDIVIDUAL GROUP FRONTAL Graph 18: Forms of work It is evident from Table 19 and Graph 20 that there were three different types of forms of work used in teaching English in the nursery school, i.e. Frontal, Group, and Individual. The results show that the most frequently used form of work in teaching English in the nursery school was Group work, which was used 75 times (61%) in 123 lesson units. As evident from Table 19, the children were divided into groups most of the time in learning English in the nursery school; i.e. in December, 15 times (12%), in January 8 times (6%), in February 11 times (9%), in March 16 times (13%), in April 10 times (8%) and in May 12 times (10). Except at the beginning of the school year, in October, where Group Work was used only three times (2%), and there was no group work in November. It is evident from Table 19 that the Frontal form of work was used less frequently, i.e. 41 times (33%) in teaching English in the nursery school. According to the results, the Frontal form of work was mostly used at the beginning of the school year; i.e. in October (10 times, 8%) and in November (12 times, 10%). This is probably the result of the fact that at the beginning of the school year all children were gathered together at carrying out the English language activities with the aim of presently the new language to children in a child-friendly way, where they would gradually become familiar with the sounds and rhythm of the new language in different activities and to encourage the positive attitude towards the foreign language learning. As it is evident from Table 19, there is no particular difference in the frequency of the occurrence among other months. The least frequently used form of work was the Individual form of work, i.e. seven times 107

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