Teaching English to Young Arabic Speakers: Assessing the Influence of Instructional Materials, Narratives and Cultural Norms

Description

The book explores young Arabic-speaking children’s English language learning. Through classroom-based research and learner work samples, the book analyses the interplay between cultural norms and the critical role that teachers play in orchestrating classroom discourse through skillful use of available instructional materials, questioning strategies and feedback to learners. The author shows the potential of instructional materials to influence young learners’ vocabulary, reading comprehension, and written production, as well as the way they acquire the academic literacies needed in school subjects taught in English. She reviews the spread of the practice of teaching English to young and very young children and the increasing demand for English-medium instruction in the Arabic-speaking region, with a particular focus on the negative transfer from Arabic to English spelling and grammar. The book also discusses the importance of story narratives, arguing they are an ideal medium for language teaching because of their rich linguistic repertoire and the strong motivational force that stories have on young language learners and their cognitive growth, essential to their later academic success. Taken together, the research findings and classroom vignettes suggest that children’s language learning happens within a complex system of interactive variables and cultural norms and expectations. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Dedication Contents Figures Tables Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Transcription Conventions Introduction Part 1 Some Theoretical Considerations 1 Cultural Norms and Expectations versus Teaching Materials 2 Narrative and Children’s Language Learning 3 Meeting the Challenge of English-Medium Instruction with Stories Part 2 Insights from Classroom Research 4 Teacher Questions versus Learner Engagement 5 Classroom Discourse and the Role of Teaching Materials 6 Influence of Instructional Materials on Reading Comprehension 7 Influence of Instructional Materials on Receptive and Productive Vocabulary 8 Instructional Texts as Models for Writing 9 Literate Language from Storybooks 10 Transfer from Arabic to Children’s English Writing Part 3 Teachers and Students in Action 11 Whole Language Experiences in Kindergarten 12 The Flexibility of Story-Based Instruction in the Classroom 13 Teacher Effectiveness and Learner Engagement Conclusion Notes References Index Children’s Book Index