親職教育專家表示，小學生的英語課，孩子的三大學習動力來源是 「興趣、成就感、有目標」，達成這三大要件，孩子就會願意自發想學。每位家長都能培養 「人才」。良好的教育就是可以留給孩子的最大禮。其中，每一種語言的新學習，都能為孩子的發展多開啟一扇窗。
只關心孩子考幾分？別讓學英語的興致壞光光 「死背，一定沒有人會喜歡的」，長期旅居美澳、現於外商公司任職的家長Wanda，一對雙胞胎女兒年僅6歲，說起英文卻流利又自信。她不希望養成孩子 『死背學科來換取師長掌聲』 的習慣：學得開心，學到的真的能用，才是她最希望帶給孩子的。
親職教養專家楊俐容建議，家長能從培養孩子 『興趣、成就感、目標』 三大目標著手。
『興趣』 方面，家長可以在生活中打造有趣的外語學習環境，譬如，有的家長會帶孩子到教會與外國人講英文，有的會陪小朋友一起觀看英語電視頻道。
「別只關心小孩英文考幾分、這裡文法不對、那裡單字拼錯。學習若與太多負面情緒連結，久之孩子就會意興闌珊。」
──親職教養專家楊俐容
具旅美、留英經驗的家長Ellen分享，7歲是兒子對世界正充滿好奇心，所以她特別留心兒子的喜好，為他挑選適合的英語讀本。喜歡卡通閃電麥坤，就買麥坤的書，在路上看到螞蟻覺得很有趣，就找螞蟻相關的英語科普書籍。
「從孩子感興趣的題材入手，孩子一旦為內容著迷，就會急著想理解文字，不知不覺的越讀越多。」
──兒童英語課程學員家長Ellen
強項帶動弱項 誇讚讓學習更有成就感 『成就感』 方面楊俐容表示，學英文過程中，每個孩子特別突出的項目不同，有的擅長理解，有的發音很道地，就算未有具體成效，也能誇獎學習態度。家長對孩子的這些鼓勵，就像強心針一樣，注入成就感，幫助孩子用強項帶動弱項。
資深媒體人岑永康曾分享教養經驗，一次出國旅行時，女兒因眼睛不適就診。未料診間打開，醫生一口濃厚英國腔讓他瞬間傻眼，女兒卻立即聽懂，直接走入診間、戴上醫生指示的器材。
「我當下目瞪口呆的模樣，女兒事後說，她看得很過癮！我想這就是孩子最喜歡的鼓勵。」
──資深媒體人岑永康
英語教學經驗超過15年的英語老師Andrea Hales補充說明，建設孩子主動學習、勇敢開口的英語環境，要以 『目標』 為起點，任務導向的反向思考。
例如，『思辯』 參考聯合國教科文組織公布的 『21世紀共通能力』，以培養學童想像力、思辨能力等素養為目的，安排適合的 『現實生活小任務』 作為小學生的英語課內容，讓學生在 『有目標』 的情境中找答案，搭配全英語的參與過程，強化語言應用能力，更培養孩子的生活技能。
想讓孩子的外語能力升級，家長踏入書店的首選，或許能試著從厚重的單字本，改向孩子喜愛的英語讀本。讓學英語跳脫教科書與分數的框架，當孩子興致加倍、享受學習，就能主動學、持續學習，是專家認證的事半功倍學習心法。
延申閱讀：小學生的英語課｜從1到無限：用持續性學習挑戰未來世界｜English for Every Primary School Kid
小學生的英語課：自主學習 自信的未來｜English for Every Primary School Kid
小學生的英語課｜享學‧想學 讓孩子自然而然脫穎而出
Education experts have noted that the three primary sources of motivation for elementary school students learning English are 「interest, a sense of accomplishment, and goals.」 These three pillars form the foundation of children’s willingness to learn by themselves. While every parent places a strong emphasis on all aspects of their children’s education—and rightfully so—learning languages in particular can be key to new avenues in a child’s future development. While there is no set formula for how parents can open these new paths for their children, there may be some strategies that can be gleaned from cases of successful parents and the recommendations of experts.
「No one likes rote memorization,」 said Wanda, who has lived in the US and Australia for many years, and who now works at an overseas company. She has a pair of twin daughters aged 6, who are both fluent and confident when it comes to speaking English. She does not want her children to simply memorize things to win the approval of their teachers. Instead, she wants her twins to be happy when learning, and to learn useful things.
Li-Rong Yang, an expert in parenting and education, suggests parents should focus on developing their children’s 「interest, sense of accomplishment, and goals.」 In terms of interest, parents should try to create an interesting language learning environment in their everyday lives, such as encouraging their children to speak to their friends in English, or watching English television programs with their children.
「Don’t fixate on your children’s English grades, or their grammar, or spelling. If there’s too much negative emotion attached to learning English, then your kids will lose interest over time.」
-Li-Rong Yang, parenting and education expert
Ellen has traveled to the US and studied in the UK. Her 7-year-old son is exceedingly curious about the world, so she has made a special note of what her son is most interested in, and acquired English books on those subjects. For example, her son is a fan of the character Lightning McQueen from the Cars movie series, so she bought books about McQueen. When her son showed an interest in ants, she obtained English popular science books on ants for him.
「Start with subjects that your kids are interested in. If they’re interested in the content, then they』ll be very motivated to understand the text, and will learn naturally.」
-Ellen, English for Young Learners student parent
Encouraging Improvement through Praise and a Sense of AccomplishmentTo give children a 「sense of accomplishment」, Li-Rong Yang noted that every child will excel at different things over the course of their English education. Some are particularly good at comprehension. Others have excellent pronunciation. Even if some children have not demonstrably excelled at something, they can still be praised for their efforts. Such encouragement will inject a sense of accomplishment in children, and help them make improvements in their weaker aspects.
Television presenter Yung-Kang Chen shared a story, in which his young daughter had to see a doctor during a trip overseas due to discomfort in her eye. The doctor’s British accent was too thick for Yung-Kang Chen to easily understand, but his daughter had no problems whatsoever. She was able to easily follow the doctor’s instructions, to walk into the examination room and understand how to undergo the procedure.
「My daughter said she enjoyed my stunned expression very much! This was probably the most effective form of encouragement for a child.」
-Yung-Kang Chen, television presenter
Andrea Hales, Senior English teacher, has over fifteen years of experience in teaching English in China. She pointed out that establishing good 「goals」 is an essential foundation for children to learn proactively and speak English confidently. This may seem counter-intuitive for some people.
For example, UNESCO’s 21st Century Skills formed the basis for the goals set by the us for stimulating children’s imagination, critical thinking, and other skills. To this end, the Sibian After School Club established several 「everyday tasks」 in the English classes for elementary school students, which allow learners to look for answers in an objective-oriented environment. Coupled with a fully English classroom environment, this teaching strategy helps strengthen children’s ability to use English in everyday life.
Parents who want to help their children improve their language abilities should consider shifting their focus from vocabulary books and textbooks to some lighter English language reading. This would help children disassociate English from boring books and stressful tests, and increase their willingness to enjoy the learning process. This, in turn, will boost their eagerness to proactively and continually learn, which experts believe will enhance the results of their language education.
Try Gosibian Today @招生 | GoSibian 網課：學英語，放眼世界。
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