“Teaching in the primary classroom is very different from teaching teens or adults because of the amount of energy children have! Knowing how to channel this energy, or when to ‘stir’ and when to ‘settle’ children will help you achieve balanced lessons without children becoming over-excited on the one hand or bored on the other.
Teachers need to take many factors into consideration when planning a balanced primary lesson and it is important to plan varied lessons.
– Different kinds of activities to practise the different skills need to be balanced against each other.
– Teachers need to be aware that children have a much shorter concentration span than adults and this will affect the number of different activities we plan for a single lesson.
– Pace and timing are important considerations – at primary level it is better to use short, sharp activities so that children can sustain their attention. If concentration flags, change the activity. Teachers need to plan a balance of ‘heads up’ and ‘heads down’ activities, alternating the interaction patterns between individuals/pairs/groups and whole-class activities.”
Read the complete article at http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk