Brief analysis on English Teaching for Kids1.IntroductionAs an important part of pedagogy, the research on teaching methods has never stopped. Changes in language teaching methods have reflected changes in theories of the nature of language and of language learning. Here in this thesis the author introduces several teaching methods and, with the help of the personal working experience in a kids’ English teaching institution----LeXue, analyses the application of these methods and their effectiveness.2.The Communicative ApproachThe Communicative Approach is an approach to foreign or second language teaching which empathizes that the goal of language learning is communicative competence. Teaching materials used with the Communicative approach often teach the language needed to express and understand different kinds of function.2.1 Features of the Communicative ApproachFive points to characterize the Communicative Approach:①Emphasis on learning to communicate in the target language②The introduction of authentic texts into learning situations③Focus not only on language but also on the learning process itself④making use of learner’s own personal experiences⑤Creating real communication situations in the classroom; linking classroomlanguage learning with language activation outside the classroom The most obvious characteristics of the Communicative Approach is that almost everything that is done with a communicative intent. The teacher is concernedwith the learners themselves, their feelings and ideas. The classroom activities are learner-centered because learning is more effective when the learners are actively involved in the learning process.2.2 The application of Communicative Approach and its EffectAs the theory suggests, during the teaching activities, the role of the teacher should be a facilitator of students’ learning and a manager of classroom activities. And the aim of the teaching should be giving the students the ability to use English for communication. At LeXue, rule has been set that each lesson should be taught by tow teachers, one foreign and one Chinese with the foreign teacher being the superior one to teach the little kids, thus setting up a kind of atmosphere for the kid to speak English. It normalizes the speaking, which allows the students to communicate with foreigner in English just like they do with others in native language. For a lack of language environment, lots of kids can not speak English well simply because they are afraid to do so, that they are not used to this kind of communication. When they go to school and have formal education on English, what they will mainly deal with is the grammar and written materials. Both the educational system and the students forget that the purpose of a language is to communicate. Now, more and more institutions like LeXue are focusing on improving the kids’capability to speak English, and it is really a trend worthy of praise.3.SuggestopediaA teaching method developed by the Bulgarian psychotherapist Georgi Lozanov. It strongly depends on the trust that students develop towards the method by simply believing that it works. Some of the key elements of Suggestopedia include a rich sensory learning environment (pictures, colour, music, etc.), a positive expectation of success and the use of a varied range of methods: dramatised texts, music, active participation in songs and games, etc.3.1 The Four Main Stages①PresentationA preparatory stage in which students are helped to relax and move into a positive frame of mind, with the feeling that the learning is going to be easy and fun.②First Concert - "Active Concert"This involves the active presentation of the material to be learnt. For example, in a foreign language course there might be the dramatic reading of a piece of text, accompanied by classical music.③Second Concert - "Passive Review"The students are now invited to relax and listen to some Baroque music, with the text being read very quietly in the background. The music is specially selected to bring the students into the optimum mental state for the effortless acquisition of the material.④PracticeThe use of a range of games, puzzles, etc. to review and consolidate the learning.3.2 The Practical ApplicationApparently the core value of this method is using the environmental or mental factors to improve the learning. Kids are tend to become interested in the things with bright color and media materials, so at LeXue, lots of things were applied, ranging from the classroom decorations to the media stuff application like playing music, showing movies and so on. Besides, author also realized that there was a strong Pygmalion effect going on between the students and the teachers, which means the more the teacher shows the one student the expectation the better the student performs. What’s more, to let the students become fond of the teacher is also an important part for the little kids to learn English well. Kids are not like adults, if they simply don’t like the person standing in front of them, then no matter how well that person teaches, they just won’t listen.4. Total Physical ResponseTotal physical response (TPR) is a language-teaching method developed by James Asher, a professor emeritus of psychology at San José State University. It is based on the coordination of language and physical movement. In TPR, instructors give commands to students in the target language, and students respond withwhole-body actions.The method is an example of the comprehension approach to language teaching. Listening serves two purposes; it is both a means of understanding messages in the language being learned, and a means of learning the structure of the language itself.4.1 Principles of Total Physical Response①In total physical response, students are not forced to speak. Instead, teachers wait until students acquire enough language through listening that they start to speak spontaneously.②While the majority of class time in total physical response is spent on listening comprehension, the ultimate goal of the method is to develop oral fluency. Asher sees developing listening comprehension skills as the most efficient way of developing spoken language skills.③Grammar is not taught explicitly, but is induced from the language input.4.2 The Application and the InfluencesTotal physical response lessons typically use a wide variety of realia, posters, and props. Teaching materials are not compulsory, and for the very first lessons they may not be used. As students progress in ability the teacher may begin to use objects found in the classroom such as furniture or books, and later may use word charts,pictures, and realia. At LeXue, there are a number of specialized TPR teaching products available, including and an interactive CD-ROM for students to practice with privately. And the teachers will play some games with the kids such as Point and Take. It is fun and easy. Students will enjoy getting up out of their chairs and moving around, especially when it is hard for a teacher to get the kids sit still on chair. It is good for kinesthetic learners who need to be active in the class. It is a good tool for building vocabulary. It is memorable. Actions help strengthen the connections in the brain.5. ConclusionThe above methods all express different points of view of different scholars, each of them respectively provides us a perspective of kids’ English teaching methods. The first theory emphasizes the purpose of English teaching, the second heightens the importance of the unconscious factors in English teaching. The last one places the importance of the physical activities in language teaching. The methods all have instructive value on English teaching. We should really pay attention to their actual application.References[1] 郭羡.少儿英语教学法浅析[J].科技信息2005,（10）[2] 张秀明. “暗示法”在外语教学中的应用[J].福建外语，1997,（2）[3] 何自然.语用学与英语学习[M].上海：上海外国语教育出版社.[4] 王电建，赖红玲.基础英语教学中童谣、歌曲的选择及具体教法[J].英语教学研究2011,26(3)[5]袁笠菱，多媒体课件在英语教学中效益问题初探[J].北京第二外国语学院学报，2005,（06）:45-47[6]维基百科，Total physical response［ＥＢ/OL］. /wiki/Total_physical_response#Teaching_materials，2013.11.7。