Meshcheryakova Valeria Nikolaevna is the author of the unique I love English course for teaching English to children aged two to ten years. This technique is fundamentally different from that given in modern general education schools. The peculiarity lies in the fact that learning takes place through various games with the maximum possible immersion in the language environment, where the perception of information by ear, listening, performs one of the most important functions in the learning process.
Effective and progressive
Children are engaged in this program with special interest and desire due to the fact that in the classroom they sing songs, read poems, act out role plays and completely “lose” the entire lesson. The technique of Valeria Meshcheryakova provides children with an easy perception of new information in the classroom. A thoughtful approach to homework: young students (and their parents) need to listen to audio lessons every day, lasting from tenup to fifteen minutes. Audio texts are recorded by native speakers, so they allow students to form the correct pronunciation. All materials of this technique work on the accumulation of a significant passive vocabulary and on the development of language instinct.
An important difference between this method of teaching English and what the school gives is, firstly, that it is not the language itself that is studied and comprehended, but speech itself. Secondly, learning begins with listening and speaking in the very first lessons without learning the rules or vocabulary.
Another unusual feature of this technique is the lack of corrections of children's speech errors in the lessons by the teacher. Instead, multiple repetition of information blocks is introduced to master the correct variant of speech. This is done to prevent the appearance of psychological and language barriers.
Meshcheryakova's "English for Children" methodology: learning levels
The method is suitable for teaching children in the age period from two (three) to nine (ten) years and is interesting and quite effective. It must be said that training leads to real and successful results.
Meshcheryakova's I love English technique consists of several consecutive and interrelated steps in the study and development:
- Zero step, mainly based on listening and memorization - I can sing.
- The first step, perfectinglistening and forming English speech, - I can speak.
- The second step, which improves the previous acquired skills and teaches reading, is I can read. Reading comprehension takes place using a unique color reading technique based on previously studied material, as a result of which this process is mastered with ease.
- The third step, which improves all previous skills and teaches writing, is I can write.
- The fourth step - I can analyze - teaches you to analyze speech during its formation.
Some stages, the main ones, we will analyze in great detail in order to understand what the technique of Valeria Meshcheryakova is.
Listening
The very first and introductory for those children who study the language from the very beginning is the zero step I can sing. Assimilation and study pass through singing, namely, due to the pattern repetition and memorization of phrases. This happens even without an initial understanding of the translation of the words. Understanding itself happens in the background. The child learns to understand the meaning of foreign speech unconsciously (passively) with frequent and regular listening to audio lessons. And active learning of the language is achieved already in face-to-face classes with a teacher who transfers the accumulated “passive” vocabulary into the category of “active”. In this age period, a person can easily learn the language (s) in a similar way, that is, with the right approach and organized training.
Meshcheryakova's method of teaching English determines the purpose of this stage - the development and perception of speech by the child by ear. Lessons are held with children in musical and game forms. The material of the methodology is texts with colorful, vivid illustrations and recorded songs performed by native speakers.
English according to the method of Meshcheryakova provides for the help and participation of parents in the learning process. Their actions are very important. Adults need to ensure that children have daily access to listening to audio recordings. What should be paid attention to (both parents and teachers involved in this system)? At this stage, the phonetic errors that the child makes due to the immature speech apparatus are not corrected by adults explicitly and noticeably for the child. Mentors in this case try to repeat correctly defined sounds or words as many times as possible in order to remember the only correct option for children. When speaking, gestures and facial expressions are used to the maximum to comprehend speech by the mind of the child.
Speech formation
The next step is the first and basic one - I can speak, since the formation of oral speech is one of the main tasks in comprehending a language. At this stage, the child begins to use phrases, words, clichés that have already been memorized and “imprinted” into consciousness (at the previous stage through repeated repetition and listening) when constructing his speech.
Similarly, the teacher / parent conducts the lesson in the form of a game, and the child builds his speech more or less meaningfully. Meshcheryakova's methodology ensures that children achieve comprehension already at this stage thanks to well-thought-out and preparedmaterials and correct presentation of information:
- Visual support for audio recordings in the form of a synthesis of a book and a coloring book contains an illustrated picture for the lesson, in which the child performs the necessary tasks. The main task of the little student in training is to collect these completed coloring sheets from lesson to lesson in order to assemble a whole book.
- Language information blocks on the disc are repeated many times for the purpose of unconscious and involuntary memorization. The teacher in the lesson is already deliberately recreating situations in which these structures are used and reinforced.
- Easy and timely tracking of child learning. Every fourth lesson is a control, where the teacher evaluates the “pluses” and “minuses” of the completed tasks so that the child understands how successful he is in completing certain tasks.
- It must be said that the audio lessons themselves are maximally thought out in content and do not overload the children's mind and attention. One lesson lasts for ten to fifteen minutes. Throughout the week, the child listens to a certain lesson every day from once. But the more, the better. Listening is possible even with incomplete concentration, but in the background, as if by the way. And before the test lesson, he works through the tasks in his coloring book for a maximum of fifteen minutes.
- A few words about motivation should be said. Meshcheryakova's methodology provides for a kind of assessment and approval by the teacher of the correct performance of tasks by the student through drawn pictures(in the form of hearts and flowers). The incentive system is thought out: even diplomas for excellent success have been developed. Also, the child can receive a gift on behalf of a fairy-tale hero, with whom he had to deal with when completing assignments for the lesson.
Question of priority
It happens that Meshcheryakova's teaching method becomes not the first method that parents have used and worked with their child. In other words, they already have a certain information base. But there is also a desire (or need) to continue learning the language using a different, for example, more effective system, I love English. English according to the Meshcheryakova method provides for the study and mastery of knowledge and skills necessarily linearly, sequentially and in stages (0, 1, 2, 3, 4). However, you can continue to apply the knowledge you already have and start learning from the I can speak level, with the only and necessary condition - listening to audio lessons daily.
Teaching to read
Stage I can read forms the child's correct reading skills without memorizing and memorizing countless rules for pronouncing certain letters or letter combinations. Meshcheryakova's method ("English for Children") is a lightweight and unique color reading technique.
Children and teachers work according to the manual, in which all words, phrases and texts are highlighted in certain colors and in different fonts. In the process of learning, children easily understand and subsequently read these "markers". anythere is no linguistic or semantic distortion in such reading. The child in the process sees the correct graphic spelling of the word, but at the same time he highlights the corresponding sound-letter pronunciation through color without confusion with transcription. This technique allows you to immediately start reading correctly for both children and parents who do not know English, but provide control over the completion of tasks.
Meshcheryakova's method does not provide for the study of the alphabet at this stage. This is considered inappropriate and untimely: any language unit is introduced when there is a need for it. It is explained by the fact that the names of the letters not only do not help, but often prevent children from learning to read correctly and fluently in English. Why would knowing the alphabet be useful? As a rule, for correct spelling and for searching for new language units in the dictionary. A dictionary, even at this stage (in order to understand the meaning of the word) is not needed yet.
Work in the lesson according to the manual is carried out orally when the teacher fixes individual moments and exercises on the board. As homework, the child performs the written exercises passed in the class, and also independently works with additional exercises to consolidate the studied material. It is necessary to emphasize that the wording of the homework is given in the manual in Russian in order to fully understand by all participants in the learning process (students and their parents) what needs to be done. This was created intentionally forfunctionality, because reading words and texts in English is only now comprehended and comprehended at this stage (I can read).
Learning in the game
English according to the method of Meshcheryakova is taught in a playful way. Lessons are built in the form of regularly and frequently changing games. This allows you to make the learning process interesting and exciting, since the main activity of the child in comprehending the world around him takes place directly through games. Curiosity and passion create harmonious conditions for memorization, repetition, assimilation and consolidation of information. Positive children's emotions and enthusiasm activate their mental processes of cognition as a result of development. In addition, the game is a kind of imaginary and artificially created situation that motivates to use the acquired knowledge at the right time. The task of the teacher is to similarly create the necessary conditions for the development of English speech and the need to use the material covered.
Game is the engine of the development process. Being an excellent teaching tool and sharpening the child's mental activity, it makes the lesson interesting and attractive.
The role of a parent
Meshcheryakova's method implies, as mentioned earlier, regular and daily listening to audio lessons by children (which were recorded by native speakers). Successful language acquisition requires an appropriate environment, and audio recordings are a kind of this environment. The regularity of listening to these lessons (short duringtime) ensures success in mastering this technique. Moreover, the dependence of learning outcomes on the regularity of home listening is linear. In other words, the more a child listens to an audio lesson, the more it is clear to him. The more understandable, the more he likes it. The more he likes it, the more he listens to it again and goes to an English class. And vice versa.
It will be great if parents help their child in creating some kind of ritual for listening to lessons (for example, before going to bed in bed or on the way to / from school). The creation of some additional motivation on the part of parents would also contribute to more effective mastering of a foreign language.
Listening to this audio material is in general an interesting and exciting activity, children like them. However, there are a couple of mistakes that parents make, as a result of which their child will want to refuse to listen to audio lessons and English classes:
- Direct action substitution commands: "Instead of watching cartoons, go study English." This is a very rude and tactless impact on children's consciousness and psyche. Most often, this causes an internal protest and unwillingness to further develop in this direction. In its own way, this is a kind of negative program that a parent created in the subconscious of his child.
- Rare and irregular (or no) listening to audio lessons. In face-to-face classes with a teacher, it becomes difficult for children who do not listen to lessons at home or do it rarely. Anydifficulties in the child cause a loss of interest in classes.
The role of the teacher
The classroom teacher is the key to a successful and effective learning process. It is not enough to know the material and a foreign language. You need to have a lot of qualities. If we take the age limit of children according to this method, then the teacher needs to be a speaker, and a psychologist, and an actor, and an entertainer in order for the learning process to be as successful and useful as possible. In addition, a teacher is a person who loves and understands children, who knows how to speak the same language with them, but at the same time communicates with them and teaches them another, foreign language. That's how interesting and difficult it all is! To a teacher who conducts lessons in an accessible way, with love and interest, children are happy to go to classes and master the material without much difficulty, this happens automatically. A lot depends on the teacher!
It goes without saying that a teacher must be proficient in the different methods and techniques of teaching their subject. With regard to our topic, all this was wonderfully developed and thought out by the author of this course program, Meshcheryakova V. N. The methodology is unique and differs in many respects from the school teaching course. Accordingly, there are a lot of nuances that the teacher needs not only to know, but also to fully master all the subtleties. To do this, there is a separate teacher training program developed by the center of Valeria Nikolaevna, which professionally develops and explains certified how to conduct classes,to teach English correctly according to the method of Meshcheryakova.
Reviews from teachers can be found very diverse. This course delights someone - such teachers go to special programs directly to the author-trainer, learn the teaching methods themselves, and then teach their students according to this program. Perhaps, in the course of their studies, they somehow supplement their lessons, because this is indispensable. There are those who were trained according to the methodological program, but were not satisfied with it due to certain reasons (perhaps the teacher himself is not so personally internally free in the lesson to be a creator and an active entertainer and engine in the process of learning and cognition).
But there are also those who got acquainted with Meshcheryakova's manuals, but did not take professional courses. Many of the subtleties of the process may not be fully understood or not visible to them at all. However, such teachers have an experienced view and personal opinion and, it must be said, they express it in a rather sharp form. Of course, in this case, the methodology of Meshcheryakova, which is not understood by a person, will not cause the most flattering reviews of teachers. However, such opinions are not directly related to the content of the teaching methodology; rather, they will say more about the incompetence of the teacher himself in Meshcheryakova's language program. It is worth noting that not all teachers can afford to take specialized training courses using this method due to the high cost of the program and the materials themselves.
Methodology of Valeria Meshcheryakova: feedback from students andparents
Students and parents involved in this language course note noticeable and tangible results - this is a deep interest in the topic and relatively easy use of the studied material by children in a play environment. It can be assumed that the author's method (Meshcheryakova) is effective and efficient. “English for Children” reviews are joyful in children (the desire to go to classes and complete assignments are important indicators), parents are satisfactorily positive (since children are making progress in learning), teachers working under this program are quite inspired. Such conclusions can be drawn if you watch video reviews on the methodology on the official website of the author of this course, which are well substantiated. In addition, Valeria Nikolaevna Meshcheryakova herself provides a lot of information about her technology. The method of teaching English is really interesting and unusual. And its successful testing in children's groups lasts for more than ten years, as a result of these classes, students begin to speak English and understand the interlocutor.
