Børn som skabere af betydning og mening

One of the main issues of teaching English to young learners is whether language learning is different for young learners as opposed to adult learners. Researchers have adopted two different approaches to this question: one is a psychological developmental approach inspired by Piaget, the other a socio-cultural approach inspired by Vygotsky. Researchers within new childhood sociologi [Contemporary childhood sociologists] contrast these two approaches and warn against confounding children’s biological immaturity with childhood as a social institution. They claim that children create their own social lives.

In this article, we demonstrate how the two different approaches can interact with each other. Based on analyses of sound and video recordings from two different classrooms, we show how children make use of different emotional, social and cultural resources in the various learning spaces the lessons provide. We conclude that the development of language teaching for young learners must take into account children’s own resources and at the same time be sensitive to and respect what children at different ages are able to cope with.