Teaching English is an art-form. There are many approaches and methods from which to choose, and such a choice may be influenced by the age and level of the students, time, learning preferences, special needs, and – of course – the resources available to the instructor.
Teaching English to children, moreover, poses its own particular challenges, and imposes even more particular demands on the instructor. Instructors must take into account learners' short attention spans and/or lack of discipline and possibly underdeveloped linguistic foundations in the learners' native languages (i.e. young learners may not yet be able to read or write in their own language by the time they begin to learn English). Additionally, teachers should take an instructional approach that fosters positive experiences and provides a supportive learning environment, rather than placing emphasis on correctness or grades.
Luckily, in today's technologically-advanced world, the recent proliferation of computer-based curricula (or blended learning designs for language learning) in school systems - including for very young learners - has opened doors to English teachers all over the world.
