Speaker
Description
Children aged 6 to 10 are in an important period for language acquisition. It is true that their cognitive development and auditory sensitivity are responsive to new linguistic input. At this stage, providing learners with rich and repeated exposure to the target language is essential for forming natural language habits and spontaneous use. One effective method that educators can implement to teach young EFL learners is the shadowing technique, in which learners listen to a spoken model and immediately repeat what they hear, closely imitating the speaker’s pronunciation, intonation, and speech rhythm.
This technique offers several notable advantages. Firstly, it enhances pronunciation accuracy and listening comprehension by training young learners to identify subtle phonetic features and speech patterns. Secondly, shadowing facilitates the acquisition of sentence structures and frequently used expressions through contextual repetition, thereby supporting fluency development. Thirdly, it helps strengthen working memory and learners’ attention span, as the method requires sustained concentration and rapid verbal reproduction.
When integrated into storytelling, songs, or conversational activities, shadowing becomes an engaging and interactive practice that motivates young learners and fosters meaningful language use. It aligns well with communicative language teaching approaches and supports a learner-centered environment that promotes both confidence and competence in language learning.
Biography
Thao Tran is an English language teacher at Thuan Thanh Primary School in Hue City, Vietnam. She currently serves as the head of the Foreign Language Department and regularly organizes extracurricular activities for students, such as the “Golden Bell Challenge” and storytelling contests. With expertise in teaching young learners, she is committed to adopting innovative and creative pedagogical approaches that foster a naturalistic environment for language acquisition and holistic development.
