I’m not a supporter of early language learning, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to buy a manual Meshcheryakova for several reasons - your 3-year-old child, reviews on various forums, where almost everyone who bought it, like zombified conspirators, repeats about its miraculousness, the inability to familiarize themselves with Meshcheryakova’s manuals or methods online, and, of course, female curiosity. I haven’t worked with children of this age yet, but online, except this video, I didn’t find anything intelligible about the teaching methodology. Yes, there are seminars that are conducted using this technique, but they are, to put it mildly, not cheap.
I placed the order on the official website, where a book for a teacher + a book for a student + a CD with songs + delivery cost me 1400rub(!). I didn’t buy a visual aid for this level because I was strangled by a toad (another + 1000 rubles). The amount is not small, considering that there are only 5 such benefits (corresponding to steps 1 – 4, plus this one is zero).
Having opened the parcel, I saw two books in the format A5 and volume about 50 pages:
I can sing. A book for the student.
IN student book we find:
1) Author's message
2) Text of audio lessons
3) Lyrics of songs with pictures for children
4) Colored cards with toys and objects used in lessons
5) Song translation and dictionary
On the pages there are simply pictures and the lyrics of the song next to them. If you look at registration books, then the pictures seem to be funny, but from the point of view of a parent, I don’t like yellow hares, pink horses, blue bears and ugly drawn children. From an aesthetic point of view, courses from foreign publishers (for example, this one) are designed more pleasantly.
In addition, the sheets intended for the student - lessons with songs and lyrics - are made on glossy paper, but the material for parents is on regular paper, which a preschool child can easily tear if handled carelessly.
I can sing. Book for teachers.
IN teacher's book There is:
1) Description methodological principles
2) Inventory
3) Class structure
4) Lesson Plans
5) Additional games
Its undoubted advantage: all lessons are described in detail, methodological advice is given - how to seat children, how to introduce new toys to them, how to introduce material, reinforce it, how to sing songs, what games to use. There are also small cheat sheets for the teacher:
I can sing. Audio.
On disk V. Meshcheryakova's manual contains songs, backing tracks, and background music. The disc is voiced by native speakers (male and female), the pronunciation is good, clear, there are no complaints about this. I find it more pleasant to listen to a recording of children's voices in a children's textbook, but this is my opinion.
I can sing. Results.
After reading the manual by V. Meshcheryakova “I can sing”, you can do several conclusions:
- parents and teachers, who have not worked with this age group, and have little idea how to teach English to preschoolers - you can safely take it, because. The manual provides a detailed algorithm for the behavior of classes
- in kindergartens this textbook is more convenient to use than English-language ones - and all the lessons are written down, and the student’s parents will know what their children are being taught (all materials in the manual are translated).
- if you tutor, who already has experience working with children from 3 to 6 years old, the manual can be used as additional material for classes. You most likely won’t learn anything new from it about the methods of teaching language to preschoolers
AND my 5 kopecks: taking into account the considerable price of the benefit, its small size, the active PR campaign of the entire methodology and the inability to somehow get acquainted with it in online resources, all this seems to be another way to make more money from children and parents who want to their child knew the language. I haven’t had time to try the technique yet, but when I try it, I might change my mind and definitely write about the results!
Review of V. Meshcheryakova’s manual “I can sing”
Today I learned about Meshcheryakova’s technique. What was surprising was that the little children were already speaking English, understood what the teacher was telling them, behaved very freely, laughed, played, as if they were not in class at all. I even have a complex: I seem to be studying grammar, drawing tables with rules, but here the children conduct dialogues so easily and without any tables. Meshcheryakova herself did not look like a teacher at all, and it was as if some kind of cheerful Mary Poppins “number two” had descended on an umbrella.
English for children Meshcheryakova's lesson begins with cheerful greetings, in which everyone participates: the teacher, children, toys and even doors. All this is not said, but sung. The fingers began to count, and also for a reason: the fingers sing and talk in different voices, there is a finger - the teacher and fingers - the children. “Who didn’t show all their fingers, who forgot them at home?” Children laugh and have fun. Then the teacher suddenly remembers that she forgot to introduce herself, and the acquaintance by name begins.
The lesson is mainly in English and reminds puppet show: all the toy animals talk and sing songs. Then suddenly there is a knock on the door and you need to ask who is there and invite them in, then the charging begins: 
Methodology I can sing “Hands up!” Hands up!” - the teacher sings, and the children immediately raise their hands up.
Then a game of cat and mouse ensues. The teacher turns into a cat, and the children into mice.
"I am grey!" - the children shout and run away screaming. At the end of the lesson everyone says goodbye. The lesson lasted 15 minutes, but during this time the children managed a lot, and they were not bored for a single minute.
I was interested: what kind of technique is this? And I even became a little envious - we weren’t taught that way. From the first lessons, we filled notebooks with a series of letters and memorized standard phrases, and many knew the language worse than these preschool children.
Features of the English course “I love English”
Meshcheryakova system Valeria Meshcheryakova is the author of a course called “I love English” and manuals for teachers, in which she gives them lessons on how to teach children the language through songs, dialogues, reading and writing, so that they eventually master live spoken English. The course is suitable for children from 2 to 9 years old; each age uses its own system. All lessons are based on the type of children's television programs: “ Good night, kids" and "ABVG deyka"
In the course, a large role is given to the teacher, especially for young children. He must be not just a teacher, but also an artist, an entertainer, a singer, a psychologist. Therefore, the author is interested primarily in training the teachers themselves.
Deep Dive Method
Deep immersion method Meshcheryakova is convinced that today the teaching of English in kindergartens and schools is conducted incorrectly. Proof of this is that children do not know how to speak when they graduate from school. She bases her training not on theory, but on practice, primarily on audio lessons. The training is based on the deep immersion technique:
lessons are taught only in English- recordings in audio materials are made by native speakers
- English is used for other tasks
- Parents also take part in the training
So how does this actually happen? Imagine: the teacher speaks English, other tasks not related to the language are done in English, the audio recording is in English, and spoken English - all this leads to the fact that the language becomes a part of the children’s lives. Gradually they begin to speak and think in it fluently. It is not surprising that children taught under this system speak English as their first language.
The role of parents in children's education
When Meshcheryakova addresses her parents, that serene, cheerful image of Mary Poppins flies away from her, and before us is again a strict teacher. And it’s clear why: parents are capable of ruining everything and ruining any impulse in the bud. Therefore, I will give some of her advice here.
Children learn quickly, and parents often lag behind their children, which is bad:
- firstly, children, seeing the example of their parents and respecting them, will decide: well, since the parents themselves do not know English, then why should I know it.
- secondly, knowing the language, you will be able to teach your children yourself.
Video message to parents
How to conduct training correctly
It should be interesting for children; urging of this kind is unacceptable: “Come on, immediately turn off the ‘tanks’ and sit down to learn English!”
Do not allow incomprehensible places to arise, this will accumulate and the child will not want to learn.
You need to listen to audio lessons constantly every day, without leaving all the material for the week for one day before the test ( test task- every 4 lessons)
You can listen to lessons anywhere, even on the way to kindergarten (school).
At first, it is recommended to simply listen to the entire course three times lightly, without completing assignments. Don't think that children won't remember anything. This will instill in them a primary passive vocabulary to the depths of their subconscious. Meshcheryakova makes an interesting comparison vocabulary with an iceberg in which the underwater part (passive reserve) is often smaller than the surface part (active reserve). And the teacher’s task is to bring the underwater passive part out and turn it into an active one.
If parents do mess up, Meshcheryakova offers this rescue option:
turn on an audio lesson before bed, because any child will choose the second of two evils - sleeping or listening - (such a little trick). Nothing distracts his attention, after that he will fall asleep, and all the information will be stored in his long-term memory.
Development of new proprietary methods
The author is constantly developing something new, and really loves the language and his work. She created a language teaching center with the same name, and she published manuals for teachers specifically to teach them her method of teaching English using audio lessons. What a responsible person! Her method of color reading, described in the manual “I can read,” is interesting. I will briefly describe it.
How can children who do not know phonics learn to read correctly?
This seems like an impossible task. After all, in English phonetics There are a lot of different letter combinations and different readings. The same letter is read differently, for example, for vowels it depends on which syllable, open or closed, the letter is in. Consonants are read as voiced, some as voiceless. In terms of sound: there are neutral sounds, some are not readable at all. In special texts, all letters are painted in different colors, depending on how they are pronounced. For example, yellow ones are neutral, white ones are unreadable, black ones are dull, and red ones are voiced.
It is not difficult for children to remember which sound each color corresponds to. Then they begin to apply the similarity method, and gradually they can move from color texts to black and white. Thus, without knowing the rules, you can learn to read even complex texts.
If you are interested in this training system, then all the details about where to purchase teaching aids or take a seminar (if you are a teacher), you can only find out on Meshcheryakova’s official website. She has exclusive copyright and strictly protects it. Therefore, do not rush to download torrents, and when signing up for courses using its system, be sure to ask the teacher for a certificate of completion of the seminar.
Popular English children's songs:
ORGANIZATIONAL FORM
Individual Entrepreneur Olga Viktorovna Goncharova is the official distributor in the Russian Federation and foreign countries of Valeria Meshcheryakova’s “I Love English” methodology, operating on the basis of the main distribution agreement between Individual Entrepreneur V.N. Meshcheryakova. - producer of original methodological and training manuals on English language on the one hand, and IP Goncharova O.V. . - the distributor, on the other hand.
The organizational and legal form of the store is IP Goncharova O.V. Certificate No. 311169025200012 dated September 9, 2011
Director of the store and methodological center - Olga Viktorovna Goncharova
The website www.eng-shop.ru presents Valeria Meshcheryakova’s original educational and methodological manuals for teaching preschool and younger children school age English language, author's courses on preparing teachers to work with children using these manuals, as well as books and teaching aids by other authors, which are created as additional material for classes with children according to Valeria Meshcheryakova's methods.
ABOUT VALERIYA MESHCHERYAKOVA’S METHODOLOGY I LOVE ENGLISH
Valeria Meshcheryakova’s technique has been developing since 1994. It began with individual tapes that the author recorded daily for his students, and now the I LOVE ENGLISH method of teaching children English is the most popular and effective in the educational services market.
The technique appeared on the market in the form of manual sets in 1998. Gradually developing, the technique became more and more in demand. A clear structure and methods of working with children, worked out in practice by the author himself, gave excellent results and this could not escape the attention of teachers and parents. The effectiveness of the technique is manifested in a specific indicator: children begin to speak fluently within a guaranteed time frame and in a guaranteed volume. Naturally, as in all other processes, a guarantee of results can only be achieved with 100% compliance with the methodological principles and rules for organizing the process, which teachers master in V.N.’s proprietary courses. Meshcheryakova.
Active promotion of the methodology began in 2004 after the organization of the Methodological Center by Valeria Meshcheryakova in Moscow (organizer and head of the Center Olga Viktorovna Goncharova)
POSITIVE AND DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF V.N.’S METHOD MESHCHERYAKOVA
Parents are freed from time-consuming attempts to help their children “do their homework” - you simply turn on the disk for 10-15 minutes every day. You don't need to do anything else. If you don’t know English, this is not a hindrance, but an opportunity to start learning it with your child.
Teachers acquire a very effective and convenient technique. Clearly structured material presented in manuals and the availability of a kit visual aids frees the teacher from the routine work of writing lesson plans and selecting additional materials. The kits have EVERYTHING! The teacher can focus solely on creative work and enjoy teaching as much as the children!
As a result, the teacher receives English-speaking children in a short time. For parents, this is the most powerful motivation to turn to you, as an English teacher, regarding the issue of effectively teaching their children English.
Children will not be afraid to speak in English, but they will do it with pleasure. By attending English using Valeria Meshcheryakova’s method, children receive 100% positive emotional charge, as if they were attending an exciting entertainment event. Joyful activities for children are the health of your children - mental and physical
Managers (organizers, administrators, investors) of children's centers.
Availability in your educational institution teachers who know the methods of teaching children English according to V.N. Meshcheryakova. - a strong motivational factor for parents to invest in your language center (school, group).
Who contacts us:
Teachers of children's centers and language courses.
Future and present organizers of modern children's centers, where the most important thing is not to earn money, but to provide quality services, for which they will receive gratitude from parents in the form of good payment.
Parents who understand the importance of quality education and development of children early stages. By purchasing our original manuals, they not only thank the author and our entire team for creating a highly effective product, but thereby provide support for further development.
Distribution of the methodology:
Our benefits are used by children throughout Russia, the Baltic states, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
Plans for the future.
Release of audio courses on other foreign languages. Already now you can get acquainted with experimental textbooks on French and German languages. A Spanish manual is expected to be released. In development - Japanese.
Release of additional training and methodological manuals both original and created by teachers working according to the methodology of Valeria Meshcheryakova.
Expanding the geography of representative offices of the methodology.
Master classes on the methodology for teachers and parents.
Video presentations and programs in support of teachers working according to the methodology and for parents.
The English language manual for children from 3 to 6 years old is the zero level in the “I love English” educational set and consists of a disk and a coloring book. At the end of the manual methodological recommendations, translation of song lyrics (for parents) and a dictionary (also for parents). At this level, children learn to perceive English speech by ear, follow the teacher’s commands, play and sing songs in English. Classes are conducted in the music game form.
"I can sing"- musicals, author - V.N. Meshcheryakova
The English language guide for children aged 4 to 7 years is a continuation of the zero level in the “I love English” educational set and consists of a disk and a colorful book for the child. At the beginning of the book there is a dictionary (for parents), and at the end there is the text of audio lessons in English. At the end of each academic semester, you can stage musicals with your children in English, the scripts of which are given in the teacher’s manual.
"I can speak", author - V.N. Meshcheryakova
The English language guide for children aged 5 to 7 years is the 1st step in the “I love English” educational set and consists of a disk, a book with audio lessons and workbook. Children continue to develop their listening skills and begin to speak English, using approximately 250 words and 40 colloquial phrases. Over the course of a year, children learn 30 songs and rhymes. Children also develop communication skills, activity and independence.
"I can read", author - V.N. Meshcheryakova
The English language guide for children aged 6-10 years is the 2nd stage in the “I love English” educational set and consists of a disk, a book with audio lessons and a reading book. Children continue to improve their listening and communication skills in English and begin to learn to read using the original color reading technology on familiar language material studied at previous levels. Children learn to read English with ease.
"Clumsy and Gracie", author - N.A. Poddubnaya
The set consists of a reading book, a workbook with board game and a disc with very beautiful songs and well-read fairy tales. The book was created on lexical material, acquired by children at the stages “I can speak” and “I can read”. This book develops the reader's curiosity, the ability to think, compare with personal experience and form your own opinion about what you read. At the end of the book there is a script for the musical.
"I can write", author - V.N. Meshcheryakova
The English language manual for children aged 7-11 years is the 3rd stage in the “I love English” educational set and consists of a disk, a textbook and a workbook. At this stage, children learn the basics of writing in English and, of course, continue to work with listening, colloquial speech and reading. The audio lessons at this level contain a large number of new grammatical structures.
, author - N.A. Poddubnaya
The set consists of a reading book and a disk. This book combines entertaining texts with interesting tasks, where new vocabulary is presented using the technique of color reading. Reading and writing in this book are aimed at developing critical thinking. At the end of the book you will find a dictionary and a script for a musical that you can stage with your children at the end of the school year.
Information for parents
Information for teachers
Features of the I LOVE ENGLISH method
Features of V.N. Meshcheryakova’s technique. According to school curriculum Teaching foreign languages begins at school, i.e. at the age of 6-7 years. And it is well known that best time to begin studying them is the age when the imprinting mechanism is still active, i.e. preschool age. It is at this time that learning a foreign language can take place most naturally, through play activity, and the knowledge acquired and practiced during this time remains for life.
Particularly relevant is early teaching of listening, from which speech training in general should begin. Unfortunately, in most programs offered, listening is given a secondary role, and many students simply ignore these tasks. Effective training listening skills in live, fluent English on CDs, as well as in the teacher’s speech when immersing preschoolers in a language environment in the classroom is possible if the teacher uses I LOVE ENGLISH manuals. When creating them
Took into account the interests of children of this age (audio materials are musical and playful in nature);
- used native speakers from different countries(UK, USA, Australia);
- adhered to the principle of transferring the goal to the process (tasks are designed in such a way that English is a means for completing some other task);
- took into account the opportunity for parents to participate in the learning process (the manuals include “Notes for Parents”).
Side effect early education listening is that children begin to speak English early and a lot. Thus, speaking is a natural consequence of children repeatedly listening to interesting audio lessons, and not the result of tedious drills. One of the clear advantages of such teaching of speaking is the fact that children who begin to speak after a long stage of listening (which is as close as possible to the natural path in language acquisition) do not need instruction. English sounds. They immediately have good pronunciation and often begin to think in language before they even begin to speak.
The next stage of learning using the I LOVE ENGLISH manuals is functional reading, i.e. reading with information extraction. Children learn to read only from well-known language material. It is also not an end in itself, but a way to complete other tasks. Practice shows that children learn to read not by rules, but by analogy. Therefore, to optimize the process of learning to read, we offer color reading technology, described in detail in the third part of the manual.
Children begin to master writing simultaneously with the process of mastering reading. However traditional forms Knowledge control, such as dictations, is unacceptable at this age. The foundations of writing are laid in a playful way. Children solve crossword puzzles, make words from letters, etc.
Description of methodological principles according to the author's methodology for teaching English to children by Valeria Meshcheryakova.
Currently, interest in foreign languages and, in particular, in English has increased significantly. Many adults, having realized in practice how difficult it is to master a foreign language in adulthood, are looking for an opportunity to give their child the basics of foreign language speech at a time when his brain still has the ability to imprint entire language blocks into memory.
Our task is to create in the child’s brain an image of the basic structures of language. Since at this age the speech mechanisms are not yet fully formed, and the imprinting mechanism is at work, the most effective way seems to be the natural way of creating an image of language in a child - through repeated listening to the structures being practiced (the audio complex plays a large role in this). When developing the program, we took into account the psychophysiological characteristics of children.
First of all, we focused on the involuntary nature of memory and attention, the ability to imprint, and play as the main activity. Based on analysis age characteristics We have formulated the following methodological principles.
1. The principle of comfort;
2. Immersion in the language environment;
3. The general development of the child through a foreign language, the disclosure of his creative abilities;
The natural path to language acquisition;
Minimax principle;
The principle of activating the main channels of perception.
In our opinion, most of the principles echo the concept of education by O.A. Kurevina - L.G. Peterson. "The concept of education: a modern view." Let's take a closer look at them.
1. The principle of comfort.
The more comfortable the conditions in the lesson, the more intense the acquisition of foreign language speech. Any stressful situation can destroy the child’s desire to communicate with you, and therefore, there will be no need for him to use speech. In order for children to feel comfortable in class, they must: not get tired; be relaxed; stay interested. To ensure that children do not get tired throughout the lesson, they need active activity and a frequent change of games and tasks. When conducting classes, we strongly recommend that children sit not at desks, but on chairs arranged in a semicircle in free space. This allows children to freely stand up during class to participate in outdoor games.
(For example: Unit I, lesson 3-1, paragraph 8 - see information in the manual Unit II, lesson 4-2, paragraph 4 - children act out a dialogue, see information in the manual).
In addition to games, each lesson includes 2-3 breaks - warm-ups.
(For example: Unit I, lesson 1-3, paragraphs 4,8,11)
When reciting poems and singing songs, you should accompany them with movements.
(Unit I, lesson 1-2 – song This is a bear...)
Or at least gestures
(for example: Unit I, lesson 3-1 - rhyme Rain).
Considering the fact that in most children at this age involuntary attention prevails over voluntary attention, we consider it advisable to frequently change types of activities. This makes the lessons as rich as possible and gives the teacher the opportunity to concentrate directly on educational process without being distracted by restoring discipline. A change in activity is considered not only the transition from sitting to active games and vice versa, but also the alternation of various tasks and demonstration material.
On average, each lesson consists of 12 – 16 points. With a lesson duration of 40 - 45 minutes, this means changing activities every 2-3 minutes. However, starting from the involuntary nature of children’s attention, we pay great attention to developing the ability to concentrate it. This is facilitated by the presence in the program large number educational games.
For example: Unit I, see information in the manual
Rule #1. Speak only English! At the very first lessons, this rule must be stated: “Guys! In English class we must speak only English! Sometimes I will be allowed to switch to Russian, but no more than for one minute. And if you want to say something in Russian, come to me after class, I’ll listen to you.” Later, this rule is reminded periodically if necessary: “Don’t speak Russian!”, “This is the English lesson!” Don’t speak Russian at the English lesson!”, “If you want to speak Russian, speak Russian after classes!” Practice shows that by the 3rd school week, communication in Russian practically disappears, and by the end of the first quarter, most children have a psychological ban on speaking Russian in class, which stimulates the need to express thoughts in English.
Rule #2. The driver commands! As a rule, this is a teacher, but if you are playing school and have already said the phrase: “I’m not the teacher!” I'm a little girl! You are the teacher now!”, sit like a mouse and pretend to be a student. There cannot be two drivers in the game! From this moment on, the problem of continuing the game rests entirely on the shoulders of the new driver-student in the role of teacher. The only right you have is... see information in the manual
Rule #3. Don't take long pauses. Children cannot stand emptiness, and if there is a pause in the lesson, they will definitely fill it with themselves. If a child does not answer a question immediately, you should not persuade him to “think about it.” The teacher must use a series of leading questions to find out what exactly caused the child difficulty in answering (see “ladder of knowledge”), and if he still cannot “talk” to him, it is better to turn to other children or give the correct answer himself.
Rule #4. Voluntary participation in the game. Getting a child to play is just as difficult as getting him to study. The teacher should remember that interest in the game can be maintained only if a positive emotional background is maintained in the lesson. How can you get children to obey the rules and follow you closely throughout the entire learning cycle? To do this, you need to know what motives are the source of activity and interest of students. We identify 6 main motives that can intensify the activities of students in this age group. see information in manual 2.
Immersion in the language environment. Kurevina-Peterson’s principle of activity involves the child’s “discovery” of new knowledge. The main activity of a child in foreign language lessons is speech activity. Therefore, we can say that when teaching foreign languages, the “discovery of new knowledge” refers to the ability to achieve mutual understanding by means other than native speech. Each new act of mutual understanding can be regarded as a “discovery.” Only immersion in a language environment can stimulate children to make these discoveries, up to and including a complete ban on the use of native language.
Starting from the 3rd school week, lessons are taught almost entirely in English, with the exception of those few moments when the use of the native language helps to create the necessary emotional tension (for example: Unit II lesson 7-3 - see information in the manual). Remember that for children you are a native speaker. In order for a child to have a desire to talk to you, you need to let him understand that you are primarily concerned not with the form of the statement, but with your mutual understanding with him. For example, if a child answers the question: “What’s there on the table?” , answers briefly: “A bear!”, be sure to express your approval with a nod of the head, a smile or a short “Yes!” After all, the main thing (!) is that he understood your question and, by the way, answered it correctly (in short form). There was an understanding! Focus on this, but after that be sure to give the full correct answer: “There is a bear on the table!” Non-translational semantization contributes to creating an atmosphere of complete mutual understanding in the classroom.
The teacher must remember that translating from one language to another makes it difficult to create an image of the language and slows down the child’s reaction. We offer the following methods of translation-free semantization: see the information in the “Ladder of Knowledge” manual. Let us consider the problem of mutual understanding schematically. Complete mutual understanding occurs if the question is accepted and the response to it is adequate. In this case, the student and the teacher are, as it were, on the same rung of the ladder of knowledge (Fig. 1).
Now imagine that the teacher does not receive an answer to his question. This suggests that the child has not yet reached the level at which the teacher expected to see him (Fig. 2) and the teacher needs to go down a certain number of steps to achieve mutual understanding. And here the teacher is tempted to slide down to the very bottom of the ladder - phonetic practice, i.e. simply invite the child to repeat the correct option (Fig. 3).
