Online sessions with very young learners

This week we have a post from, Dalya Saleh, a teacher of English at Mamonia Elementary co-ed "A" school, Gaza about her online sessions with very young learners.

I joined the Hands Up Project two years ago when I first heard about it . Since then, I've really noticed the positive impact on the children's performance and their attitude toward English language.

When I was told at the beginning of this year to start teaching students where all of them are aged between 6 and 7, I felt a bit worried and started to try to think of ways to engage them in a real enjoyable learning environment. The first thing that came to my mind was the online sessions with Nick. I sent him a message asking about the possibility and applicability of engaging such an early age of students in the project. He enthusiastically supported the idea and connected me with Elena, a volunteer who expressed her readiness to join and lead the sessions.

At the beginning, I was still dubious about the success of using these sessions with this group of very young leaners, but now after just two sessions I can say that I am having the most successful and enjoyable experience with the Hands Up Project. Children sing with Elena, play memory games, describe pictures, draw and discuss different topics and more. They always tell me how much they wait for Mondays to enjoy English in the sessions. My students and I are very lucky to be members of the project and to experience this unique opportunity.