Upon the Plausibility of Teaching English to Toddlers and the Need of Global Skills Development in Foreign Language Teaching Programs

Abstract

The article explores the topic of ELT to toddlers and possibilities to develop language skills among the youngest cohort in Banská Bystrica region, Slovakia, which has got a long tradition of being a training hub for future language teachers, located at the Matej Bel University. The primary goal is to explore the potential of foreign language classes to become an experimental laboratory for global skills´ development through the medium of trainee teachers facilitating their learners with early contact with other languages(s) through the medium of being exposed to linguistic and cultural diversity. Following a set of observations, self-reflections and semi-structured interviews, we have outlined a sample of activities which are deemed beneficial to toddler´s personal development. The inspiration comes from our own teaching experience in selected community centre located in Banská Bystrica region. Given the fact that globalization took hold of our lives on a global scale, we have tried to make a list of recommendations suited not only to future English language teachers but also to other foreign languages´ future teachers within the Faculty of Arts. It is our overall aim in the Department of English and American Studies to train candidates for teaching jobs in global skills including critical thinking, creativity, cooperation, communication, digital skills, etc. so that they can disseminate them further among their pupils at pre-primary, primary and secondary level. In the individual chapters we deal with the most significant reproductive and productive, all-inclusive activities practiced during our teaching English to a group of toddlers for more than a year (2019) with the ambition to serve as guidelines to university students and to point out to the fact that global skills enhancement among future teachers should play an inevitable role in any foreign language teaching program.