Nunan 1988:19 pointed out that one of the information that should be collected before designing a syllabus was participant. Here are
some informations collected from the needs analysis :
a. Young Learners
A young learner-who is heshe? This term covers a wide age range and this can be anybody from the age of three to the age of eighteen.
There is a big difference between what a –three-year-old child can do and what a child of fifteen can do. We should consider their
development too. Some children develop faster but others need more time. Teaching young learners requires the knowledge of knowing all
the development differences. Understanding these differences can help a teacher to develop methods and a system of work that will be used in
the process of teaching. Of course, it is not possible to say that every child of six will know this and that. But it is possible to pick out some
characteristics which a teacher should know and should be aware of. The writer has decided to focus on young learners-age group 4
years old. The writer has chosen this age group because the writer thinks that young learners are very special and unique. From her own
personal experience the writer has to admit that learners at this age are greatful when someone invests time in them. The results are seen quite
easy and of course teachers demand this kind of satisfaction. These children still want to learn something new. When they know it, they
are happy to present it and they feel more important.
It is generally known that Indonesia’s Education System allows children to start learning a foreign language in early age. In my
opinion, the sooner they start, the better for them. Their brain and memory are ready for learning and most of them can learn quite well.
There have been many disputes and discussions over this. The writer thinks these debates will be run over and over because nobody is able
to say the exact time for beginning to learn foreign languages. From my personal experience, the writer achieved quite good results with
Kindergarten children so she does not see any problems for older learners. The writer thinks if very young learners are able to achieve
good results, the older ones can do it too. Some psycholinguists say that one of the factors to be successful
in language learning is young age. There are some explanations for better learning at young age. First, the brain is more adaptable before
puberty than after, and that acquisition of languages is possible without selfconsciousness at an early age and also because young children have
more opportunities than adults. The children are learning all the time without having the worries and responsibility of adults Brumfit,
1994. The nature of children is that they like to play and have fun
than to study. Cameron stated that play is a need of every child and it is an important childhood activity that helps children master all
developmental needs 2001. Play is the work of childhood and is important for learning and development.
Pinter 2006:7 pointed out some characteristics about this age group: • They are happy when they can play
• They have to share their experiences, they love when people pay attention to them and their talking.
• They are able to talk about what they are doing. • They use imagination alot.
• They can think, argue, discuss and they are able to interact with both children and adults. They are able to concentrate for certain
time. • They understand situations and through situations-they use several
senses. • They are able to use language skills not even realizing them.
• Sometimes, they do not realize what fact is and what fiction is. • They want to learn and are happy when they learn something, then
they have to share it with somebody and they are proud that they learnt something. They can show off a little bit.
• Often they “teach” each other. • Very often they pretend they understand everything and they know
everything. There are some advantages that young learners have over older
ones. Young learners are sensitive to the sounds and rhythm of new
languages and they enjoy copying new sounds and patterns of intonations. In addition, younger learners are usually less unxious and
less inhibited than older learners.
b. Language and Cognitive Development
