Level 1 Basic phonics and communication

Level 2 Building patterns and fluency

Level 3 Moving into stories and situations

Level 4 Developing personalization and a global perspective

Level 5 Immersion in English with all four skills

The original Finding Out was developed and refined at David English House with a lot of feedback from teachers over a ten-year period before it was published. The course was developed in the classroom in response to the needs of the students. While it was being developed there was no plan to try and get it published.

David Paul's original aim was to build a course from first principles that was firmly rooted in constructivist psychology, had a core multi-skill syllabus, was appropriate for children who did not use English much at home or when playing with friends, and who did not use the roman alphabet in their native language. After a lot of experimentation, he came to the conclusion that the only approach to reading and writing that could succeed in this kind of situation was a phonic approach. The core phonic syllabus was supplemented with oral communication activities and led in to a sequence of patterns that the children could hear, say, read and write.

When the course was published it quickly became a bestseller and remained so for fifteen years before a new edition was published. During this fifteen-year period, many schools and teachers suggested additions and improvements,
and New Finding Out was the culmination of all this feedback.

The approach to reading and writing in Finding Out is very systematic. The children first learn the individual letters, then practice joining them together, then add double-letter sounds and blends step by step. In parallel with this they learn to read and write a sequence of sentence patterns that gradually become more difficult. These sentences lead into dialogues and paragraphs, and the paragraphs lead into stories.

At every stage the children discover (find out) the new skills for themselves inside games, songs and stories. They play and experiment, making mistakes and learning from these mistakes. The rules are not explained or 'taught', but they are always there for the children to discover in easy stages. The children then use these rules to make predictions about the words and patterns they encounter at the next stage.

All the stories from level 3 to 5 are about children in different countries around the world. The children read the stories, make speeches about themselves using similar patterns and then write stories about themselves, their family or friends using the same patterns. At every stage the focus is on the balancing listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Learning to communicate is not about memorizing conversation patterns or dialogues. All four skills have a role to play in helping children deeply internalize language targets and so use them flexibly and communicatively. Good communicators also need to be willing to make guesses and make mistakes, be autonomous, 'own' the language they know, have the confidence to speak out in front of others, and sense and feel language not just understand it rationally.

Finding Out aims to develop all these skills. Language targets are introduced and practiced through puzzles and games that encourage guessing, and children are encouraged to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes. The child-centered approach encouraged in the course builds up autonomy and ownership. The children play a lot of games where they stand up and speak in front of others, and they have many chances to make speeches. The game-based inductive approach also encourages emotional involvement not just academic understanding.

Games play a fundamental role in the lives of children. They tend to see life in terms of games and anything else is often regarded as something they "have to" rather than want to do. If the children see English as something that "has to" be done and when the class is over they are relieved to be able to run and play with their friends, it is likely that little real learning will take place in the classroom.

However, playing games and singing songs just because they are fun can easily have a negative effect on the children's approach to learning. It is important that learning English and having fun are regarded as one and the same thing by the children, so games and songs need to be used for practicing language targets. If they are used for their own sake, there is a danger that activities for practicing the target language will seem boring by comparison.

Finding Out is full of games and songs and they are used for learning new language targets as well as practicing them.Language targets are not "taught" first and then practiced in games and songs. It is the games and songs that motivate the children to want to learn the language targets.

Stage 1: She notices something new
In Finding Out, her attention is drawn to a new English word or pattern presented in a puzzle that is fun and attractive. It could be a card in a game, a mime, a word in a song, natural interaction in a dialog, and so on.

Stage 2: She wonders what it is
She is given space to wonder, feel curious and make guesses so as to generate and stimulate genuine curiosity.

Stage 3: She tries to find out what it is
In Finding Out, she generally learns English questions to express her curiosity and then uses these questions to discover new words and patterns. On other occasions, she tries to guess the meaning of an English question. In either case, the aim is to build up her motivation and give her the tools to explore the world of English with a sense of adventure.

Stage 4: She finds out
In the early stages of learning, she must "find out." She will make many mistakes while she is experimenting with new language, and this is very healthy, but she must be able to learn new language before she loses interest in it. It is important to avoid confusing or frustrating her by arousing her interest in language that is too difficult for her to learn.

Stage 5: She plays with the language
She practices and practices, trying out new words and patterns and learning from her mistakes. When she does make mistakes, the teacher gives hints and encourages her to "find out" what her mistakes are. When practicing, she does not repeat language mechanically. Instead, she plays games where she can repeat the language many times and still feel emotionally involved with it.

Stage 6: She relates the language to her previous experience
As she practices, she links the new language with the English she already knows. She senses patterns and uses these patterns to help her make guesses about the next new language she encounters. She needs to feel that the English she learns fits together and is not just a mass of loosely related language points. This can best be achieved through games where she is challenged to practice and connect both new and old language targets.

Old Finding Out Teacher's Book in Japanese - free download