| What countries are your students from? | | | | motivation is the dollar. |
| What language(s) do they speak? | | | | - You may have students who are required by their |
| What are their educational backgrounds? | | | | employer to attend classes but who do not really |
| Who are your students? | | | | care about English at all. Their motivation may be |
| Why are they taking your class? What are their | | | | peripheral. |
| immediate goals? | | | | - You may have the student who has been pressed |
| The first step to the successful teaching of the adult | | | | by family or friends to learn English. |
| ESL student is to find out some basic information | | | | - Others may have made a decision to learn English |
| about your students and their motives for attending | | | | for self-improvement. This may be true of moms |
| your class. Teaching ESL to adults is not like teaching | | | | who attend classes because their children are in |
| ESL to children. | | | | school and they want to be able to talk to their |
| What are the differences? | | | | children's teacher. |
| One major difference is life experience. Adult | | | | How can you motivate your students? |
| students come to the classroom with diverse | | | | You will need to find out what your students really |
| cultures, knowledge, and frequently an extensive | | | | want. Regardless of the reasons why adult students |
| vocabulary because they have more life experiences | | | | enter our classrooms, genuine concern, an enjoyable |
| than children. Thus, adults should be assisted in | | | | class, and a sense of progress will increase motivation |
| drawing upon their backgrounds as they practice | | | | once students are there. |
| literacy skills. Building on what already is known makes | | | | Different theories abound regarding how people learn |
| the tasks of reading, writing, listening, and speaking | | | | best and how to teach. Whether you're a seasoned |
| more consequential and less threatening than a | | | | teacher or a novice, as you work with your students |
| curriculum that does not take into account what the | | | | and exercise your skills, you will discover what works |
| student brings to the learning setting. | | | | and what does not. You will need to be flexible |
| We've talked about life experience. Can you think of | | | | enough to continually modify your original plans to |
| another difference between teaching a child and an | | | | meet new student needs and interests. In other |
| adult? | | | | words, always have a back-up plan! Have that extra |
| Motivation. Adult students are goal oriented and highly | | | | game, exercise or activity available. Don't worry. You'll |
| motivated. They attend class of their own free will | | | | find the methods that work best for your students. |
| and at some personal and financial sacrifice. Absences | | | | Would you want a class composed of reading |
| are due to family and economic obligation rather than | | | | sounds, words out of context or work on isolated |
| a lack of motivation. | | | | grammar problems without immediate application? |
| Do children have immediate life goals that need to be | | | | Yes? No? |
| satisfied? | | | | Would you like to receive worksheets and other |
| Adult students usually have very specific and | | | | assignments which drill meaningless language elements |
| immediate goals. Many are not looking to some | | | | and language skills in isolated contexts? Yes? No? |
| long-range academic achievement. They need English | | | | It is imperative that we maintain student interest in |
| today, to get a job tomorrow. | | | | our classes. So, if you require that students read |
| Children are naturally curious, but...Do they see | | | | sounds (the alphabet), words out of context |
| themselves as students? Does the adult ESL | | | | (vocabulary lists), or drill grammar in isolated situations |
| student? | | | | (He is/are single), then your students may not return |
| Many adult ESL students have a poor self-concept. | | | | to your classroom. Adults need immediate application |
| They do not see themselves as students. The | | | | for what they are taught. Our students come to us |
| undereducated adult is especially convinced they | | | | with a wealth of experiences and represent a wide |
| cannot or they do not know how to learn. | | | | range of educational backgrounds. They should have |
| Two questions for you, Teacher: | | | | input into how teaching and learning progresses. |
| 1. What is your role in the community? Are you... | | | | Have you ever taught (or have been a student) in a |
| Parent | | | | classroom that was too hot? Too cold? How did you |
| Relative | | | | feel? Yes? No? |
| Friend | | | | Put yourself in your student's place. If you are |
| Employee | | | | uncomfortable in a classroom that is too hot or too |
| Customer | | | | cold, then you know that student will be also. Adults |
| Patient | | | | learn best when they feel comfortable in the learning |
| Client | | | | environment. |
| Parishioner | | | | How can we make students comfortable? |
| 2. Do you have many and varied life responsibilities | | | | Listen to your students. Interest in the class will |
| and roles? | | | | remain high if students actively participate. Adults |
| If you have countless roles and varied responsibilities, | | | | learn best when what they are learning can be |
| then you can relate to your adult student. You can | | | | applied to the world outside the classroom. |
| understand that as parents, workers, friends, and | | | | Have you ever sat inactively and listened someone |
| relatives we have many roles that must be fulfilled. | | | | explain something? Do you remember what it was? |
| We have busy schedules. When we take a class, our | | | | (Think about the question for a moment.) Yes? No? |
| schedules would naturally prevent us from going to | | | | How did you feel? |
| class at certain hours due to time or distance. | | | | Now, think back to a time when you were actively |
| Outside the classroom, our students have many | | | | engaged in learning something as you were taught. |
| diverse interests. Therefore it is important to bring | | | | How did you feel then? Complete the following |
| these interests to class in the form of relevant class | | | | statement in your own words. There is no right or |
| activities. The experiences of our students can serve | | | | wrong answer. I felt... |
| as fodder for our lessons and make our activities | | | | It's a good idea to use techniques and materials that |
| more applicable. | | | | have been chosen on the basis of the student's skill |
| Who is the typical adult ESL student? | | | | level, needs, goals, and learning style. For these |
| You will be disappointed to learn that there is no | | | | reasons, we need to use a variety of learning |
| typical adult ESL student. Every student in a class will | | | | activities in our teaching - what might work for some, |
| have a wide range of backgrounds, skills, and | | | | might not work for others. Each student is an |
| interests. Listed below are some of the more | | | | individual. If we do not meet a student's needs, they |
| important differences: | | | | will not return to class. Our students are more |
| Literacy or the Low Level Student - one of the most | | | | directed and involved in instruction when what they |
| important differences among adult students is | | | | are learning is useful and meaningful and can be |
| whether they can read or write in their native | | | | applied to their everyday lives. |
| language. If students are literate in their native | | | | It has been said that people retain |
| language, learning another language is much easier | | | | - 10% of what they read |
| than for the non-literate or low-literate student. Why? | | | | - 20% of what they hear |
| Because (most) literate students already understand | | | | - 30% of what they see |
| the sound/symbol correlation, have a grammar base | | | | - 50% of what they see and hear |
| and many other skills that are essential to learning a | | | | - 90% of what they say and do |
| language. | | | | Given the above, what implications do these |
| Formal Education - you will more than likely have | | | | statements have for teaching adult students? |
| students whose educational backgrounds range from | | | | Actively involve your students in the learning process. |
| those with advanced degrees from a foreign | | | | Find out your students' needs and wants, and plan |
| university to students with little or no formal | | | | your lessons accordingly. Don't ignore the "teachable |
| education. One important thing for you to remember | | | | moment" when for example, a student raises a |
| is not to underestimate the intelligence of your | | | | question/concern outside what you're currently |
| students. Most are smarter than their ability to speak | | | | teaching or there is a breaking news topic. Make sure |
| English would seem to indicate. | | | | activities directly relate to students' lives. Adult |
| You may also experience a wide range of ages that | | | | students want more than to sit and watch as you |
| will require you to use diverse activities in the | | | | wax philosophically on, for example, count versus |
| classroom in order to reach all of your students. In | | | | non-count nouns. |
| this case, you can be most effective by grouping | | | | Keep in mind that the adult student has a plethora of |
| students by level and doing many activities in small | | | | lifetime experiences that s/he brings to the ESL |
| groups. | | | | classroom. As our students learn from us, we learn |
| What has motivated your students to come to | | | | from them. It's a collaborative learning process. S/he |
| class? | | | | may not be able to understand, speak, read or write |
| - You may have students who are very eager to | | | | English so use these experiences as a basis for your |
| learn English so they can advance in their jobs. Their | | | | lessons. |