So as teachers, how should we treat our adult learners? Thanks for subscribing! This question is a complex one, but it’s worth asking, and there are some easy ways you can adapt your teaching methods to help your adult students acquire English faster. Visual learners will benefit greatly with the inclusion of storyboards, flashcards and video. Yes! Their confidence will grow in speaking on this topic. Most people don't learn English because they have a love of languages. Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience. 4. At the same time, it’s possible to unintentionally shortchange adults in areas where you would offer a greater level of guidance, attention and interaction to younger learners. Remember, as language teachers we are not lecturers in linguistics (unless of course you are!). FluentU brings language learning to life with real-world videos. You can tailor the time allotment according to what they can handle. There are three class options: 20 and 40 min private lessons, and 45 min group classes. This is great speaking and listening practice for everyone, and you might learn something yourself! Theoretically it should work out thus: the teacher does most of the talking in the beginning, but this quickly ceases to the point of where the students are speaking at the end. Educated to degree level (a bachelor’s degree in any field is required), Computer literate – you’ll need to be comfortable teaching solely online, Previous teaching experience is a bonus, but not necessary. Want to teach English online from the comfort of your home? Fire up your students’ neurons with interactive activities that engage them physically as well as mentally. Without further ado, here are the 5 Tips on Teaching English to Adults in Japan. Links verified 9/18/2020 108 Vocabulary words -Match the English … These ideas should help to relieve any boredom, spike motivation and stimulate progress… 1. A simple chat at the end of the week can often be enough. For example, use sandpaper to teach the word “rough” and pipe cleaners when teaching the verb “bend.”. As educators, we must be sure to treat our adult learners as respected peers and avoid condescension at all costs. Keep your lessons moving at a good pace. Sometimes it's too much to take in so here is what I have found useful. Updated March 08, 2019 The following grammar points will provide students with a solid base to build their English speaking and comprehension skills. There are three class options: 20 and 40 min private lessons, and 45 min group classes. We are teaching a living, breathing language that’s one of the highest attainments of humanity, so keep it a human experience! From social engagements to paying bills. January 20, 2021 a Special Day for USA: Why 20 January 2021 is a rare and special day in the USA. An adult variation on the ubiquitous “Show and Tell” can be a great motivator. One thing quickly becomes clear: Speaking English as a mother tongue does not an ESL or EFL (English as second language / English as a foreign language) teacher make! You may want to have them work of groups of two or three to collaborate on this. Some of your adult learners will regularly undertake performance management reviews at their own jobs, so it’s important to ensure feedback plays an important role in your teaching cycle, too. As is the case with any adult audience, lack of enthusiasm can be an issue. Our adult students can be easily put off at the slightest hint of being patronized, especially if they cannot express this frustration in the new language they are studying. Then have them read the captions aloud to the cla… For example, rather than writing an essay, can they be tasked to order their dinner in English? This site was created to provide assistance to Spanish speaking students just learning to speak English. All Rights Reserved. You may wish to conduct student surveys, or, more informally, to speak to students about their progress. Teaching English online to adults is the perfect opportunity if you’d like to connect with students from around the world while working from home. Get to know your students’ personal idiosyncrasies. Build a rapport with shy students, so they feel more comfortable in the learning environment. The prospect of learning a new language as an adult can seem like "teaching an old dog new tricks" — that is, too difficult to be advisable. Older learners may struggle with the idiosyncratic sounds of the target language. Teach interactional language by using an awareness-raising approach. Do you want to teach English while traveling the world? I get a lot of teachers asking: Do you really teach Genki English to adults the same as kids?. It will offer valuable insights into the efficacy of the methodologies you have been employing and allow you to adapt your approach as needed, while also showing your students that you care about your performance. Run more often in non-English speaking countries, these classes cater to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students, who have little contact with English in their day to day life. For example, with monolingual classes by listening to a recorded L1conversation before a similar L2 recording. Can you find their hidden lights and incorporate their shining beauty into your classroom interactions? through this highly rated volunteer program. Teach adults in Zanzibar (or kids or teenagers!) Consider this when assigning homework. There are videos of different conversations at work and interactive exercises that practise the speaking skills you need to get ahead at work and communicate in English. It may sound a little silly, but speaking English is a … While Prashnig’s work primarily focuses on school children, there is great benefit in incorporating these ideas into the teaching of adults, and we should never forget that adults deserve the same consideration as children when it comes to their individual personalities and learning needs. There are two captains, one for each team. Many attain a proficiency indistinguishable from a native speaker. Show, don’t tell. New on EnglishClub. From family commitments to pressing work deadlines. Making pronunciation a specific focus of your lessons can go a long way toward conquering these difficulties. The ESL, or English as a second language, courses are filled with activities that give these students opportunities to express themselves in English and improve their speaking skills. Do this after every lesson a few times in a row. Surely this is reason enough to persevere despite the obstacles! Ask your students straightforward questions like: “What did you enjoy/not enjoy this week?”, “What activity did you learn the most/least from?”. Making enthusiastic attempts to speak to a student in a smattering of her own language can go a long way toward building that rapport. This also stands true for our grown-up knowledge gatherers. As an online teacher for adult classes, you’ll be responsible for delivering engaging English lessons to students around the world. Although some activities may be used for all ages including adults, they have to be adjusted to the backgrounds, abilities and interests of the participants. And the answer is …. Learning a foreign language becomes fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talks. Here, we provide 6 unique ways to teach English – more inspiration for creative lessons that target the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. As an online teacher for adult classes, you’ll be responsible for delivering engaging English lessons to students around the world. Most adults are learning English for a purpose, whether it be to pass an exam, for business, their career or to go on holiday. Most of the answers that you get from the students aren’t something that you can find online or in a book somewhere. On the contrary, researchers have found a strong correlation between bilingualism and the delaying of the onset of Alzheimer’s. To make sure that they are engaged in listening, it is best to give students something to do or some way of responding. Unfortunately, as we age, our brain plasticity (or the ability to form new neural pathways), does seem to decline. It will allow you to assess the success, or otherwise, of your own teaching. Grown-ups like that! All rights reserved. For those of us who teach both children and adults, it’s important to get the tone right for each group—there can be stark differences. Teaching English to adults has a few differences from teaching teens or children. This means there’s a strong possibility that there will be several reluctant learners you are charged with instructing. Enough to persevere despite the obstacles simple chat at the end of the learner that. If you teach university students or adults around the world also help you out if you liked this post something... ( TV shows, music videos, news and inspiring talks work and hold you accountable ’ s when... Trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or otherwise, of your workload relative ease reasons, this will... 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