Teaching English (ESL/EFL) to adult learners are completely different from teaching young learners, as all experienced teachers will know. The reason is simple: adult learners have very clear goals about what they want to learn and how they are going to achieve that; also, they have very limited time and do not accept "wasting" their most precious and scare resources playing around with the language for no particular purpose at all.
Therefore, to teach English to adults successfully one needs to follow methods and techniques that are fit for adults. Fortunately there are a lot of resources available on the web for you to make use of. Below are some tips that I found useful and want to share with you all. Please read below.
Tips for Teaching ESL to Adults
Education, employment,
recreation, and leisure have all gone global. People of different
nationalities, in an attempt to seek greener pastures, now seek
employment overseas. Even students do the same as
well. Students
who can afford to be enrolled in a prestigious school often leave
their home countries to study, as many believe that this would
present greater opportunities for them in the future. Also, many
people nowadays resort to overseas travels to be able to relax and
have a good time. As a whole, these situations indicate that, in
the
past few decades, globalization has grown significantly. As a
result,
many people seek the help of English instructors to be able speak
and
understand English �?? the Universal Language. In addition, the
majority of these non-native English speakers are adults, which is
why more and more English instructors adapt to teaching methods
that
are suitable for adults who come from various countries and
cultures.
ESL instructors for adults must be aware of the fact
that the learning patterns of an adult slightly differ from that
of a
child. An average adult, according to research, is expected to be
self-directed and must have a set of goals ready for learning a
particular subject. These two factors alone imply that the adult
ESL
teaching methods are slightly different from those methods that
are
intended for young learners. In addition, the learning environment
and the lessons should be formal and systematized. Since the
demand
for ESL lessons should be more focused on adult learning, here are
some of the things to keep in mind while teaching:
Try to know
each student�??s needs and preferences first, and do your best to
motivate the student by giving him/her challenging activities that
he/she is capable of doing. An instructor should be able to
determine
the appropriate level of difficulty that a particular student can
handle.
Be creative when presenting lessons. Although adult ESL
lessons should be formal and systematized, an instructor could
still
use videos, music and other forms of media related to the
lessons.
Keep in mind that instructors should be able
to encourage good performance in class, as well as positive
behavior
so that the students could easily recall what they have learned in
the previous lessons. This also means that, somehow, it is the
instructor�??s responsibility to help students by providing
activities and exercises that would encourage them to think and
recall what they have learned from class before.
The lessons that
the students learned should eventually be incorporated in a new
setting other than the classroom. It is crucial for the instructor
to
keep this in mind as well.
There are various barriers involved in
learning ESL. Probably the most difficult barrier to handle is the
language barrier, which is why many instructors still struggle to
correct the pronunciation of some of the English words, the
grammatical errors, etc. However, it is still the responsibility
of
the instructor to make an effort to break these barriers and
create a
good learning environment. By and large, still, being an ESL
teacher
is not easy because there are so many things to consider and there
are just so many things that he/she needs to learn.
For more ESL
teaching methods, tips and tricks, kindly refer to the links shown
below:
Internet
TESL
Journal: Tips for Teaching ESL Beginners and Pre-Literate Adults
�?? Provides helpful and straightforward ideas on how to teach adult
students who are also beginners in the English language.
Center
for
Adult English Language Acquisition: Teaching Low-Level Adult ESL
Learners �?? Defines the several types of low level English
learners and discusses the various learning necessities of each
type.
It also provides suggestions and some helpful techniques on how to
deal with such students.
Cambridge
University
Press: Grammar Matters �?? Teaching Grammar in Adult ESL
Programs [PDF] �?? Teaching Grammar in Adult ESL Programs
[PDF] �??
Discusses various teaching methods, and their respective
advantages
and limitations. It also covers how to choose which kind of
English
grammar an instructor should teach in class.
Hopelink
Adult
Education Tutor Support: Teaching ESL FAQs �?? Provides
answers to most of the questions asked by ESL instructors. It also
provides some helpful tips on how to deal with beginners.
Lost in
Translation: Reaching Out to English-Language Learners �??
Discusses why there is an influx of non-native English learners in
English-speaking countries, and provides some information on how
to
teach them as an English instructor.
ESL/EFL
Teaching/Learning
Resources: Reading �?? A quick guide for any
English teacher.
Sounds of
English: Pronunciation Tips for Teachers �?? English
pronunciation is crucial in learning English, which is why this
would
be a good guide for English teachers whose students are studying
ESL.
Teach
English, Teach About the Environment �?? This provides
teaching
instructions not only about learning English, but also about how
to
conserve the environment.
Honolulu
Community
College: Principles of Adult Learning �?? Defines what
are adult learners in general. In addition, it provides tips on
how
to motivate adults to learn, and how to break the learning
barriers.
International
Center
New York: Conversation Tips �?? Various ESL conversation
topics are presented. In the latter part of the article, there are
some tips and tricks on how to make conversation exercises easier
for
everybody in the class.
English
Language
Development: English as a Second Language �?? General
tips on how to teach ESL. Although the tips are intended for young
learners, majority of these tips are very detailed and can be
utilized in teaching an adult ESL.
Tips
for
Teaching English as a Foreign Language �?? Provides an
overview on teaching English as a foreign language.
Brigham
Young
University Humanities: Adult Education ESL Teachers Guide [PDF]
�?? Provides very detailed explanations on how to be an ESL teacher
for adult learners. It also discusses the English language and
some
of its principles.
Teaching Guides and
Strategies �?? Details of various teaching strategies are
presented.
Division
of
Economic and Financial Studies Learning and Teaching Centre: How
to Lead Discussions �?? Learning Through Engagement [PDF] �??
Learning Through Engagement [PDF] - Tips on how to manage class
discussions and student interaction.
How to
Become a Good English Teacher to Non-Native Speakers of English
�??
Tackles on various learning styles, common instructor teaching
strategies, and various considerations when teaching ESL to
adults.
International
Teacher
Training Organization: What makes a good TEFL TESL TESOL
Teacher? �?? A short article on the general characteristics
that
a good English teacher should have.
Expanding
ESL,
Civics, and Citizenship Education in Your Community �?? This
government guide has many tips reguarding classroom setting,
ettiquette, and ideas about setting up a program without use of a
regular school area or classroom.
TESOL Tips
- Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) fun
tips
and teaching ideas.
Teaching
Large
Multilevel Classes �?? This is a guide for teaching ESL
classes to a group of people who may be at different stages in
their
English speaking levels.
5
Tips For Your First Day As a Successful TESOL Teacher �?? How to
Conduct Your First Class �?? How to Conduct Your First Class �??
A good read for first time TESOL teachers because the suggestions
are
very easy to understand.
500
Tips
for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages [PDF]
�?? Covers everything that a TESOL teacher should know before
conducting English lessons. Teaching fundamentals such as lesson
planning, addressing the learning necessities of the students,
language teaching methods and a whole lot more are discussed in
detail.
Techniques
for
Teaching Adults, and Structuring Your Classroom Presentation
[PDF] �?? Presents effective teaching methods that an
instructor
could opt for his/her classes.
Teaching
Pronunciation:
A Handbook for Teachers and Trainers �?? This is a
full guide about tips and tricks to teaching proper pronunciation
of
English words.
WVABE
Instructor
Handbook: Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in
West Virginia [PDF] �?? Discussion on the various factors that
affect language learning, on the most appropriate ESL materials to
use for a particular student�??s level, on cultural considerations
and
more.
