Teach English in Miganqiao Zhen - Baoji Shi

The process of language acquisition is a complicated matter. It can be affected by many different factors such as students’ learning style, motivation, the age of students, and the teacher’s teaching style. In this article, we will focus on the differences between teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to young learners versus adult learners. Young learners and adults acquire languages differently. There are several important differences between how and why children and adults learn. Keep these differences in mind to help our students of any age group learn more effectively. We are born with the ability to acquire any language. This is reflected in the fact that it is easier for children of a young age to learn a new language than it is for adults. The research done by Chomsky believes that children have an innate knowledge of the structure of language. This ability to acquire language quickly must be taken advantage of prior to puberty because it becomes more difficult for children to learn proper pronunciation after puberty. Several studies have shown that young learners are able to pick up another language quickly without being taught any rules or grammar, but adults, on the other hand, need the structure of rules and grammars when learning a new language. Adult learners tend to be highly motivated and more self-directed compare with the younger learners. Most adults are in the classroom because they want to be. Adult learners pursue higher education with immediate application to their daily lives. For this reason, adults are more motivated in learning a new language and likely to pursue a higher degree of education that will enhance their career right away. On the other hand, children have short attention spans and tend to lack motivation in learning new languages. It is often more of a challenge to EFL teachers to keep the attention of young learners and encourage them to stay motivated. Adults usually have a wealth of life experiences. Sharing experiences with one another enable adult learners to gain confidence and allow them to feel more engaged throughout the lessons. Adult learners tend to benefit from learning with real-life situations and find authentic materials more useful. Whereas songs, fun activities, and non-authentic materials are better suited for young learners to acquire a new language. Learning styles can also be very different between young learners and adult learners. There are three different general learning styles: visual, auditory or language learners, and kinesthetic. Visual learners, as the name suggests, learn through watching. This is believed to be the most dominant learning style. It is important to note that telling visual learners how to do something will not be as effective as showing them how to do it. Most children are visual learners. Auditory or language learners learn through listening. You can best communicate with them by speaking clearly. Finally, kinesthetic learners learn through physically doing something. They like to be actively involved in the learning process. Most people use all three styles when learning, however, one of the three learning styles is usually preferred. A learning style assessment at the beginning of the class can be very beneficial to the teachers. As ESL teachers, we should always respect that our students will have different learning styles and tailor our lessons to different styles. Different age groups process language learning differently. No matter which group we teach, it is important for ESL teachers to understand the differences between young learners and adult learners. Get rid of the mindset of “one size fits all” and cater the lesson plans to the needs and goals of our students to make language learning more effective.