TEFL Medford Minnesota

Learning Modes: Young Learner vs. Adults. Teaching young learners and adults each come with their own set of challenges and rewards. While young learners find learning new material less of a challenge and can often absorb new knowledge quickly and easily, they can also be less motivated and have a smaller attention span than adults. Differences in the way the mind works, previous learning experiences and the requirements of learning are vastly different depending on age. As a result, managing and conducting a classroom of adults will be vastly different than managing a class of young learners. Teaching adults can be a very inspiring experience, however it can come with some challenges. Adult learners are often very motivated because of the choice to be there learning english. Motivation is essential in successful learning. It makes the teaching and learning experience much more enjoyable. Motivation is also very inspiring and creates a positive learning environment in the classroom. However, adult learners can sometimes be slightly nervous because of the new learning experience. Some adult learners have previous learning and classroom experiences, while others have had no classroom experience. Each situation can potentially cause issues in the classroom. Preconceived ideas of learning experiences can cause adult students "to have a fixed view of how teaching should be carried out," (Unit 1, pg 6). This can be difficult for a teacher to address and overcome. Students with no classroom experience would greatly benefit from positive encouragement to make them feel more comfortable, but also may need to be taught appropriate classroom behavior. While an adult classroom will often be motivated and positive, adult learners can be challenging to teach because of the way they learn. Adult learners will try to compare or match the new language to their native language which can make learning more difficult, while young learners will be more able to learn the same way they learned their native language. According to the British Council, BBC, "An adult learner will tend to concentrate more on the grammatical structure of the sentence, trying to make it correct and coherent from the grammatical point of view. Despite the acquired grammar patterns, he will try to add his own ones, which very often might result in an appropriate combination of such patterns from his native language," (http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/adrisel/young-learners-vs-adult-learners-general-peculiarities). Adult learners also have a different approach to the assimilating and memorizing process. For example, According the BBC, "a young learner is prone to better assimilate such synonymous adjectives as fat/plump/stout etc.; as while memorizing each of them he will stick to his “expressive” pictures, drawn in his mind and representing clearly each of the above mentioned adjectives. While an adult learner will refer all these adjectives to one general meaningful notion-“fat”, without paying too much attention to the subtle connotation differences, underlying them," (http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk). These tendencies can be challenging issues for both the teacher and student. A teacher of adults needs to be aware of how an adult learns and the challenges that come with it to be better able to create and conduct a successful class. Teaching young learners also comes with challenges, but can be an incredibly rewarding experience. young learners are very curious, have more energy and posses a shorter attention span than adults. So, a teacher needs to plan shorter activities, which are fun and exciting, and they need to change often to keep them engaged. In addition, this shorter attention span can lead to behavior problems, so a teacher needs to have good behavior and classroom management skills. young learners respond positively to art and games so a teacher can use drawing, coloring and simple games to keep them engaged. A colorful classroom also helps. Trusting relationships and a good rapport is essential for a successful teacher of young learners. So, young learners need positive encouragement and attention to support the development of their confidence as well as that relationship. young learners often seek teacher approval so a teacher needs to notice them as an individual. A class of young learners should be fun and engaging and the teacher needs to be encouraging, patient and calm. There are many differences in the teaching and learning experience for children and adults, some challenging and some incredibly inspiring and rewarding. Knowing these differences and how to address them will help a teacher be successful regardless of age.