How To Motivate Adult Learners

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching can be extremely satisfying and rewarding, but how we teach and the methodologies that we use should be adapted to teaching each specific learner or groups of learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Omar B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Let's begin with defining what is considered to be an adult and what is considered to be a young learner. According to regulatory standards, an adult is an individual over the age of 18. Young learners, on the other hand, can be categorized based on three bases; from the age of seven and under (very young learners), between the ages 8 to 12 and post-puberty, usually from ages 13...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas An ESL teacher will most likely teach a class with young learners and adults at some point in their careers. Teaching young learners and adults has its own set of challenges. Some of these challenges will be the learning experience that each possesses, the different ways of learning and how this affects the lesson, and the motivation of the student and how it affects behavior. Whether it is young learners for adults, the rewards can be satisfying. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Chris V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The learning experience will play a big role when teaching students. Given the age, young learners will have...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this short essay, I would like to share the differences in teaching YL and Adults. For effective learning, it is important for us, as teachers, to understand how these two groups go about learning. The critical point is the suitable design and delivery of the program. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eddy P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Malcolm Knowles differentiates between teaching adults (andragogy) and Young Learners/Children (Pedagogy). Malcolm Knowles based his theory on 5 assumptions of the way adults learn: He suggests including adults in both the planning and development of instruction. By giving them a voice...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences If you're a native language speaker, you've likely heard the phrase, “You can't teach an old dog new tricks”. There has been little evidence found to support this claim, but the belief persists. Many adult learners believe that it is too late for them to learn a new language. If you are teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language you may find yourself teaching a class of adult learners. Adult learners differ in many ways from young learners, and one such issue you may encounter is a doubt from the learners that they are capable of picking up a new language now that they are no longer children. Though the style of learning and the issues encountered will inevitably differ from those of young learners,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas For this task, I have selected learning modes: Young learners v.s. Adults. When teachers are instructing students, they should first think about how to instruct them using the best methodologies to make learning best or what factors or aspects of learning they should consider for their classes, such as student motivation, previous learning experience, language awareness, behavior problems that could arise in class and the students’ life experiences. All of the above factors can be divided by many different students, but it has been shown in this course that these facets are predominantly divided by young learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Heejeong K. Please note that this blog...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Learning is something essential in anyone's life, not only as a human being but as a species. As humans we start learning about everything in our environment the moment we come into this world and this experience of learning proceeds with us throughout our lives till the moment we leave this world. The more we learn the more knowledge we accumulate, which will help us, as individuals or societies, to improve our lives in every way possible as long as we use this knowledge that we have learned and apply it correctly in our daily lives. It is evident that learning happens through communication and interaction between an individual and his/her environment and the main tool for interaction and communication for humans is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the past, the emphasis on teaching a foreign language was, amongst other older techniques, Grammar-Translation, and is still used in some situation today. This method helped the student to learn ‘about’ the language instead of learning the language (ITTT Unit 3,3). Over time, and continuing today, more and more attention and research have been placed on the question of what makes a good language learner. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Cliff G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are considerable differences in age, gender, motivation, attitude, and culture. Different students assimilate differently. The environment...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences This post will focus on the differences English teacher face when they are working with a class of young learners compared to a class of adult learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rebecca M. First, it is necessary to define what we mean by adult learners and young learners in the TEFL environment. An adult learner is defined as any student over the age of eighteen who engages in English language tuition. A younger learner, therefore, is a student under the age of eighteen years old. There is a much greater variety within the young learner category due to the vast developmental changes that occur during this period. For example, a five- year- old is a very different type of learner...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas An instructor should adapt their instruction based on the student's needs and abilities, and should take into account the age of students as this is likely to affect factors such as student motivation, attention span, and openness to activities. An instructor should anticipate that young students may be less internally motivated than adult learners. Adult learners are likely to have longer attention spans than younger students, therefore the instructor should adjust lesson plans accordingly. Certain activities will be well received by very young students and poorly received by slightly older students or adult learners, this should be taken into account when planning. It is ultimately the instructor's...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences As we all know, motivation is a core aspect of teaching and learning a language. Lack of motivation is perhaps the biggest obstacle that we face as students and teachers. If a student lacks motivation, he/she will not pay attention in the class or will simply find it boring. At the same time if a teacher lacks motivation to teach he/she will be unable to attract students’ attention and give them all they need. Let us be honest and say that intelligent students are those, who always eagerly attend class and enjoy the process. Here we need a highly motivated teacher who is willing help them. In this article I divide students into several categories because different situations require different approaches. This post...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This TEFL course covered a huge variety of topics, and it was all useful information for English teachers broadly. It had a nice balance of actual how-to-tasks (i.e. how to make a lesson), as well as guidance and advice dependent on the situation (i.e. how to deal with a misbehaving student or how to establish rapport with a class). While there was new information throughout each chapter for me, the most useful, applicable information for me as a teacher was the differences between young learners and adults. This is mostly because I have taught ages preschool-late 60s (not necessarily English, I taught preschool in the USA and have taught private piano/harp lessons). I learned how to navigate the challenges when...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences How does teaching adults differ from teaching young learners? To most people, it should be rather obvious that teaching children is very different from teaching adults, due to adults being more mature and having more life experience than children. This article discusses the advantages of teaching adult students and what the implications on a teacher’s methodology are. Adult learners refers to anyone who is above the age of eighteen. Although it is not a perfect definition, we will nevertheless use eighteen as our cut-off age since it is the most common age threshold in many language schools when it comes to deciding whether a student should go to a children’s class (6-17 in many occasions) or an adult’s...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When approaching a new language, one must understand that this will be a challenging journey. Not an impossible one, but a learning process that, sooner or later, will require a great deal of motivation, passion, and commitment. As educators, I think that our first duty is not only to really outline this journey for our students, but also to bring to life their inner motivation. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Flavia-Ioana S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It is quite a well-known fact that while most of the students who decide to learn English, especially if we take into consideration adults, are self-motivated and they...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences People of all ages around the world wish to learn English, for varying reasons, and many begin this endeavor at different times in their lives. For teachers, it is important to understand that the approach to teaching English is not painted with a broad stroke across all ages of learners. To ensure that you reach your class in the most effective way possible it is vital to know what level your students are at and also what motivated them to learn English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ilse G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Beginners are not all equal. There are varying sub-levels to the beginning level. As a teacher, it is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When teaching English as a second language many considerations go beyond simply presenting language and relying on your expertise as a native speaker. Differences in age and life experience will have profound effects on how students learn and retain information. In this essay, I will look at the differences in young and adult learners in how they learn and important considerations for each group. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Connor M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For younger students, I'm considering the range of elementary to grade school. These students are put in the classroom by parents, and may not be as...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences ESL teachers must acknowledge that it is not equal teaching English Lessons to children, teenagers, and adults, there are some wide differences between the practices used in each case, classroom, population, levels, and country where English is taught, on this paper we will check how an ESL lesson may be affected by these variables, and how we could overlap them on the practices used in teenagers and adults English lessons. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Javier V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. To analyze all the practices and methods used in an ESL lesson differing from its population, we must clarify the first two...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Most Adult ESL students are highly motivated students – at first. They are eager to join a formal class setting to improve their English skills for themselves and for their future (career). They usually voluntarily join the class (unless instructed by a manager or supervisor). So in fact, the motivation is internal and comes naturally from within themselves. This is great for the teacher and usually assures an energetic start to the class term. However, as the term continues, the motivation naturally wines down. The excitement fades and the students have more excuses for not coming to class or when in class, have a low participation rate. So, as an ESL Instructor, why is it important to keep your students...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As an international study major in college, I learned that the United Nations, a non-governmental organization, officially recognizes six world languages: every meeting, written document, and speech are translated into these languages. English is one of them. It is spoken and written by billions of people around the world. Having traveled in eight countries myself, I was surprised to have seen how commonplace it was for countries to translate directional signs in both the official language and in English. A student’s mastery of the English language, or in any language, can be a difficult journey to venture. Therefore, this essay will explore what factors may motivate a student to learn English. This post was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Learning English has become a relevant goal for both adults and children these days. Before starting a career as a teacher one should decide who he or she wants to teach. What is the main difference between adults and children when it comes to studying? Let’s discuss the most important points. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anastasiia Al. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Children learn English because they have to do it. We need to keep in mind that children usually learn the language when they are forced by their parents. Of course, some children enjoy English, but mostly it was not their choice to study. In any case,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Every student requires something different to learn English successfully. Aside from one-on-one lessons, teachers usually will not have the time to dedicate extensive attention to each student, though. Not every English-learner will be given a unique lesson catered to their needs. However, teachers can develop plans that fit best for general types of students based on their profiles. Factors such as students' age, language level, and motivation for learning helps teachers identify a student profile and thus develop the best lessons to get them engaged. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jake E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT....  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Language is everywhere. It plays an essential role in our life. We use it as a tool to communicate with the people around us. But do we understand how the brain processes the language and the many factors that influence language learning? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Juri N. According to common theory, L1 (first language) acquisition happens in a natural setting and the linguistic knowledge is developed subconsciously. In contrast, L2 (second language) learning is generally more formal because the learning process happens in school with limited hours of instruction. Also, in L2 learning, the knowledge is developed consciously. Also read: Top 5 Tips: How to Learn a New Language When...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nowadays students and people, in general, are surrounded by social media, they are immersed in the internet, have international job opportunities, multiple career choices, and the possibility to easily travel to many English language speaking countries all this means that people are dealing with the English language more and more. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Elisabeth A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. English is a tool of communication in so many different situations, so most students in an EFL environment will already be stimulated to learn. Our job as a teacher is to maintain, nurture and motivate their interest to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vemund V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Also Read: "7 Great Games for Your ESL Conversation Class" Also Read: How do I choose a TEFL course? Children’s natural ability to acquire new languages is strong before adolescence. Pronunciation comes easier, and vocabulary sticks during this time. A classroom of young students maybe a handful, but in terms of English instruction, everyone will be more or less on the same page. Adults, on the other hand, will have more varying levels and difficulties. The natural ability to pick up a second language drops, we must deliberately and consciously...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Most Adult ESL students are highly motivated students – at first. They are eager to join a formal class setting to improve their English skills for themselves and for their future (career). They usually voluntarily join the class (unless instructed by a manager or supervisor). So in fact, the motivation is internal and comes naturally from within themselves. This is great for the teacher and usually assures an energetic start to the class term. However, as the term continues, the motivation naturally wines down. The excitement fades and the students have more excuses for not coming to class or when in class, have a low participation rate. So, as an ESL Instructor, why is it important to keep your students...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Many variances exist between teaching English as a Foreign Language to Young Learners vs adults. Despite these dissimilarities, the fundamentals will remain the same. Teachers should motivate their students to communicate in the target language, and utilize students’ previous knowledge while maintaining an engaging atmosphere in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Marlon W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The classroom is not the place for superficial work. Any teacher who is gratified with superficial knowledge will not attain a high degree of proficiency. The teacher should carefully study the disposition...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching is an opportunity that all of us can learn and benefit from. Teaching expands across all nationalities, genders, religious, racial and age groups. Education among different age groups has is similarities and differences that have evolved throughout civilization. Throughout my time teaching, there are several pros versus cons when it comes to teaching children and adults. Both are an absolute joy to teach in my opinion, however, some strategies must be implemented that both can benefit from. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vivian M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Some of the similarities that teaching children versus...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Early in the course, we learn that about key characteristics of good teachers and good learners. A good teacher will have the ability to motivate their students while a good learner will be motivated to learn the English language and be engaged with the coursework. Naturally, adult learners have chosen to learn the language based on their interests while young learners are more likely to be placed in your course from parents or external pressures. The motivated student has a greater chance of success than a student without motivation and so identifying methods to keep these younger learners engaged and ready to learn is of great benefit to you as a teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Generally, anything planned well in advance comes out much better and well organized as compared to something that is just done anyhow in any manner without any planning. As a teacher, it is important to know what you want to teach, why you want to teach and most importantly how you intend to teach. All these questions can only be answered when Lesson planning is done. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lucia F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In trying to answer the questions raised above it is clear that the teacher will know what he/she wants to teach. There is needed to know what you to achieve by teaching the chosen topic...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Each of us has our own story to tell especially with the different experiences that we have with the different people, classes, and countries we have been to teach. In this blog post, I am discussing some of the topics related to my personal teaching experience, including teaching classes containing a wide variety of ages. It will also touch on teaching styles, roles of the teacher in the classroom and how I motivate students to make the learning more fun and engaging. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Arlene T. Teaching classes of a wide variety of ages is quite challenging and exciting at the same time. Challenging in a way that I have to be more creative in executing my lessons so that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games are great tools to motivate students and encourage them to learn things informally. However, ESL classroom games must have a purpose and support the learning process and not distract from it. In this blog post, our ITTT TEFL expert shares seven steps to gamify your ESL classroom effectively. Before starting a game with your students, ask yourself what you want your students to achieve by the end of the game. Do you want them to learn a linguistic point or some particular behavior pattern? If you know your students' needs, then it's easier to choose an appropriate activity that will be purposeful to the learners. Also Read: Playing...  [Read more]