Teach English in Hengche Zhen - Huanggang Shi

Teachers play a significant role in advancing the education and character of their students, whether these learners are children or adults. However, teachers aren't identical, nor should they be, especially those who teach distinct classes and ages. In other words, it's challenging and almost impossible to compare a teacher educating young learners to one teaching adults. However, regardless of the ages of the students within a class, every teacher should be enthusiastic, within the varying limits based on a class. Therefore, a teacher educating adults would take a different approach to the lessons than one who teaches children. On one hand, instructing adults would mean leaning toward more realistic-based activities, whereas an individual teaching children would gravitate toward songs and props.  It’s no surprise that the approach for adults in a learning setting differs greatly to young learners. Adults possess a good deal of experience in comparison to young learners, therefore it's crucial to be mindful of this as a teacher. Often, it's easy for others to assume that adult language learners are unintelligent; on the contrary, this is false. Although adults learning English are not fluent in the language, this doesn't mean they don't possess knowledge of anything else. In her piece, "Teaching Adults How-To: Advantages and Challenges," Claudia Pesce writes: “The first characteristic of adult learners you should learn is that they are not children, and they don't need help with their homework” (Pesce). Furthermore, while young learners typically find it easier to grasp the lessons and materials through colorful pictures, adults prefer realistic approaches, such as activities and questions on real-world topics. Because adults are significantly more realistic than young learners, adults would more likely prefer to practice activities “that relate to their personal experiences and interests, and they want to be able to apply what they're learning in the real world” (“Teaching adults”). Therefore, it's essential to reflect on their motivation for learning a new language and assisting them in accomplishing their set goals. Though it may seem like children would need more encouragement when learning a new language, this is not the case. For example, “Adults also come with their own history of success and failure, which can influence their belief that they can succeed with the language” (“Unit 1” 6). In other words, adults are more nervous because of their history, therefore motivation and encouragement is key to successfully teaching them and producing their targetted outcome. Thus, teachers should have patience seeing as it's more difficult for them to grasp some concepts, particularly those who are set in their ways in a specific English topic or rule. Unlike adults, young learners are typically less motivated to learn. Therefore, it’s up to the teacher to encourage them and animate the lessons to make them more amusing and interactive. There are numerous ways to do this, including frequent gesturing, fun and colorful props, and songs. In fact, “rhyming and songs can be used effectively with EFL learners of younger age groups” (Ismail 1). Songs pose as learning tricks that can involve the students in an enjoyable time. Ultimately, in his essay, Ismail states, “If learners do not feel the information to be interesting, they are not likely to memorize it and use it in their communication in future” (7). Moreover, young learners would not be as adept or experienced in the language they are learning as adults, thus it's necessary to approach them differently. Firstly, the teacher must perform slow pronunciation when speaking. This is so teachers can prevent confusion and anxiety in their students. It's further crucial to include as much encouragement as a teacher can in their class seeing as constant encouragement causes “the child [to] develop[s] a sense of self-esteem and is less self-conscious about potential mistakes” ("Unit 19" 5). As Unit 19 further explains, “Children love competition and winning or amassing points or rewards” (6). For example, many teachers not only use verbal encouragement but also conduct a special kind of reward system to motivate the children. This is also because “it is necessary to introduce a system of appraisals and punishment based on some points, achievements, and tasks completed” (Ismail 7). Rewards can be both fun and motivating if the teacher deems it so. Also, despite needing to incorporate some kind of punishment system in the class, there is no excuse to threaten or yell at a student, especially one so young. Rather, it's crucial to remain gentle and approachable for the student to carry on being confident in their skills.  Teachers, whether one educating children or adults, all bring different approaches to the table. Ultimately, no one is the same, and teachers are no exception to this notion. Teachers who instruct adults have limitless methods to consider, similar to teachers instructing other classes of all ages. For example, adults are generally more self-conscious of their speech because of all the misconceptions and incorrect grammar rules most likely caught onto throughout their lives. As a result, this requires more motivation and a teacher to build up their confidence. Furthermore, teachers instructing adults should consider their students' motives to assist them in successfully reaching their goals. On the other hand, teaching young students vary in some ways. For instance, young learners require motivation as well, but not in the same manner. Typically, teachers use some kind of rewards system to establish a competitive streak to encourage them to work harder and better. Unlike adults, teachers also incorporate props to bring the lesson to life and combine the notions of reality and fiction to prevent boring their young students. Fundamentally, though every teacher differs, each one should follow general ESL teaching guidelines to ensure their students receive the most advantageous literacy education. Works Cited “Teaching Adults.” Writing@CSU: The Writing Studio, Colorado State University. Pesce, Claudia. “Teaching Adults How-To: Advantages and Challenges.” Busy Teacher, Busy Teacher, 18 June 2011. Ismail, Mehboobkhan. Investigating The Ways Young Learners Differ From Adults In The Context Of EFL/ESL. University of Birmingham. “Unit 1: Teachers and Learners.” International TEFL and TESOL Training. “Unit 19: Teaching Special Groups.” International TEFL and TESOL Training.