Adult students characteristics we don't have to forget

Adult students have a different background and different roles from the ones of teenagers or children. They are students, they work and many times they hold their own family, for that reason we can not think about them just as students, that is a point we have to consider every time we start a lesson and specially when we evaluate.
Respecting the learning rhythm, troubles and expectancies can change the way they perceive education, learn contents and their attitude towards our job. We must give adults the opportunities they need to finish school, to learn and to apply what they’ve learnt to their day life.

Reflections on learning

Learning process for adult students

The learning process for adult students means a lot of things, new challenges, new possibilities, personal growth, for this reason it is the duty of teachers to give them confidence and push them towards success. Adults face education with fears produced by insecurities, low self-esteem, specific learning needs, bad experiences, etc. Their prior knowledge and experiences must be really taken into account and we must consider every thing related to the context of the student before, while and after planning each lesson.

Learning for adults is important and relevant for their life, it is a very delicate and complex process that must be accomplished with effort, love, comprehension and commitment from both parts, students and teachers.

RSS and technology in the EFL adult classroom

RSS is a very effective and useful tool, specially in education. Related to Adult classes it can save a lot of time to students who in fact do not have plenty of time. Getting shortcuts to sites of their interest is a great thing, we have to consider that some of them do not use it in a very good way, and giving them tool to make things easy is going to be very possitive.
I think that in the beggining we, as teachers, must invest time exploring and learning about this tool in order to make it available to our adult students in a good way.
Blogging can be an exellent tool to continue learning outside the class,to reinforce their knowledge and of course to keep in touch after classes at any moment they need it.

Adults and English as a second language

How is the situation of adult students and the learning of English as a foreign language in your country?
Leave your comments here.

Adults and their real needs for learning English

Adult students have characteristics that make them different, and the most important is the immediate and real need for english. I mean, we can not expect them to just learn how to read and write simple sentences, or just to understand the basics of a conversation, they need to speak and being able to be understood.

In my country (and may be in others too) adult students are expected just to develop receptive skills, while real life expect them to manage communicative skills, so the question is: What do we must do?, Should we follow a curriculum which we know is not the best, or try to do the right thing and get away from it, teaching them what they really need?

I live in a city where tourism is a very important area, but incredibly the people who work in all the tourism related services do not speak english. Should we "rise against the system" or obbey its commands?

TO BE CONTINUED.............

English in adults classes

English is an important area for students all around the world, it means a key element for their development, specially in the academic field. For adult students learning English is a challange that they have to overcome. So many fears, shame, lack of interest represent a burden they have to carry with them. Adults need to learn the language because it is a real opportunity to do great things, to get a promotion at work, to travel abroad, to settle down in other country, to start their own business, etc. This is challange we as EFL teachers must take.