Teaching English as a Second Language to Adults

If you are going to work with adult learners of English, start by assessing their needs. Many students of English as a second language know what they want to learn. At first, your needs will most likely be “survival” phrases (eg, where is the bathroom? How much is it? Reading road signs). Then they’ll need basic functional English to complete job applications, get medical care, and enroll their child in school.

Ask your students to identify what they want to learn using any or a combination of the following methods.

1. Have students look in their textbook or picture dictionary and place Post-It Notes on five pages with the information they think is most important.

2. Have students check off the things they want to learn on a pictorial list that represents different activities (shopping for groceries, reading a note from school, completing a driver’s license application, job applications, etc.).

3. Show students a picture strip illustrating three reasons why Antonio wants to learn English; then brainstorm with the class and substitute your reasons for learning English.

This gives students a voice in their instruction and makes the content relevant to their lives. It also gives you the opportunity to assess what skills your students already have and what they need to strengthen.

Once you know what your students hope to achieve, use the principles of adult learning. Adults are problem solvers, self-directed, and disciplined. They already know how to think and they know how to learn new things. They will want to know why it is necessary to learn something and that it is applicable to their life.

Language tasks involve the integration of the four language skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Plan your class time so that all four skills are used in each class session. Students find this engaging approach reinforces each skill. Include field trips so your students have a chance to practice with you around for help. Visit a museum, grocery store, post office, restaurant, or library.

There are a number of classroom activities that provide useful practice before class trips. Try a variety of these activities to stimulate interest and discussion.

Dialogues associated with key activities. Start with simple three line scripted dialogues.

Example:

I’d like a hamburger, please.

With pickles?

Yes, thanks.

Then have students substitute vocabulary in dialogue, on closed worksheets, during role play or dictation. For more information on cloze worksheets and how to use them, see my article titled “Cloze Worksheets: What They Are and How to Make Them”.

Build vocabulary. Practice vocabulary with flashcards, concentration games, labeling, vocabulary journals, picture dictionaries, and bingo activities. Homework exercises may include other puns. Word searches generate word recognition and standard letter pattern recognition. Crossword puzzles match definitions with words.

Class surveys. Class surveys involve students questioning their peers and recording the information on a form. The questions can be of this type, “What is your last name?”, “Where do you live?”, “In what month were you born?” Or students can be directed to find someone who likes ice cream or who comes from South Korea. In this case, students should ask class members questions in the form “Do you like ice cream?” or “Do you come from South Korea?” Responses can be collected and presented in a graph or list, as appropriate. Lists can be sorted alphabetically.

Phonetics exercises. Identifying beginning letter sounds or rhyming words are important parts of learning at the literacy level. Combine this with vocabulary instruction. Minimal pairs (ie, cat/hat, can/fan) are a possible exercise. You can also expand the minimal pairs by changing the first letter to find more words (bat/cat/fat/hat/mat/pat/rat/sat/vat). Simple rhymes and songs are good ways to build vocabulary and practice the sounds of the English language. Alliterative sentences where each word begins with the same letter can be a fun and helpful way to practice clear pronunciation and enunciation. “Peter Piper picked up a bite of pickled peppers,” “Sally sells seashells by the seashore,” and other tongue-twisting phrases make a delightful break from textbook work.

Use authentic materials. Use brochures, flyers, brochures, menus, job applications, driver’s license applications, shopping lists, and receipts to make learning relevant to your students. Have your students answer questions about the information on a flyer, write a grocery list, read a receipt. These activities build their confidence and give them real-world practice with all language skills.

Adult learners want to be able to function. They are focused and practical students with the need to solve everyday life situations. Tailor your instruction to meet their needs by giving them plenty of opportunities to build their vocabulary and practice the four language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.