| Several summers ago I unexpectedly landed a | | | | How to Motivate Adult Students - A Few Ground |
| summer job teaching ESL to adults at an intensive six | | | | Rules |
| week summer program at a nearby regional | | | | 1. Have a serious program and stick to it. The adult |
| community college. They ranged in ages from eighteen | | | | learners might complain, but stick to your reasoning |
| to sixty-five and many were apprehensive about | | | | about doing homework, coming to class on time, etc. |
| improving their level of English; some hadn't studied | | | | 2. Bring in a lot of humor and a positive attitude into the |
| English in years and wanted to study ESL as an | | | | classroom. It helps break the ice and adults really |
| enrichment course not necessarily within an academic | | | | appreciate an instructor who is emotionally intelligent |
| framework. | | | | while imparting knowledge. |
| Teaching adults is very different than teaching | | | | 3. Supplement your instruction with various other side |
| students in a formal school setting. They are | | | | activities like worksheets or diversifying the curriculum |
| cognitively more mature and motivated. However | | | | with a computer program if you have a computer lab. |
| during the first week of classes, I heard many 'I can't | | | | 4. Bring a lot of love and care. Show them that you |
| do it' voices in the first week especially from the older | | | | are on their side. |
| adults, who were certain that English was simply a | | | | In the end, I had a fun time teaching this particular group |
| maze of grammatical forms and verbiage that they still | | | | of learners. Getting to know what ticks them is part of |
| couldn't grasp thirty years earlier when they were in | | | | the success. I quickly learned that they enjoyed the |
| High School. | | | | frontal experiences as we went over exercises via |
| In this particular type of situation, it is important to lay | | | | transparencies on the overhead projector and they |
| the ground rules while easing your adult students into a | | | | benefited from explanations. |
| routine while helping them all along the way. | | | | |