ESL Learners’ Modes: Differences between Young Students and Adults

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 responsibility to find effective methods that best facilitate student learning.

This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vicente V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.

Motivation Principles

Student motivation will differ for each student, however, a good rule of thumb is that young learners are less likely to be strongly internally motivated than adult learners. Instructors should take this into account and find ways to keep younger learners motivated to learn. Capturing interest in ways such as the use of popular culture, or subjects that are of common interest to students may be an effective method. By making the lessons specific to subjects that interest the students, instructors will likely motivate those students to participate more in class and pay closer attention than they otherwise would. While motivation will be different for each student, an instructor may adjust to capture the interest of as many students as possible.

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Behavior

While older students are generally able to maintain concentration for longer periods, instructors should keep in mind that younger learners will not likely be able to. Keeping portions of a lesson short and interesting will help maintain student attention throughout a higher percentage of the lesson, and thus increase student learning. A technique of several shorter activities that are easily explained and incorporated into the lesson is likely to work better for younger students than fewer more in-depth activities would.

Also Read: Getting Student Placement Right - The Best Desk Arrangements for EFL Students

Choice of Activities

Certain activities will be better received by certain groups of students, an instructor may use this to their advantage by choosing activities that are more likely to be better received by their students. Students age 6-9 will likely be more open to activities that get them physically moving, or singing simple songs as a way to practice the language they have learned. 10-13-year-old students are less likely to receive these activities well, however, they are more likely to be open to listening to and studying the language used in pop culture songs to practice their listening skills. Additionally, older children are more likely to be receptive to role-play activities that practice listening and speaking skills. Instructors should anticipate if the activities they plan are the most appropriate for the specific age group they are instructing.

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A newer instructor is less likely than an experienced one to design an effective syllabus on the first attempt, therefore it is important to be willing to adjust based on feedback. If students are too young to be internally motivated a good instructor will find a way to motivate their students. Instructors should be able to maintain the interest and attention of students, even though young learners are likely to have shorter attention spans. Activities are an important tool for instruction, however, the instructor needs to make sure they are age-appropriate to be most effective. Adaptability to student needs is an important factor in instruction, and while it is an iterative process it may be beneficial for instructors to anticipate the above factors when designing lessons and syllabi.

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