Young at Heart

Nasy Inthisone Pfanner, Austria

Nasy Inthisone Pfanner is a secondary school English teacher at B.O.RG Dornbirn-Schoren. She has published articles concerning education in journals and newsletter and about Lao Americans for the Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife. She is interested in ESL, English, and teaching methods. She enjoys working with pupils of all ages. E-mail: nasypfanner@gmail.com

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Abstract
Adult learners
The purpose
The courses
The challenges
The activities
Conclusion

Abstract

Despite the known fact that adult learners are more reserve than younger learners when it comes to language learning, there has not been enough activities that are geared to ease the learning process. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of teaching adult learners. Additionally, it highlights fun activities that can be used in adult classroom to promote language learning.

Adult learners

The future old and gray, will you love me in December as you do in May, will you love me in the good old fashioned way? These lyrics by the American singer and songwriter Ernest R. Ball show man’s fear of aging. In fact, man’s great fear of aging has lead to the multi-million dollar business of anti-aging products be it in the forms of drinks, foods, beauty creams, etc.

Is aging really bad? Isn’t youth traded for wisdom? While we can’t turn back the clock, the English poet and novelist Mortimer Collins once said, “The true way to render age vigorous is to prolong the youth of the mind.” In June 2012, Nola Ochs of Kansas, USA received worldwide attention when she graduated with a Masters degree at the age of 98. Furthermore, she only got her Bachelor's degree three years earlier at aged 95.

The purpose

The purpose of this article is to present the advantages of teaching adult learners and to provide activities that are both educational and entertaining.

The courses

Adults who take continuing courses do so for various reasons; some are sent by their employers as part of continuing education and some are self-motivated. They are of different ages, races and social economic status. They come to brush up on old skills and to learn a new skill. No matter the reason, they come ready to learn.

Having motivated learners is a boon! (If you have taught young pupils, you can appreciate what I am talking/writing about). In my five years of teaching adults in Austria, there has not been one disciplinary problem nor complaints. Their will to learn provides for an optimal setting.

The courses usually meet around ten or twelve times per semester. Courses are offered at various times of the day and at various days of the week to accommodate working schedules. There are various levels of courses offered i.e., examination preparation, refresher course for those who previously had English, beginning for those who has never had English and more advanced courses. In other words, there is a course to meet anyone and everyone’s needs. There is no examinations to be taken or grades to be awarded. Homework is given, but they are controlled in the next class hour. If they attend classes at least 70 percent of the time, they get a certificate of attendance.

Students usually pay between 70-100 euros for a course. The course book they have to buy. That works out to be less than 10 euros per hour; a pretty good deal for the money. Just as a comparison, private tutoring alone cost about 20 euros per hour. Simply put, this is an affordable way of learning a language.

The challenges

Although learners are enthusiastic, not everything is rosy. There are some unique challenges that exist among them that do not exist among younger pupils. For example, despite the description of the courses’ levels and expectations people with very different levels still end up in the same courses. They all may have had English before, but one person may have had it for 30 years and has forgotten most of it, while the other person may have had more practice with the language. The situation was sometimes frustrating for both the people who were on a higher level and for the people who were on a lower level. The key for the teacher is to maintain a balance so that no one feels left out and that everyone contributes to the best of his/her ability.

Another challenge with teaching adult learners is the lack of social connection between them. Unlike pupils in school, who have many activities together inside and outside the classroom, most adult learners generally have no social connection. They are busy with their families and jobs. There are a few exceptions i.e., friends and also couple have taken courses together. And to my delight the last two semesters, I had a retired lady and a young man who studied together regularly.

The activities

Given that students have very limited social connection outside the classroom, I search for activities that bring them together during class time. I wanted original activities to energize my students. The following activities are suitable for beginning classes and are guaranteed to bring movements and laughter into your classroom.

1. The Hokey Pokey dance. Get in a circle, you put your right hand in,
you put your right hand out,
you put your right hand in,
and you shake it all about etc. It is a great dance for learning body parts.
2. Follow the direction. Get out of the classroom, go up and down the stairs, walk around the building and so forth. Let some students give directions while the rest of the class follow. To add more excitement, do this activity blind-folded.
3. The Price is Right. The goal is to guess the right price for an item without going over. Play after you have learned numbers. Divide the class in groups. Present various items in a stylish and exaggerated manner. For example, I said, “Look at this fabulous T-shirt, 100% cotton, a must-have for the sporty person, what would you pay?” After all the teams have given me a price, I exclaimed the winner with a big round of applause. Then I moved on to the next item, “Look at this leather brief case, paid for by my homeowner’s insurance after a water damage in my house in Nashville, Tennessee. Look at the modern cut, it has enough space for the business person.” I walked around letting everyone have a good look at it. “Okay, give me your price.” After I got the prices, I announced the winner with a loud commotion “You are the best of the best!” To the losing team I cheered, “Sorry, guys, tonight isn’t your night, there will be a chance for revenge.”

Conclusion

The American businessman, poet and humanitarian, Samuel Ullman, known for his poem Youth said it best when he wrote, “Nobody grows old merely by living a number years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” By continuing their education, proving their abilities with fun and games, these learners are prolonging youth.

Please check the How the Motivate your Students course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Building Positive Group Dynamics course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the English for Teachers course at Pilgrims website.