Monday, 20 June 2022 10:21

How Does Adult Learning Differ From Children?

English lessons English lessons pixabay

Learning English should always be individualized. This means that both children and adults must have a dedicated and effective teaching method (e.g. grammatical and translatable, natural, or communitating one, and so on).

 

Elements such as the persons linguistic abilities, age, previous experience with foreign languages, optimal methods of acquiring knowledge (group or individual learning, stationary or online), psychological issues should also should be taken into consideration. It is not an easy challenge for both the teacher and the student, but thanks to this joint effort, English lesson will be productive.

Various needs and goals

Motivation to learn English is different for adults and children. And it is also worth taking this into consideration. Because it affects the learning process. Teaching is a natural stage in life for children. They go to school every day, study and listen to teachers. The English language is one of many subjects. They usually learn it through play. They know the hierarchy, and the teacher is simply the undisputed authority and guide in the world of knowledge.

The adult situation is different. He already has his own educational experience. English lessons supplement the needs that were not there before, most often those related to work and career. Although not only. Learning can be a way of spending free time, making new friends, developing hobbies, or intellectual stimulation. So a lot depends on learning English, but not as much as with a child.

Different learning pace

As you know, every organism is aging. This process also applies to the ability to learn and the ease of acquiring knowledge. A young person has a different appetite for knowledge, for learning about the world. The child asks many questions, does not understand a lot, and inquires. An elderly person, in turn, knows a lot, but new knowledge does not necessarily come easily. It can be stressful and depressing. This is also worth bearing in mind when teaching children and adults.

Relationship with the teacher

Building a proper teacher-student relationship is very important. In fact, the learning process will not be successful without it. However, this relationship will be different with the child. It will be highly disproportionate to the teachers advantage. The teacher is an authority, point of reference and support for the young student. The teacher can apply a system of punishments and rewards. The role of the teacher can be described as leadership.

It will be different for an adult student. Here you need to develop a partnership, more symmetrical and mature relationship. Respect and tolerance will be key factors here. If we look at it from a distance, the philosophy of implementing English lesson, whether for children or adults, is based on two basics — appropriate methodology and psychology.