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Seven Things Adult Learners Dislike PDF
Seven Things Adult Learners Dislike PDF
Seven Things Adult Learners Dislike PDF
ent types of summaries from various types educational institutions had not yet started nate f r o m the process i n general, as w e l l
of m a t e r i a l s . E x a m p l e s i n c l u d e t a b l e s , to see foreign language l e a m i n g as a p r i o r - as to give reasons f o r b o t h . T h e n i t a t -
grids, and charts. ity, also have a lot to catch up w i t h . They tempted to sound out more p a r t i c u l a r d i s -
To conclude, s u m m a r i z i n g is a h i g h l y d i d l e a r n some E n g l i s h , b u t one could likes c o n c e m i n g such things as the t e x t -
c h a l l e n g i n g a c t i v i t y for the students b e - hardly c a l i them fluent speakers of the l a n - book, type of classroom activities,
cause i t compels them to t h i n k i n an eco- guage. So they too take up E n g l i s h courses. exercises, m a t e r i a l s , t o p i c s , and f i n a l l y
n o m i c a l way a n d to p r o d u c e a h e r n a t i v e I f we combine the two groups, we can see the teacher.
language w h i l e m a i n t a i n i n g the same t h a t the m a r k e t for t e a c h i n g E n g l i s h to O n the basis of the answers received, I
ideas. ® adults i n Poland is a considerable one.
discovered the f o l l o w i n g seven things that
W h e n teaching post-tertiary students,
adult learners of E n g l i s h d i s l i k e most:
a teacher of E n g l i s h must be aware of the
1. Texthooks in English only. Al-
specifics of this group. A d u l t learners d i f -
though adult learners appreciate the t e x t -
fer f r o m o t h e r age groups i n respect to
books available on the Polish book market
t h e i r l e a r n i n g experience, memory t y p e ,
and used i n most l a n g u a g e courses for
motivation, a n d , most of a l l , i n respect to
their needs and expectations. A s they are their c l a r i t y , logical structuring of the m a -
learn fast and see the results almost i m m e - c r i t i c a l remarks about t h e m is t h e i r lack
diately. Generally, they are a likeable age of any language notes or explanations i n
group to teach, although there are things Polish. W i t h o u t seeing a word i n their n a -
E n g l i s h , w h i c h i n many cases they now cluded an " o t h e r " option. m u c h h a r m . These notes w o u l d not o n l y
need for t h e i r career. T h e i r younger c o l - The questionnaire asked the learners save the leamers t i m e , b u t also give them
leagues, people who graduated from u n i - to a d m i t to the things they d i s l i k e about t h e sense of s e c u r i t y t h e y m i s s i n t h e
W e m u s t , however, account for i n d i - " I m u s t f i r s t u n d e r s t a n d w h a t i t is a l l ports about made-up countries, they frown
their age, allow some people to be more or sentence w h i c h is not so easy to p r e d i c t . " to discuss a text as a f o l l o w - u p a c t i v i t y ,
less s u i t e d to d r a m a t i c a c t i v i t i e s . W h e n I n t e l l i g e n t learners, a t e r m that includes the text must be of interest to the leamers.
asked to play a role of a tourist abroad or most adults, soon realise that such exer- W h a t triggers d i s c u s s i o n best are texts
a customer i n a shop, some learners w i l l cises can be done without even t r y i n g to touching upon controversial matters (e.g.,
behave almost naturally, w h i l e , others, for u n d e r s t a n d the sentence f u l l y , w h i c h is women priests, the advantages and d i s a d -
w h o m the situation seems a r t i f i c i a l , may rather pointless. W h e n asked to do a d r i l l - vantages of the latest t e c h n i c a l develop-
other h a n d , asked to play a totally unreal l e a r n e r s c a n o f t e n be f o u n d to have I t seems that authentio texts, even at
situation (e.g., " y o u are a pólice officer i n - " c h e a t e d , " that is, having done the exer- the elementary level, serve their purpose
says: " W e do not need to be over c o n - the meaning of what they are saying. A t - an a d u l t l e a r n e r is h i s or her p e r e n n i a l
fuUy. Dramatic a c t i v i t i e s . . . involve more for adult leamers of a foreign language. I n work and f u l f i l l i n g f a m i l y duties; so, i f on
than j u s t performance: the situation has to some cases, however, pronunciation prac-
be discussed, the characters d e v e l o p e d , t i c e f o r e x a m p l e , we m u s t s m u g g l e i n
the scene elaborated and the language to some d r i l l i n g , as c o g n i t i v e t h i n k i n g w i l l
be used w o r k e d out. I n these a n d other not be of m u c h help here.
matters a l l students can particípate f u U y . "
4. Textbooks with no reading ma- AGNIESZKA STRZALKA
W e must use the less i n h i b i t e d or "more
g i f t e d " learners' potential and help those
terial or with artificial texts. Perhaps is a júnior aca-
as a r e m n a n t of the g r a m m a r - t r a n s l a t i o n demic teacher at
less l i k e l y to " i m p r o v i s e . "
method w i t h w h i c h they were once taught tile Silesian
foreign languages, aduk leamers do not ap-
University in
3. Drilling. W h e n l e a m i n g grammar, Katowice, Poiand.
a d u l t learners l i k e to be given nice and preciate textbooks that feature dialogues,
clear explanations without too m u c h spe- pictures, and charts, but have only a few
c i a l i s t t e r m i n o l o g y so that t h e y u n d e r - rather short passages for reading. New vo-
stand the p r o b l e m fuUy before they start cabulary items seem to be better remem-