Past Simple

Through this video, learners will have a short explanation about Past Simple and a story using some verbs in Past Simple before they can start to do some activities.

English to Adolescents and Adults

The challenges that ESL teachers are facing in the classroom are changing the perspective to stand up in front of the class and use the chalkboard for teaching any theme, topic or language.

What I would like to present here, are some points that we should think when we are choosing English material for students.

A critical analysis from Magdalena Bobek, remarks significantly that teachers should think about materials for teaching English.

• Coursebooks never meet the needs of a specific class of students; therefore teachers must look for supplementary materials that can reinforce the lesson and pupils can complete successful the planned activity.

• Teachers cannot be tied to work just with textbooks or ICT in class. It is transcendent to see teaching from different perspective where teachers can change or adapt materials according students needs. As is known, most of the books are referred to others culture rather where pupils live. It takes time students to figure out the information and adapt to their dairy life.

•  It is also important to contemplate multilevel class where learners are mixed with different skills levels, which learn in different speed; in consequence teachers must plan an activity that can be worked in different grade of complexity dividing students in group conformable to their skills levels.

There are also interesting materials that point out the issues of choosing materials to teach English to adolescents and adults.

  

• As an English teacher we have to differentiate that adults learn in diverse ways which is means that they do not necessary learn as children do.  They need adult-appropriate content, materials, and activities that speak to their needs and interest and allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities (Malcolm Knowles’s theory).

• For teaching adults it would be great to work learner-centered; however it may be difficult to persuade them to learn in a distinct teaching style if they are conditioned to a traditional learning.

•  Having in account of the use of teaching AIDS, it is won’t be useful if the teacher does not use them in a realistic language. Through it learners will develop skills that might need a function in a real context. For instance: when teaching a subject on how to find a job, you might use the classified section of a newspaper. Once the learners know the key vocabulary, you might have the learners work in small groups to find an appropriate job for one of the students in the group using the classified listings.

•  For testing and assessment will be tough to evaluate all process at once, and no single test can do it all, hence the teacher should makes periodically tracks and use a variety of assessment to determine learning needs, demonstrate progress, and see if they students  are ready to move to the next level of instruction.  (Office of Vocational and Adult Education 2006)

• There would be some cases where students are not be able to understand English at all (limited English literacy), so it is important  to determine if learners have problem in their native language which is requires an extra effort for leveling those learners if is applicable. 

Main issues when dealing with choosing materials when teaching English to adolescents and adults

  

Sensitive topics; students are exposed to sensitive and controversial messages daily. Choosing some resources (online or physical material) for classroom study can be somewhat difficult since almost all texts have the potential to be controversial. It is significant that the selected texts to be read, heard or viewed by a full class, must to take into consideration the literary value, interest, validity, for the intended audience and see how it is connected to achieving curriculum outcomes.

The use of L2 it is good if all students understand, however if there are some that still do not understand English at all the use of L1 must be necessary. So learners can understand instructions and resolve their activities.

Does the teacher monitor the activities? Does the teacher ask learners about what are they doing?

The use of certain materials must be limited about time and resources [the use of videos or copies]. It is relevant the use of diverse strategies for students that are in process of a second language.

(2000) Choosing resources. Senior High School English Language Arts Guide to Implementation. Alberta Learning, Alberta, Canada.Taken from https://education.alberta.ca/media/883838/6_choose.pdf