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young learners vs Adults When teaching any subject, it?s important to understand that the age of the students in the classroom will make a significant difference in how they go about learning. Adult learners will have many characteristics that younger learners do not and vice versa. It?s important for the teacher to understand these differences so that they can plan their lessons accordingly. young learners are probably going to have short attention spans and high amounts of energy. They may be self-conscious and unwilling to experiment with a language. When teaching children it?s important to keep activities short because you will quickly lose their attention if a lesson drags on a for long time. Children in the classroom may be highly unmotivated. They are probably there because their parents want them to be, not by their choice. It?s important to motivate younger students by using fun stickers or a reward of playing a game or doing a fun activity. Children usually tend to be creative and have bright imaginations. Playing games, coloring pictures, singing songs, and doing fun activities are all beneficial when teaching young learners. By doing fun activities like these, students will be intrigued as well as entertained while learning. When teaching young learners there may also be more discipline problems. Children may not know how to control their energy and there will often be trouble makers. An advantage to teaching younger children, however, is that they will probably pick up the language faster because kids tend to absorb a new language easier than adults. Adult learners, on the other hand, will probably be highly motivated because they are in the class by choice. They will probably be trying to learn the English language for work, to travel to an English speaking country, just to learn the world?s most dominate language, or some other specific reason. They will probably be more dedicated and goal oriented than young learners. Lessons for adults can be longer and more intense because adults have much higher attention spans and will be able to concentrate and dedicate themselves for a much longer period of time than children. Adults will of probably already had years of schooling and know what to expect in a classroom. They will probably come with their own history of success or failure which may influence how they learn and act in a classroom. Adult students may be more nervous about learning a new language because they feel more pressure to succeed. That?s why it?s important for teachers to be very encouraging and motivating. A problem that may occur when teaching adults is that they may compare the new language to their old language and have trouble adjusting to change. Younger learners don?t tend to do this as much. Class discussions will probably be more interesting in a classroom full of adults than in a classroom full of younger learners. Adults will have more life experience, interesting things to talk about, and probably better at having interesting discussions. Although I personally would prefer to teach younger learners, both age groups have their advantages and disadvantages in the classroom. It?s important for a teacher to understand the differences between these two learning modes. It will help them to meet the needs of their individual students and have success in the classroom.
