How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

1. How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners Fear & Loathing in the Classroom

2. Please do the two activities then, in groups of 3, discuss whether you think they are suitable for beginners: a) What challenges do you think would they face? b) What would they need to know in order to complete the activities successfully? c) Would these activities be useful to them? How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

3. How did you feel when you looked at the activities? How do you think a beginner learner would feel? • Why did you come to IATEFL? • How did you feel about coming • to IATEFL? How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

4. Case Studies Ali Al-Sharif is a 42 year old policeman. He comes from an influential family and rose through the ranks to a senior administrative position, even though he cannot read or write well in his own language. There have been administrative changes in his country and he has been offered a chance to head up a new unit but he needs to speak English, which he has never learned before. How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

5. Case Studies Salazar de Guinez is a 22 year old from a very wealthy family. His parents want him to study abroad, ideally in the US. Although he got his school certificate and his mother claims he has studied English for 6 years, he gets a very low score in the placement test and does not answer rudimentary questions correctly. His mother isn’t happy that he has been put in the beginners’ class.    How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

6. Case Studies Zhou Shen is a 32 year old government official. She has an MSc from a reasonable university and has been chosen to attend English classes as part of a new initiative in her province. She must have learned some English at school but she tells one of the local staff that she doesn’t remember ever learning English. How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

7. Nicola Perry • Teaching experience in China & Libya • myth that beginners are easy to teach • myth that only local teachers can teach them • communicative methodology is even more foreign than the foreign language they want to learn • Research for MA • cognitive approach • affective filters • adult learning theory / andragogy • motivation How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

8. The Cognitive Architecture of the Brain and How It Works How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

9. What did I do? • classroom language • instructions • lexis • grading language • became harsh & cruel • attention • response • study • develop learner autonomy • homework • self-study How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

10. References Andragogy: M. Knowles (1990) The Adult Learner A Neglected Species 4thed Huston Gulf Publishing Cognitive Approach : P. Skehan (1998) A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning Oxford OUP L. Ortega (2009) Understanding Second language Acquisition London HodderEducation Affective Filter S. Krashen (1985) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition Oxford PergamonPress Motivation Z. Dörnyei (2003) Attitudes, Orientations, and Motivations in Language Learning: Advances in Theory,Research, and Applications Language Learning 53 1 pp3-32 How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners