Teaching Adults vs Teaching Children: Content, Activities and Assessment
Is the age a real factor that can affect the process of learning of a student? The process of learning English is vulnerable to some factors like the age. As a result the mode of teaching an adult is not the same as for a children. In fact, teaching pre-K-12 students with the same plan as an adult cause unfavorable behaviors on the students or vice versa. For instance, a popular idea in adult education is that individuals want to have control on their learning (Knowles, M, 2005). In contrast, younger students are not aware of this control. Some differences on the way of teaching them were created in order to minimize the effect of those factors on the knowledge of a student. Indeed, teaching adults and teaching children lead to some similarities and differences that vary and are visible in aspects such as the content, the activities in class, and the appropriate assessment to the students.
A course content In fact pre-K-12 education must be taught to communicate social, intercultural and functional purposes within the school setting as the first content standard, and later preparation in areas like mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts in order to communicate information, ideas and concepts (TESOL, 2006). In contrast the content standard for adult curricula vary from program to program within a state, but the ESL content standards provide a guiding framework for what students should know and be able to do as a result of instruction. Some classes be based on a textbook series, while others may be designed to address life skills (such as health, consumerism, or work) or program type (such as workplace, family literacy, or academic transitions) (CAELA, 2007). Ifeel more comfortable with their class content since rely on real life situations or an interactional use of the language while younger students feel their class content as something that is an obligation for their grades. However, an aspect like activities can influence a class a lot depending on the students. ESL content standards provide a guiding framework for what students should know and be able to do as a result of instruction. Some classes may be based on a textbook series, while others may be designed to address life skills (such as health, consumerism, or work) or program type (such as workplace, family literacy, or academic transitions) (CAELA, 2007). In consequence, adults may feel more comfortable with their class content since rely on real life situations or an interactional use of the language while younger students feel their class content as something that is an obligation for their grades. However, an aspect like activities can influence a class a lot depending on the students.
Activities in class impact the students’ progression either positively or negatively. Older students, for example, they identify themselves as adults, and traditional schooling as something that is done for children. Adults prefer to learn in contexts that are less like traditional school, and learning in adult contexts be as little like “school” as possible (Davis, 2013). As result for this behavior adequate activities to the adult education are like discussions or story telling where the students their experiences. Next, in regards to children, young students need activities that keep them active and focus. If activities for younger students are used in adult classes, the adults may feel uncomfortable and create a negative impact on the students. However, in case of younger students both activities are acceptable, they use activities like storytelling or discussion as well as more active and creative activities but keeping them in balance. Activities affect the students’ progression or process of learning but an aspect like assessment can mark beyond a cognitive aspect.
Assessment affects the process of learning depending on what is it assessed. Sometimes teachers asses different outcomes from the students but a confliction can occur when the outcome assessed is irrelevant. A common situation is that students feel that in written evaluations like exams they concentrate more on passing the exam than understanding the subject (Gibbs, 1992). In this case the process of learning is none; this situation occur in adult students as well as in younger students an can cause frustration. Students should be taught to understand what they are learning so the assessment of the progress of their work can be more accurate.
Content, activity and assessment impact students process of learning. The students have different necessities that need to be satiated and those necessities vary depending on the age. The teacher have to change his way of teaching in order to avoid negative effects on the students because where the teacher involves all aspects and necessities of a student easier would be the process of learning. Professors need to check and look for appropriate and functional content for the students, analyze which type of activities are useful in their classes and how to evaluate the outcomes of the students in a way that this evaluation show the real progression of the student.
References
Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (2006, September) Understanding adult ESL content standards (Issue Brief No. 04) Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from: http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/UnderstandingAdultESL.pdf
Davis, H (2013) Discussion as a bridge: Strategies that engage adolescent and adult
learning styles in the postsecondary classroom. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 13(1), 68 – 76 Retrieved from: http://josotl.indiana.edu/article/view/2157/3066
Gibbs, G. (1992) Assessing more students. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff Development. Retrieved from: https://portal.uea.ac.uk/documents/6207125/8588523/using-assessment-to-support-student-learning.pdf
Knowles, M. (2005) Adult learner. Burlington, MA: Elsevier. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com.mx/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwijs4zqjvHOAhVPxWMKHat0ArwQFggoMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ugcascru.org%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_phocadownload%26view%3Dcategory%26download%3D8%3Athe-adult-learner-a4-2%26id%3D2%3Astudy-materials%26Itemid%3D197&usg=AFQjCNE7fedGQV1Pu672yAY0393Z1JM09g&sig2=MozJ3ib0UCaJyvO4X_DFpA&bvm=bv.131669213,d.cGc
TESOL Pre-K–12 English language proficiency standards framework. (2006) Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Retrieved from: https://www.tesol.org/docs/books/bk_prek-12elpstandards_framework_318.pdf?sfvrsn=2