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ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > English for Senior Student
English for Senior Student
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SaraNajm
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English for Senior Student
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Hi every one,
Recently, I �ve started teaching a class for senior people, and by senior I mean real grandmas and grandpas. They are a lot of fun to spend time with, but really challenging to teach. To give you a clear picture of what I �m dealing with, have this in mind that some of them are actually there to prevent developing alzheimer �s desease, and there �s also this one lady who �s there to forget about her husband �s death.
Anyway, my problem is not that I don �t like the psychological diversity present in my classroom, the problem is that I have no useful material for them, all I have is suitable for kids, teens, and young adults, not old people!!!
So if anyone knows about any source, online material or pages, please do let me know.
By the way, they know very little about English, i.e. they can introduce themselves. I �m stuck at "to be". They just can �t learn. I don �t expect them to learn a lot every session, I just want them to get a sense of accomplishment.
Thanks |
26 Nov 2014
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ironik
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At university ELT methodology class, my friends and I had prepared a demo Italian beginner lesson to demonstrate Community Language Learning method. The target audience for this method is adults and seniors, and the lesson shape and expectations are mostly communicative. You can practice a simple greeting dialogue and let them record their voice and listen to it afterwards. You don �t need to teach them grammar the way you teach to children or teenagers. This method is really fun and useful, and requires few materials . I still remember the Italian phrases I learnt from that demo lesson 8 years ago. I think it can help you to design lessons using this method, there are tons of resources about it on the internet and methodology books. Good luck with your students :) |
26 Nov 2014
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ELOJOLIE274
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Well obviously as "elders" they have a lot of skills: use them! teach them CAN "i can cook, i can �t repair a tv but i can fix a bike or repair a flat tire. I used to be able to change the oil in my car but i �m too old not. I used to hate having soup when i was younger and now i have a soup every evening for dinner. I used to love hiking but since i broke my hip 2 years ago I haven �t been able to go for a hike. see what I mean? then i would move to talking about the past: how much their town/village/community has changed since they were kids, what they used to do (play chess, ride a bike, have home-cooked meal...) and ask them to compare their lives then to the lives of their grand-children now... how life was easier then or has become easier now (depending on the theme: work, leisure, food, technologies, prices etc...) and the best thing to do in my opinion: ask THEM what they want to talk about! (ask them to prioritise...) and make sure they USE the language: for example if the ladies like cooking, you can teach them food, kitchen tools, actions (stir, chop, boil etc...) then you can have a "special" class in someone �s kitchen: everyone brings ingredients, someone is in charge of finding a finding easy recipe (with no more than 10 steps, from a foreign countries, with easy ingredients) then you print the recipe, and they take turn to read the steps, and say what needs to be done "take the tomates in the fridge, wash them under cold water, cut them into small pieces etc...) you can also organize a show and tell class: they bring something they did (if one of them fixed an old car for example, a series of picture would do fine) and they explain how they did it, where they found the tools/parts/ingredients... how long it took... and the rest of the class can prepare questions basically you can do anything you want, you �re lucky :) 
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26 Nov 2014
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dmharg
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http://www.ehow.com/how_5106481_teach-older-adults.html |
26 Nov 2014
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dmharg
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https://www.google.gr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CFYQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clese.org%2FProducts%2FTips%2520for%2520Teaching.doc&ei=OEB2VP6EG4GxPe3cgMgF&usg=AFQjCNE88hLxSQIrP49yN31QfmJcVfYecA&sig2=X8ldj-rhMDtKOpMcM4JFwg
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26 Nov 2014
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naddy11980
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Hi Sara,
How about using jazz chants? Beleive me, it �s a wonderful experience....very funny and useful at the same time. I am sure that they will love it. Best of luck! |
26 Nov 2014
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Kalgakis
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If it was me, I would do a lot of reminiscing. Find out what was popular in their youth, the food, the drink, the sweets. What didn �t they have? What is easier now. What is more difficult now? Washing machines? use lots of old photos, old postcards, popular music and so on from their era. Do comparisons. Ask about history. Good luck! |
26 Nov 2014
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plucka
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Wow, there �s some great ideas here! As an additional resource, I �d recommend hanoutsonline.com. It �s not free, but I really believe it �s worth the money. Just print off a worksheet and give it to them. Super easy, and means little preparation for you. I �ve been using the website with older people for years, and I �ve found it very useful.
Good luck! |
27 Nov 2014
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s.lefevre
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I don �t see why you should use different material as for children, teens or young adults. I think that older people( like me for instance who is learning Spanish at the moment an who is a gradma) also like games, nice pictures and texts about all kinds of subjects. You don �t have to use pictures for babies, but here on esl printables , there are great worksheets that I �m sure your group will enjoy. Don �t think that senior students are not interested in the same things as younger learners. |
27 Nov 2014
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Peter Hardy
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Lovely ideas, indeed. I use the kids stuff from this site. Despite cultural difficulties, my students, from 18 to 68, love them, as I tell them every worksheet is a dictionary, too. And I teach the 1000 most used phrases. Makes them talk quicker, in my experience. Combined with the other ideas, I �m sure those oldies will love you for it. Cheers, Peter. |
27 Nov 2014
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