Teaching English as a foreign language

across ages and levels.

TEACHING CHILDREN TEENS AND ADULTSACROSS

Before planning a class, the teacher must consider these five key and relevant aspects about his / her students to choose the best method of teaching.

Intellectual development.
AGES
Attention span.
When teaching CHILDREN remember they are still in
This is one of the major differences between adults and
intellectual development, teachers need to
remember their limitations. Do not explain
children. Language lessons can be difficult for children, AUTHENTIC MEANFUL Sensory input
grammar using terms like “present simple” or for that it is important to make them interesting and
LEARNING CHILDREN need to have all 5
“relative clause”. Use other strategies to explain fun. Put yourself in their shoes and make sure you
keep their curiosity. Attention levels are higher in teens. CHILDREN are focused on what this senses stimulated. Sensory aids
the topic. With Teens sophisticated intellectual
new language can be used for here help children to internalized
processing is increasingly and complex problems However, there are many diversions present in a
and now. A whole language concepts. Use as many activities
can be solved with logical thinking. Finally, Adults teenager’s life, the teacher must be prepared to deal
approach is essential, if language is as possible in your lessons,
with those potential spans. Adults have longer
are more able to handle with abstract rules and physical activity, games, visual aid
broken in too many pieces students
concepts. Be aware about using too much abstract attention spans. However, keep your activities short
won’t see the relationship. With etc. With Teens
generalization and not enough real-life language. and sweet in adult age teaching.
Teens care must be taken not to varieties of sensory input are still
insult them with stilled language or important, increasing capacities
bored them with overanalyses. In for abstraction lessen the
Adults teaching language, a teacher essential nature of appealing to
all live senses. Sensory input
Affective factors can take temporary digressions to
need not always be as varied with
examinate isolated linguistic
CHILDREN and Teens are extremely sensitive to haw others perceive their changing physical and Adults.
properties as long as students are
emotional. Teachers need to help them to overcome such potential barriers of learning. Be patient, returned to the original context.
supportive and help your students laugh with each other at various mistakes that they all make. Avoid
embarrassment of students at all cost and affirming each person’s talents and strengths. Adults often

PROFENCY LEVELS
bring a medium of general confidence into a classroom. Teachers should never underestimate the
emotional factors that may be attendant to adult second learning language.

A1,a2,b1,b2,c1,c2
The ACTFL (American council for the teaching of foreign languages): The Proficiency level is a guideline, a
widely recognized proficiency standard in language teaching circles. Proficiency levels range from 0 (unable
to function in the spoken language) to 5 (speaking proficiency in functionally equivalent to that of a highly
articulate).

The student grouping is based on certain guidelines or using placement, beginner, intermediate or advanced.
ADVANCE levels (al)
EFL advanced classes are not well known, because almost any

Beginning levels
class or course is just designed for beginner or intermediate
Intermediate levels level students. When students reach that level of fluency and
accuracy there are not many topics that may be reinforced.
Is considered by many to be the most challenging level of As the next step up from the initial levels, the intermediate
language instruction. levels are terribly ambiguous territory, as although all
students have reached the same brand-new level, there are STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE LEARNING PROCESSES
some differences between them.
STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE LEARNING PROCESSES Students are mainly focused on improving and
correcting minor mistakes.
Expect to have repeat yourself- do not become frustrated (is
STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE LEARNING PROCESSES ROLE OF THE TEACHER
important to be patience).
ROLE OF THE TEACHER Most of the elementary grammatical and other structures are Teachers are almost unnecessary, their role in class is
almost automatized in the students’ brain. giving feedback.
The teacher controls much of the classroom, overtime,
ROLE OF THE TEACHER TEACHER’S TALK
students develop more control over classroom practices.
TEACHER’S TALK The teacher’s active role decreased. The teacher’s role is to The choice of the words during the speech and
make comments and personalized corrections for each keeping a native pace is mandatory for making things
Use simple vocabulary, speak clearly and slowly, but not too
student. challenging for students at this point.
much.
TEACHER’S TALK AUTHENTITITY OF LANGUAGE
AUTHENTITITY OF LANGUAGE
Teachers must keep a moderate speech and use new words. Academic and specialised vocabulary, expressions and
Use simple vocabulary and phrases but useful for real
It's important give the students the opportunity to talk as idioms are required mainly focused on the student’s
situations.
much as possible. preferences and of course keeping it as natural as
FLUENCY AND ACCURANCY
AUTHENTITITY OF LANGUAGE possible.
Important to be sensitive to students. Focus on grammatical, FLUENCY AND ACCURANCY
The notion here is to keep the balance between using the
phonological or discourse elements that are being
language correctly and sound natural. Speech is fluent and automatic, they don’t have the
processed.
FLUENCY AND ACCURANCY necessity to stop for thinking on what word to use,
STUDENT’S CREATIVITY
because they already can relate the information in their
Same as before, keep the balance between speaking fluently
The goal of learning a language is to be able to comprehend brains with what the context.
and using the language correctly.
and produce unrehearsed situations. STUDENT’S CREATIVITY
STUDENT’S CREATIVITY
TECHNIQUES
Applying every single topic learned into a real
Just by trying to create new sentences using what they have
Teacher initiated questions. Simple students-initiated contextual situation is the main goal for the students
been studying is a good signal of improvement.
questions. regarding this aspect.
TECHNIQUES
LISTENING AND SPEAKING GOALS TECHNIQUES
Paired interviews, role-plays, storytelling, solving problems in
Students are limited more by grammar, vocabulary, and Group debates, argumentation, complex role-
groups, co-working, and co-evaluation.
length of utterance that by communicative function. plays, critical reflections on readings, discussions,
LISTENING AND SPEAKING GOALS
READING AND WRITING GOALS reduced groups complex conversations.
Students should be able to answer and ask for questions to
Reading and writing topics confined to brief but real-life LISTENING AND SPEAKING GOALS
build up a conversation, but also, be able to talk about their
written material. Writing: forms, list, simple notes, and letters. By using different speaking styles and conversational
opinions, arguments.
GRAMMAR resources students can talk about sociocultural aspects
READING AND WRITING GOALS
Simple verb form, personal pronouns, definite and and this might be a piece of cake for them.
Writing enhances considerably in the use of more
indefinite articles, singular and plural nouns, and simple READING AND WRITING GOALS
accurate structures and the use of new vocabulary and
sentences. Students should have similar or even superior
expressions show up for both writing and reading.
linguistic competences than a native speaker, regarding
GRAMMAR
the use of accurate expressions and making critical
Grammar is important but not the most important aspect, the
reading exercises.
Gabriela Mejía Bello main goal is to reach an effective communicative level.
GRAMMAR
Andrés de Arco Deductive grammar will be teachers’ main ally during
Natalia Castor Parra advanced levels classes.