Teaching English To Adults

In recent years, there has been a general upward trend in the proportion of the Chinese population that is pursuing education in the English language. It may feel like walking a tightrope when you're trying to teach English to adults in China since you have to be able to accurately evaluate the students' level of English ability without coming across as condescending to those who begin with a much lower level of English competence. In this section, I will discuss some useful pointers that may be used while teaching persons of Chinese descent the English language.

Take the Time to Get to Know Your Students

Contrary to the case with younger pupils, the great majority of adults who study English do so of their own will. Determine what drives them to learn. The need of English in the workplace may motivate some people to study it. Find out what it is that they do here. Is there a particular field in which they'll need to know English? Is international business something they do? Some people may decide to study English for purely self-improvement purposes. In such situation, you may inquire as to their future plans, passions, and pastimes.

Incorporate this information into your lessons as much as possible. After all, kids are more likely to pay attention during a lecture that is specifically designed for them. When interacting with your pupils, don't be hesitant to deviate from textbook content in order to strike a more personal chord.

Getting to know your pupils is crucial, but always maintain your professionalism. Having a casual contact with a student, such as meeting up for coffee after class, may not be problematic, but developing a deep friendship or romantic interest in a student might create a conflict of interest.

Establish Ground Rules for Your Classroom

There is often no trouble with adult pupils' behavior and enthusiasm to study. But you should still establish certain ground rules for your class to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Some ideas are as follows:

Instruct your pupils that they are expected to use only English in class. They need to get the teacher's approval before they can speak Chinese (preferably in English). In doing so, you will be able to provide your students with a more authentic and stimulating setting in which to study English.

Insist that your pupils put down their mobile devices and pay attention in class. Your students may wish to use a dictionary or upload content to their language learning app at some point throughout the course. Maybe you'll choose to let them do this, but you could also require that they keep their phones muted and face-down on their desks at all other times. When working with adults, it's important to remember that there may be occasions when your students need to be attentive to their phones for reasons related to job or personal life. It's up to you to find a happy medium, although most educators would probably agree that cellphones serve as nothing more than a disruption in the classroom.

If you're planning on teaching English to low-level adults in China, it's important to set the ground rules right away by exhibiting the rule rather than just telling your pupils about it. To discourage others from using your phone in front of you, you may, for instance, display it while crossing your arms.

In certain ways, working with complete newbies as adults may be challenging. They are the most difficult class I've had in my four years of teaching. Teaching English to low-level adults in China may be challenging, but it can also be a lot of fun if you have clear objectives, prepare your courses ahead of time, and build relationships with your students.