Adapting to the Needs of Adult Language Learners

Abstract

Many language teacher training programs prepare teacher candidates to teach in a K-12 setting. However, some of these teacher candidates may one day find themselves in adult education whether as part-time or full-time employment. This chapter will focus on teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), but the majority of what is discussed in this chapter can easily be applied to teaching programs targeted towards other second languages. The main purpose of this chapter is to note some of the flaws in many ESOL adult textbooks and how many teaching programs can easily modify their curriculum to prepare their candidates to overcome these flawed materials by providing more age appropriate and relevant lessons to adult learners. By incorporating minor changes to a current program, teacher candidates will become well-rounded educators who are well-equipped to serve learners of all ages.