Many teachers who are new to adult ESL are not new to teaching and/or not fresh out of university. Perhaps you’ve decided the field you were in was not your passion, and you’re trying something completely unrelated. Or maybe you’re a long-time teacher, but you’ve always taught kids. You’re new, but not new-new.
Below are some of my answers to the questions I get asked most often by teachers new to adult ESL in IEPs. EDIT: Over time, I’ve gone into more detail on a lot of this. Links are included in various sections if you want to read more about it.
I’ve taught in community classes before, but what’s an IEP?
Intensive English Programs are usually made up of international students who plan to go to university but need to improve (or learn…some start from the very beginning) their English. In the USA, these students are on an F1 visa. They are required to take a certain of hours of lessons per month, must show progress, must have regular, good attendance, and more. These rules are not just from the IEP…they are visa requirements. You may also have some students on an F2 visa…these are the spouses of F1 students. They won’t be going to university. Their visa doesn’t require them to have a certain number of hours of lessons per month, progress, or attendance. To read more about IEPs, check out my post Teaching Adult ESL in Intensive English Programs: The Real Pros and Cons Nobody Tells You About.
How do I choose what to teach when I have total curriculum freedom?
Let’s say that you’re teaching part-time a few nights a week. This type of program is generally not an IEP (Intensive English Program), so, likely, most of your students are not university-bound. They’re probably learning English to live their lives in their community as fully as possible and/or improve their job situation.
Whatever the motivation is, you want to find out WHY your students are learning English. This will determine so much, like what you teach, how you teach it, what you focus on, and what you let slip by. It’ll also help you choose the resources that will help them the most.
Now, if you teach in an IEP, you’ll probably be given a curriculum to use. However, we all know we have to supplement even a great curriculum because students don’t come in cookie-cutter shapes. Again, finding out your students’ purpose in learning English will help guide you in choosing the supplemental material to help get them there.
Get to Know Them Beyond Their Names
When you start, the number one piece of advice I can give you is to get to know your students. Yes, you need to know what they want and expect out of your class, but adults, like kids, will put in more effort for people who care about them.
Knowing them beyond their names will help show them you care and give you valuable insight into making what they learn relevant to them. Social media can be your friend! If they are into it, either add them to whatever platform you use or make a “teacher” account.
I found out SO MUCH about my students by following them on social media, and I used what I learned in my lessons. For example, when I found out that someone had gone kayaking with some friends, I added “kayaking” to the sports vocabulary we were studying later that week and asked that student to tell us about it. Knowing their jobs will help you add relevant vocabulary to whatever lesson you are doing to make it more personal to them. If your students’ level is already quite high, try doing some reflective writing with them.
Figure Out How They Learn Best
You need to understand how your students learn best.
Try using some All About Me activities and worksheets. They might be simple, but they give you the inside scoop on what makes your students tick. You learn why they’re sitting in your classroom, what they’re hoping to accomplish, and what keeps them up at night about learning English.
You also figure out what kind of learning experiences feel safe to them. And that matters when you’re about to ask them to try something new or uncomfortable. For adult learners who are terrified of looking foolish or losing face, even your most well-meaning teaching move can land like you’re pushing them off a cliff.
When you know where your students are coming from, you can introduce challenges without accidentally embarrassing them or making them shut down. You’re still pushing them to grow, but you’re doing it in a way that doesn’t feel like an attack on their dignity.
How do I get my adult ESL students to TALK during free talking?
To spontaneously have an unscripted conversation with another person is a goal of pretty much anyone studying another language. And it’s a GREAT goal to have, but it’s not something that’s going to happen through sheer desire of it happening.
I was often given classes where the only object was for the students to have “free talking time”. No materials. No guidelines. Just an unrealistic lofty goal defined only by the word “free”.
But, it doesn’t work that way. It never does. It might even feel like trying to have free talking with low-level ESL students and teaching ESL students who have nothing to say to have a conversation is no easy feat, that’s sure. And there is no ONE trick that is going to work on every group.
You’re going to have to try multiple things until you find what works for your students. Of course, there is always the possibility that’s it something an easy fix of simple problem. Maybe your discussion questions suck..
How should I assess my students?
This varies a great deal. Some IEPs will tell you exactly how many tests to give, when to give them, and how to grade them (as well as provide the tests themselves.) Others leave most assessment up to you with the exception of the exam for moving up a level (the final exam). Still others will leave even that up to you. This is something I decided needed its own post, which you can read here: How to Assess Adult ESL Students in Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
How do I meet the needs of students with different goals?
There is no magic bullet here. Really, the key is to be flexible. You’ll need to be flexible with your lessons, the material will need to be flexible, and your students will also have to be flexible. Remember that lesson plans are not set in stone. They are just plans, outlines for what you’d LIKE to do with them. Be open to repeatedly tossing them out the metaphorical window on a daily basis.
Here’s the truth: you’re not going to meet everyone’s needs during every class, and your adult ESL students shouldn’t expect you to.
If you can group them according to their purpose and differentiate the instruction, by all means, do so! This would greatly benefit them…but it’ll also likely burn you out faster. So, remember that you don’t have to keep them in these groups all the time. Do some activities together that can meet everyone’s needs as well as splitting them into purpose-based groups, level groups, etc. Match the type of grouping to the activity you’re doing.
Here’s a secret that makes mixed grouping easier: students with different goals often need the same skills.
That group of adult ESL students who want to pass an English proficiency exam and go on to university? Mix them with students learning English to improve their job prospects. Then add the ones who want to continue doing the job they used to have in their country. All of them need to learn specific vocabulary. They all need to improve their grammar and make themselves understood when they speak. They all need to collaborate with people whose goals they don’t share.
The key is to TELL the students what they have in common. You want them to understand why they’re grouped together. When they know their common goals, it’s easier for the dentist studying for the NBDE (National Board Dental Examination) to feel comfortable learning alongside the student who needs to pass the IELTS (International English Language Testing System).
Don’t let students get too comfortable in any one group. Mix things up regularly. Watch how they’re collaborating so you can rearrange groups when needed.
Students need to count on each other for encouragement and support. They also need to challenge each other and get opportunities to collaborate with people they’re not used to. Sometimes, pairing students who don’t mesh perfectly can help them expand their social skills or approach a task in a way they wouldn’t have thought of on their own.
How do I deal with inconsistent attendance?
School teachers accustomed to having the same group of students for a full school year or a multi-month semester can be taken aback by how adult ESL students seem to drift in and out of classes. You never know from day to day how many students you’ll have. Some of the language schools I taught at had “terms” that were only a month long. New students were constantly dropping in even during week three of a four-week term. Even the schools with longer terms (two months) would have new students dropping in when there was only a week left.
Do you want to hear about a real challenge? At one adult ESL school where I worked, I taught three different leveled classes simultaneously in the same classroom. They weren’t even always consecutive levels! For example, I might have level 1, level 3, and level 4. Yep, three different textbooks even! This was when I started making PowerPoints like mad to switch from one to another easily. I was always swamped with work, just trying to keep up.
What do I do when new students join an established class?
You know how there is always a student who finishes things early or who wants more speaking practice? The one you usually sent out on a conversational visit? That’s the student you assign to interview and then do a presentation on the new student. This lets everyone get to know a few things about the new student without putting the newbie under pressure right away. Give the new student writing homework to give personal responses to questions that will let you know them better. I prefer ungraded homework with no deadline. Ensure that they understand the assignment is for you to get to know them as a person, and they will be more eager to do it.
How do I catch up the new students without the old ones sitting there bored?
Instead of repeating the lesson, repeat the skill. Or, if it is vocabulary, use the same vocabulary, but differently. Or, split your time…teach the repeated lesson to the new group while having the old group handle something they can do with minimal help from you, and then switch. Give the first group time to review what you’ve taught while checking in with the second group. I did a lot of this when I had multiple classes.
How can I support my adult ESL students?
Your students have traveled thousands of miles to be here. They are immersed in a new culture with a new language. They’re far from their usual support systems. There are tons of rules they need to follow, and it can all feel so overwhelming. And watching them try to deal with it can feel a bit overwhelming to us as well because we’re teachers. We want our students to do their best, and for them to do their best, they need a supportive environment. This is something else that I ended up deciding needs its own post. You can read it here: How to Support Your IEP Students When Everything Feels Like Too Much
What is sequencing and pacing like in adult ESL?
Again, be flexible. Think of sequencing and pacing as happening in a spiral instead of linearly. You’ll figure out appropriate sequencing and pacing once you know your students, their needs, and the pace they can handle. It’s different for each class and can change as time goes on.
How can I avoid offending anyone?
That is not really possible. You are going to offend someone. It’s just going to happen.
What will help is creating and maintaining relationships with your adult ESL students. You want them to be comfortable with letting you know when it happens so that you can avoid doing it again if possible. Also, when they know your heart, they won’t be as offended.
You might even share a story of someone being offended and what they did/said to make others aware. Tell them how the whole thing was resolved. Share with them a positive story as well as one that didn’t go well. They need to know what might be an unrealistic expectation.
That Time a Cultural Misunderstanding Escalated
For example, one day at one of my previous schools, a young Saudi woman became extremely upset when a group member briefly touched her shoulder while praising her work. The group member was a man who had no idea that in her culture, this was completely inappropriate. She told her husband, who then showed up at the school demanding that police arrest the man for sexual molestation and that we expel him from the program. Yeah, that happened.
He also wanted assurances that his wife would never be required to speak to a man, be in the same group as a man, or sit near a man. (Any man, not just the man who touched her shoulder.) This was a young woman who intended to go on to university. We had to explain to her (and her husband) what she would be required to do at a university and that none of their demands would be met.
We were always careful not to have a Saudi woman and an unrelated Saudi man paired up. If they hadn’t been in the country long, it was a hard no. Those who had been here longer were sometimes more open to it. However, part of the language school’s purpose was to prepare international students for life in America. They needed to be ready for university life, and they had to find a way to live within the community.
Nip cultural misunderstandings in the bud when possible.
After that, I made sure to explain to incoming male students that they needed to be cautious when interacting with women from more conservative cultures. I suggested that they take cues from the women themselves about what level of familiarity was comfortable. If they didn’t know enough English to understand, I made sure there was someone to interpret.
I’ve also shared this story many times when introducing class discussions on cultural differences. The Saudi students who heard it would express shock that she and her husband reacted this way. They said that the man was wrong to touch her but that the couple needed to understand his ignorance of their culture. This is generally not an issue with high-level students because they can communicate their boundaries themselves, but imagine being a low-level student who can’t. (By the way, female teachers can touch Saudi women but should be cautious about touching Saudi men. Some might be offended, and others might take it in an entirely different wrong way.)
How do I deal with cultures I know nothing about?
For now, learn whatever you can about the cultures of the students who are in your adult ESL classes. Also, encourage them to teach each other about their cultures. If they are of a level that this would be possible, consider having them do group/individual presentations to teach the class about common cultural differences.
Does what I wear really matter?
I feel uncomfortable writing about this because it shouldn’t matter, but here’s what I observed: if you’ve previously taught or worked where dressing casually is acceptable, consider dressing up for adult ESL. I rarely wore jeans when I taught adults. If we had an outdoor field trip, I would, but that’s about it.
Here’s why I’m telling you this even though it feels outdated…many cultures view teachers as professionals and expect them to look like it. I found that students took me more seriously when I wore slacks instead of jeans. I also avoided tops that showed cleavage or shoulders (this goes for men and for women) because many students come from conservative countries where this matters to them.
Your context might be different. Your students might not care at all. But if you’re wondering why you’re getting unexpected reactions, this might be why.
I wore what I considered to be my job’s uniform. It didn’t express who I was; it wasn’t what I enjoyed wearing. It was for the job. Outside of the job, I wore what I pleased.
How do I teach content I don’t know well?
With adult ESL students, trust is important. They need to trust that you know what you are doing. Many students, especially from Asian countries, are NOT reassured by being told, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and tell you tomorrow.” Doubt will fester after such a statement. Your ability to teach is suddenly in question.
So what to do instead? Maybe it’s an issue of you needing to build up your own grammar skills because Teaching ESL Grammar When You Don’t Know Grammar is stressful.
However, chances are that if they are asking you a question that you don’t know the answer to and you’re always well-prepared, they’re asking something that is above their level. When that happens, what I’ve found success with is telling them, “Congratulations! You’ve just come up with a higher-level question. Learning English effectively is a step-by-step process, and we’re not ready to talk about that yet. We will in the future. I’m so proud of you for coming up with that question. It shows a real desire to learn!” Naturally, I’d phrase that according to the student’s comprehension level.
I also took note of each question as well as who asked it. Then when it came up later in the week or the course, I’d say, “Hey, remember when Mesfer asked about ___? That’s what we’re going to learn today!” This showed my students that they could rely on me to eventually answer their questions…when they were ready to understand the answer. Of course, this also handles situations well when they really ARE asking for answers they don’t yet have the foundation to understand.
How do I help adults who are out of practice with learning?
They might have been stellar students back in their high school days, but those days are long gone. Or maybe they graduated top of their class in university, but years have passed since then. These students need extra care because they will likely have high expectations for themselves, possibly completely unrealistic expectations. They require a delicate touch, but at the same time, they need to relearn how to learn. Focusing on learning skills and strategies and not just English can help.
For example, I had this student who was determined to pass the TOEFL soon even though she was a low-level beginner student. I always pointed out the skills we were using that were also test-taking skills. I called it what it was. When I asked them to glance through a text to find the answer, I called it scanning. I explained how it would help them pass a test, and we also discussed how scanning is a useful strategy in other situations. Adults, being adults, likely already have some experience with diverse strategies. Get these experts to share how their favorites help them succeed in tasks like tests, class assignments, and homework, and in the workplace.
Then again, sometimes you need at least 2 Ways to Get Adult ESL Students to Try New Strategies because they’re being too stubborn about clinging to a past that no longer exists. Times change, right? But not everyone is willing to change with those times of their free will. They’ll need your help (and explanations of why).
What do I do when my teaching situation is impossible?
You’re already at the end of your rope, so tie a knot in it and hang on. And to be honest? Look for another job. While you might be able to pull it off for a while, you’re going to burn out so fast your head will spin, especially if you are teaching without a summer or winter break. This is not something you can do well consistently year-round, and you shouldn’t be expected to.
See, part of the problem is that we are TEACHERS. We want to teach, and we want to do so to the best of our ability and serve our students well. Not being able to eats away at us until we lose all our passion, and then what’s left? The high salary and attractive job perks? Did you snort or was that me?
There are other adult ESL teaching jobs. Find one that isn’t expecting miracles. Look for one that will be a supportive environment for you to be your best so that you can give your students the best. The students you left behind? They can also find better learning environments so that they can be their best. None of us are being FORCED to do this kind of teaching or learning.
The Bottom Line
If this all sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Teaching adult ESL means dealing with constantly shifting groups, navigating cultural landmines, and making it up as you go more often than you’d like.
But you’re going to be fine. Get to know your students. Stay flexible. Don’t try to be perfect. And when the job expects miracles, find a better job.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
