What NOT to teach adult beginners

What language do you teach learners right at the beginning? If your answer to this is 'Colours, numbers, days of the week...' PLEASE watch this video to see why I think these are terrible things to spend class time on!
If you like my approach, check out my other material at www.elt-traini...

[@barbarawentzel5671]

Food for thought... I agree about the alphabet. However, being able to spell your name and email address are useful skills, imo. After some reflectiion, I will continue to include time and directions with my adult learners. The majority of my learners are either involved with tourism (own holiday homes) or want English for travelling. So, being able to make arrangements (talking about time) and directing tourists to sights in the area is actually on their programme. Obviously all taught as functional language

[@cartoona4781]

Remembering the learners' goals is of the essence indeed. Sometimes it's useful to teach the language of Google Maps too so that hey can be more encouraged to switch their phones' language into English and try that while they're on the street.

[@elttraining]

Ah- interesting idea!

[@user-lz5fv7nd2i]

Functional language at the beginning for sure. The text book we use has a 2-page section at the end of every odd numbered unit which focuses on "social" English in various situations. The teachers I teach with generally skip this section. I often tell my students that this is how they can start up a conversation with someone at a party or a bar and their ears always prick up.

[@mehmet.albyrk]

Is it headway?

[@ildefonsogustavodiazsandov9246]

Dear teacher, I agree with you totally. Thank you so much for sharing your relevant and helpful ideas. All the very best

[@lorizarahn6407]

Great advice. There's a nursery rhyme/fairytale series I READ TO YOU AND YOU READ TO ME I use for pronunciation. They're revised for an edgier tone.

[@EmanAli-cx6pz]

I totally agree communication language at the beginning.

[@lynnbradshaw6279]

Totally agree. Adults (and teenagers) need to be functional in the language from the get go. That's why they are having lessons, really.

[@tenthecat1320]

Thanks for the advice, Jo. Definitely best to teach functional language first so the adults can use the language to communicate with others better, which is the main reason they are learning English to begin with.

[@marccano5061]

Cou cou Jo, I teach french 🥖 and i always emphasize conversation skills right from the start! Great video

[@kathybryan3374]

Thank you for this, I couldn't agree more about the nursery rhymes and singing. I am always surprised how many course books directed at adults include this.

[@GAC913]

Thank you so much for this amazing video and insightful opinion. I agree with you. Back in 2020, I was teaching adult beginners' class and the material used was sometimes challenging but naive other times. I tried my best to balance each section for my students. However, I came in contact with a professional trainer in the same year in my city in a TOT course (we take it as a certificate to teach any subject along side a university degree). This "trainer" asked me to teach her about numbers and days of the week in our first class session because that's what she expects. I was shocked and perplexed at the level of nativity and harm she was practicing on herself and others. I mentioned to her that out of respect to her and to her brain i would not do it because I'm teaching adults rather than children, yet my words fell on deaf ears. I'm glad we agree on this. ❤❤ Thank you, restoring my confidence in my response and my experience.

[@elttraining]

Ah- that’s great!

[@sarahhall8993]

Totally agree,especially about asking for the time. (Does anyone actually do this these days? ) However, I think it’s important that they have passive understanding of the time ie to understand a time when it is given to them as in : Class starts at 9.15 am/ in the morning. Years ago I recall an indignant student turning up at 9 pm and complaining that there was no teacher in their classroom….

[@johnlyons6428]

I agree

[@creature_maria]

Numbers, letters, days of the week and time can all be useful, though, if they're taught in context. For example, if you're talking about how many children someone has, you'll need to know the numbers. Or if you're introducing yourself you might need to spell out your name or your social media handle.

[@elttraining]

I agree- I didn’t say they shouldn’t learn them- I said you shouldn’t spend valuable and limited CLASSROOM time on them (IMHO). This kind of thing can easily be set as out of class work with Quizlet, for example….

[@MohEm13]

Great advice, thank you!

[@loridechellis331]

My pet peeve is countries and nationalities as vocabulary in the early classes...especially in monolingual classrooms!

[@elttraining]

Yup! Thats another one for Quizlet!

[@YncFlrZ]

I encourage my students to walk up to strangers and ask for directions to overcome their initial fear of speaking. I tell them to look up a direction on the phone first and then ask a stranger for the very same direction. This way they don't have to worry to much about understanding but still can practice a small conversation in their target language with a native speaker. All in all i absolutely agree!

[@elttraining]

That's a great idea for breaking the ice! Love it!

[@beautifulmusic4life]

Great advice. I couldn't agree more though I'm currently working with a group of early childhood educators, and I check their understanding of body parts, etc. They use nursery rhymes with children, which can also be found on KZbin. No need for me to teach them

[@multicolour5879]

I think learning numbers is not a bad idea. When going shopping, or asking for quantities, your hotel room number, they are useful. Nursery rhymes , ok, they are a no no. Thankyou and please and definitely ones to know right from the start.

[@elttraining]

@@multicolour5879 hi there! I didn’t say learning numbers was a bad thing- you’re right that they need to know them… BUT this is something learners can easily do on their own at home and it isn’t a great way to spend your short, precious class time imho😀

[@caro1591]

Totally agree!

[@janecarvell7009]

All good points! I do like to teach directions in a building (e.g ‚it‘s on the second floor‘). It’s useful for hotels and business trips, or if you are showing guests around. P.S The pronunciation of ‘Gloucester’ in the nursery rhyme video, hmmmmm. 🤔

[@elttraining]

Fair point about within a building- happy to concede that one!

[@doneasaadi26]

Thank u . Very good advice my lady.

[@laurahernando5389]

Absolutely!

[@mohamedabdelrahman247]

Couldn't agree more.

[@МергульКулахметова]

I agree 👍

[@blood.bought7]

100%

[@galgulator]

Telling the time is very important. How can you schedule an appointment or a meeting when you can't understand or tell the time?

[@elttraining]

I didn't say not to learn these- just not to spend time in class on them at the beginning. I don't think that you're going to be scheduling a business meeting in English if you're a complete beginner....

[@clairegonnella6149]

But you'll be making a doctor's appointments, job centre appointments, appointments with schools etc and then having to find your way around these locations - so directions and time can be helpful on my opinion.

[@amylgaspyenglish]

ABSOLUTELY!!!🙌✨

[@tarikenglish3]

❤

[@barbarawinkle1042]

At what point would the teaching of some basic grammar come into play? Thanks.

[@elttraining]

@@barbarawinkle1042 Teaching grammar IS important- it really helps adult learners to see systems in the language- but I’d say that it’s good idea at very low levels (especially) for this to come out of functional exponents. So, for example, if you’re teaching introductions and therefore occupations, then ‘I’m a teacher/ plumber etc’ and She’s an electrician’ and ‘They work in a bank’ and ‘What do you do/ what does she do? … all lead to teaching present simple grammar. I think this is the way to approach it… rather than ‘today we’re going to learn about the present simple’. What do you think?