The Center for Adult English Language Acquisition indicates that the cultural background of adult English language learners can have a significant impact on learning and the learning environment. Adult English language learners bring a lifetime of cultural beliefs into the classroom, which often vary greatly from the culture that they are learning in. For example, the adult student may have specific expectations about how the learning should be accomplished, as well as what his role in the classroom should be in relation to gender. Additionally, what may have been acceptable behavior in a student's country of origin may conflict with expected learning behaviors in the United States. Teachers must develop cross-cultural skills in order to effectively teach English to adult learners so that the classroom environment is positive and the objectives of learning can be achieved.
Every adult student that walks into a classroom has developed her own knowledge and skills in relation to language that are individualized. Some students may have a minimal educational background, while others may have degrees, though neither group of students may be proficient in the English language. Aligning the learning process for adult English language learners with everyday life aids students in building a stronger comprehension of English. This occurs because adult students are capable of associating their language knowledge and skills with the ability to function in the world, making their efforts support their own survival. As an adult ESL teacher, you should develop lesson plans that incorporate daily activities that rely on the use of the English language in order to be accomplished.
Every ESL lesson must have an objective that can be measured. The objective outlines an action that the student must take in order to achieve a specific outcome. The objective allows adult ESL students to comprehend what their goals are for learning during the lesson and provides a foundation for the teacher to evaluate the student performance and understanding when the lesson is complete. When objectives are unclear for the adult student, he may become frustrated and eventually fall behind in gaining ESL proficiency. When the objectives are clear for each lesson, the student knows what he must achieve and the skills that are required to be successful.