A traditional teaching method is this: the teacher stands at the front of the room and recites a bundle of facts. The students note down these facts. Finish. But this has definitely been proven an ineffective way to learn. Students should enjoy learning, and they should be stimulated and interested. This certainly seems obvious if we talk about teaching school students, but it really applies equally to adults too. When I teach adults, the most important thing for me is that I use a wide variety of teaching and learning activities, and that includes games and having fun.
To ensure variety, I use different versions of individual, pair, group and whole class work for various activities. Pairwork is especially useful for giving students the opportunity to check their ideas with just one other person, which helps them feel validated before having to offer answers in front of a whole class. Group work can involve teams and competitive games – which really are just as inspiring for adults as for kids. Every adult was once a kid, and if you as a teacher can provide a comfortable environment for them to behave a little bit like this again, the results can be excellent. When I was teaching Business English to company employees in Europe, the greatest success in having them learn new vocabulary came from a variety of games when they might be racing each other to the whiteboard or practicing new words using funny voices – not only did they enjoy themselves, but they could link the new vocabulary to a particular experience, and remember more words more easily.
Of course, not all adult learners are ready for boisterous games or emotive roleplays – this kind of teaching might be complete different to anything they’ve previously experienced. In this case, explaining the educational theory behind the activities usually helps them realise that it’s not just for fun, it’s actually to help them learn. Starting slowly and building an environment of trust can help all adults be ready for a more creative, student-centered course. It’s also important to show that you don’t mind making a fool of yourself in order to help them learn, and then nearly all of them will come on board.