LA SALLE UNIVERSITY – SCHOOL OF EDUCATION SCIENCES
BA IN SPANISH, ENGLISH, AND FRENCH – FOREIGN LANGUAGE DIDACTICS
THE YOUNG LEARNER
So what are the Characteristics of Young Learners?
Young learners are only just starting their schooling so teachers have a clear opportunity to mould the mind of the child and their expectations of life in school.
They tend to be keen and enthusiastic learners, without the inhibitions which older learners sometimes bring to their schooling.
A young child’s learning can be closely tied up with their development of ideas and concepts because it is so close to their initial experience of formal schooling.
Young learners need physical movement and activity as much asstimulation for their thinking. They have a short attention span and have very little inhibition. They are usually very spontaneous so therefore an activity approach in the form of games, songs and drama is recommended. When reviewing the situation we return to the main explanations for better learning at a younger age and the suggestion that the young brain is more adaptable before puberty and the acquisition of languages is less inhibited in the younger learner.
It is claimed that children's language learning is more closely integrated with real communication because it depends more on the immediate physical environment than adult language, although older learners have greater ability and experience when presented with hypothetical learning situations etc.
Finally there is the suggestion that young children have more time for language learning than older learners as they are less involved in other responsibilities.
Superfine, Wendy. (2002). Why use activity based learning in the young learner classroom? Educação & Comunicação, 7, 27-36. https://iconline.ipleiria.pt/bitstream/10400.8/250/1/n7_art3.pdf
THE YOUNG ADOLESCENT LEARNER
Fran Salyers and Carol McKee
Key Generalizations About Young Adolescents
ß The accelerated physical and personal development that occurs during this period is the greatest in the human life cycle and is marked by great variance in both the timing and rate of growth.
ß These are the years during which each individual forms his/her adult personality, basic values, and attitudes.
ß Adolescents reach physical maturity at an earlier age than their grandparents and they acquire apparent sophistication earlier than in previous generations.
ß They seek autonomy and independence.
ß They are by nature explorers, curious and adventuresome.
ß They have intellectual capacities seldom tapped by traditional schooling.
ß They learn best through interaction and activity rather than by listening.
ß They seek interaction with adults and opportunities to engage in activities that have inherent value.
ß Their physical and social development become priorities.
ß They are sensitive, vulnerable, and emotional.
ß They are open to influence by the significant others in their lives.
ß A significant portion of today’s teenage population is alienated from society.
Physical Characteristics
ß Girls are often taller and more physically advanced than boys in the earlier stages of adolescence.
ß Incommensurate growth of heart and body weight may result in functional heart murmurs.
ß Uneven bone-muscle growth and/or disproportionate changes in weight and muscle development result in awkwardness.
ß Cartilage in certain skeletal areas (e.g., tailbone) hardens.
ß Sexual maturation often occurs.
ß Periods of extreme restlessness alternate with fatigue.
ß Chemical and hormonal imbalances often occur.
ß Rapid growth results in increased nutritional demands.
ß Physical movement, rest, and change of activity are all necessary.
Intellectual Characteristics
ß Enjoys both intellectual and manipulative activities.
ß Prefers active involvement in learning,
ß Motivated to learn when lessons are related to immediate goals and interests.
ß Argues to clarify own thinking and to convince others.
ß Possesses a vivid imagination.
ß Exhibits independent, critical thinking.
ß Forgets easily because his/her mind is so preoccupied with other issues.
ß Sees relationships among similar concepts, ideas, and experiences and makes inferences.
ß Seeks to find causal and correlative relationships.
ß Begins to understand abstract ideas (but research indicates that many remain in concrete operations stage).
ß Makes personal-social concerns a priority over academic matters.
ß Likes to discuss experiences with adults.
ß Shows intense curiosity about the world and him/herself.
ß Forms long-lasting attitudes about learning.
ß Begins thinking about own thinking (metacognition).
Social Characteristics
ß Desires to make personal choices.
ß Desires social acceptance.
ß Seeks peer relationships in order to conform to group norms.
ß Has more interest in relations with the opposite sex, but same sex friendships dominate.
ß Strives to define sex role characteristics.
ß Vacillates between desire for regulation and direction and desire for independence
ß Wants identification with adults but not always willing to accept their suggestions.
ß Shows concern for oppressed groups.
ß Shows willingness to work and sacrifice for social rewards.
ß Tests limits of acceptable behaviors.
ß Needs frequent reinforcement that significant adults including parents care.
Emotional Characteristics
ß Relates self-esteem and self-concept to degree of physical development
ß Questions whether he or she is normal as related to physical appearance and
development
ß Begins to deal with and understand nuances and “shades of gray”
ß Experiences simultaneous emotional conflicts
ß Exaggerates responses to anything with sexual implications
ß Seeks to sort fact from folklore in regards to sexual development
ß Desires attention, sometimes without regard to how it is secured
ß Shifts moods rapidly
ß Can become rebellious toward adults
Implications for Classroom Instruction
Teachers of middle grades students need to be knowledgeable of the varied developmental characteristics of young adolescents so that they can design instruction and classroom management strategies that address these ongoing changes, and support and capitalize on these characteristics.
Using findings from the brain research, one strategy teachers can use to hold the attention of young adolescents is to design lessons that include a full range of sensory motor experiences, including music, smell, touch, and emotion. Engaging the senses and emotions will increase student attention span and heighten memory. Another strategy is to build lessons using inquiry or problem-based learning in which students are encouraged to ask questions that interest them after the lesson is framed in terms of essential questions or problems to resolve.
Using essential questions to frame the unit, incorporating the senses and emotions to focus the learning, and then facilitating students in finding multiple ways to solve problems can focus adolescent learning while building complex neuron connections within the brain. (Wilson and Horch, 2002, p. 59)
Another strategy to strengthen connections in the brain is to ask students to write reflectively every day. This gives time for students to consolidate learning and seek meaning between various activities. Students should also be encouraged to use peer collaboration and cooperative learning at this age to take advantage of the great range of academic and social maturities while developing group problem solving skills. Allowing for student choice and making lessons relevant to the interests of young adolescents will engage students in learning while addressing their need to show independence. (Wilson and Horch, 2002, p. 59)
Appropriate lessons for early adolescents also need to provide opportunities for movement and physical exercise because there is a developmental reason young adolescent students fidget and are unable to sit still—various bones including the tailbone are hardening, making it uncomfortable for them to sit for long periods of time.
Fran Salyers, Fran and McKee, Carol. (2009).The Young Adolescent Learner [on line]. http://www.learner.org/workshops/middlewriting/images/pdf/W1ReadAdLearn.pdf
ADULT LEARNERS
Characteristics
Below is a comparison of the learning characteristics of adult learners and youth learners. Of course, these are generalizations with exceptions occurring in each group of learners, but you may want to keep these differences in mind as you consider the learner population you expect in your online course. The design of your course would be influenced by your expected student population.
Adult Learners / Youth LearnersProblem-centered; seek educational solutions to where they are compared to where they want to be in life / Subject-oriented; seek to successfully complete each course, regardless of how course relates to their own goals
Results-oriented; have specific results in mind for education - will drop out if education does not lead to those results because their participation is usually voluntary / Future-oriented; youth education is often a mandatory or an expected activity in a youth's life and designed for the youth's future
Self-directed; typically not dependent on others for direction / Often depend on adults for direction
Often skeptical about new information; prefer to try it out before accepting it / Likely to accept new information without trying it out or seriously questioning it
Seek education that relates or applies directly to their perceived needs, that is timely and appropriate for their current lives / Seek education that prepares them for an often unclear future; accept postponed application of what is being learned
Accept responsibility for their own learning if learning is perceived as timely and appropriate / Depend on others to design their learning; reluctant to accept responsibility for their own learning
In summary, adult learners usually approach learning differently than younger learners:
· they are more self-guided in their learning
· they bring more, and expect to bring more, to a learning situation because of their wider experience - and can take more away
· they require learning "to make sense" - they will not perform a learning activity just because the instructor said to do it
Teaching Strategies for Adult Learners
This means that you may find certain teaching strategies more effective than others with your adult learners.
Adult Learner Characteristics / Teaching StrategiesAdults have years of experience and a wealth of knowledge / Use your adult students as resources for yourself and for other students; use open-ended questions to draw out students' knowledge and experiences; provide many opportunities for dialogue among students
Adults have established values, beliefs, and opinions / Take time to clarify student expecatations of the course; permit debate and the challenge of ideas; be careful to protect minority opinions within the class
Adults expect to be treated as adults / Treat questions and comments with respect; acknowledge contributions students make to the class; do not expect students to necessarily agree with your plan for the course
Adults need to feel self-directed / Engage students in designing the learning process; expect students to want more than one medium for learning and to want control over the learning pace and start/stop times
Adults often have a problem centered approach to learning / Show immediately how new knowledge or skills can be applied to current problems or situations; use participatory techniques such as case studies and problem-solving groups
Adults tend to be less interested in survey types of courses and more interested in straightforward how-to / Focus on theories and concepts within the context of their applications to relevant problems; orient the course content toward direct applications rather than toward theory
Adults have increased variation in learning styles (individual differences among people increase with age) / Use a variety of teaching materials and methods to take into account differences in style, time, types, and pace of learning
Taken from http://online.rit.edu/faculty/teaching_strategies/adult_learners.cfm