Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
ent types of summaries from various types educational institutions had not yet started nate f r o m the process i n general, as w e l l
of m a t e r i a l s . E x a m p l e s i n c l u d e t a b l e s , to see foreign language l e a m i n g as a p r i o r - as to give reasons f o r b o t h . T h e n i t a t -
grids, and charts. ity, also have a lot to catch up w i t h . They tempted to sound out more p a r t i c u l a r d i s -
To conclude, s u m m a r i z i n g is a h i g h l y d i d l e a r n some E n g l i s h , b u t one could likes c o n c e m i n g such things as the t e x t -
c h a l l e n g i n g a c t i v i t y for the students b e - hardly c a l i them fluent speakers of the l a n - book, type of classroom activities,
cause i t compels them to t h i n k i n an eco- guage. So they too take up E n g l i s h courses. exercises, m a t e r i a l s , t o p i c s , and f i n a l l y
n o m i c a l way a n d to p r o d u c e a h e r n a t i v e I f we combine the two groups, we can see the teacher.
language w h i l e m a i n t a i n i n g the same t h a t the m a r k e t for t e a c h i n g E n g l i s h to O n the basis of the answers received, I
ideas. ® adults i n Poland is a considerable one.
discovered the f o l l o w i n g seven things that
W h e n teaching post-tertiary students,
adult learners of E n g l i s h d i s l i k e most:
a teacher of E n g l i s h must be aware of the
1. Texthooks in English only. Al-
specifics of this group. A d u l t learners d i f -
though adult learners appreciate the t e x t -
fer f r o m o t h e r age groups i n respect to
books available on the Polish book market
t h e i r l e a r n i n g experience, memory t y p e ,
and used i n most l a n g u a g e courses for
motivation, a n d , most of a l l , i n respect to
their needs and expectations. A s they are their c l a r i t y , logical structuring of the m a -
learn fast and see the results almost i m m e - c r i t i c a l remarks about t h e m is t h e i r lack
diately. Generally, they are a likeable age of any language notes or explanations i n
group to teach, although there are things Polish. W i t h o u t seeing a word i n their n a -
E n g l i s h , w h i c h i n many cases they now cluded an " o t h e r " option. m u c h h a r m . These notes w o u l d not o n l y
need for t h e i r career. T h e i r younger c o l - The questionnaire asked the learners save the leamers t i m e , b u t also give them
leagues, people who graduated from u n i - to a d m i t to the things they d i s l i k e about t h e sense of s e c u r i t y t h e y m i s s i n t h e
W e m u s t , however, account for i n d i - " I m u s t f i r s t u n d e r s t a n d w h a t i t is a l l ports about made-up countries, they frown
their age, allow some people to be more or sentence w h i c h is not so easy to p r e d i c t . " to discuss a text as a f o l l o w - u p a c t i v i t y ,
less s u i t e d to d r a m a t i c a c t i v i t i e s . W h e n I n t e l l i g e n t learners, a t e r m that includes the text must be of interest to the leamers.
asked to play a role of a tourist abroad or most adults, soon realise that such exer- W h a t triggers d i s c u s s i o n best are texts
a customer i n a shop, some learners w i l l cises can be done without even t r y i n g to touching upon controversial matters (e.g.,
behave almost naturally, w h i l e , others, for u n d e r s t a n d the sentence f u l l y , w h i c h is women priests, the advantages and d i s a d -
w h o m the situation seems a r t i f i c i a l , may rather pointless. W h e n asked to do a d r i l l - vantages of the latest t e c h n i c a l develop-
other h a n d , asked to play a totally unreal l e a r n e r s c a n o f t e n be f o u n d to have I t seems that authentio texts, even at
situation (e.g., " y o u are a pólice officer i n - " c h e a t e d , " that is, having done the exer- the elementary level, serve their purpose
says: " W e do not need to be over c o n - the meaning of what they are saying. A t - an a d u l t l e a r n e r is h i s or her p e r e n n i a l
fuUy. Dramatic a c t i v i t i e s . . . involve more for adult leamers of a foreign language. I n work and f u l f i l l i n g f a m i l y duties; so, i f on
than j u s t performance: the situation has to some cases, however, pronunciation prac-
be discussed, the characters d e v e l o p e d , t i c e f o r e x a m p l e , we m u s t s m u g g l e i n
the scene elaborated and the language to some d r i l l i n g , as c o g n i t i v e t h i n k i n g w i l l
be used w o r k e d out. I n these a n d other not be of m u c h help here.
matters a l l students can particípate f u U y . "
4. Textbooks with no reading ma- AGNIESZKA STRZALKA
W e must use the less i n h i b i t e d or "more
g i f t e d " learners' potential and help those
terial or with artificial texts. Perhaps is a júnior aca-
as a r e m n a n t of the g r a m m a r - t r a n s l a t i o n demic teacher at
less l i k e l y to " i m p r o v i s e . "
method w i t h w h i c h they were once taught tile Silesian
foreign languages, aduk leamers do not ap-
University in
3. Drilling. W h e n l e a m i n g grammar, Katowice, Poiand.
a d u l t learners l i k e to be given nice and preciate textbooks that feature dialogues,
clear explanations without too m u c h spe- pictures, and charts, but have only a few
c i a l i s t t e r m i n o l o g y so that t h e y u n d e r - rather short passages for reading. New vo-
stand the p r o b l e m fuUy before they start cabulary items seem to be better remem-