Age differences

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• Teacher Education
• University

Learner Differences: Age

Materials Design and Development

Spring Term 2026

Prof. Soledad Sandoval M

Agenda

• Teaching children

• Teaching teenagers

• Teaching adults

• Over to you

What do you associate with teaching children?

Drag and Drop

Teaching children

Teaching teenagers

Faster learning

Implicit learning

Reduced attention span

Lack of motivation

Teaching (very) young leaners

• Implicit vs explicit learning: children learn best through implicit learning: imitating, memorizing, acquiring intuitively through repeated exposure and production in enjoyable or interesting activities.

• Discipline: children are more impatient, and less tolerant of tedious practice or difficult tasks with no immediate reward.

• Concentration span in children is very reduced - unlikely to be willing to continue to focus attention on doing something of no immediate interest to them

To consider...

• Tasks for implicit learning: lots of exposure to meaningful language, repetition, learning by heart, no/little rules

• Interesting materials: visual stimuli (pictures), stories, games, songs, etc.

• LPs with varied, short tasks: excting and calm activities, groups & individual, different skills. etc.

What materials / activities would you suggest for teaching young learners?

Teaching teenagers

• More conscious, explicit strategies for language learning

• Higher abstract tinking capacity + longer attention spans

• Motivation may not be very high: they have to rather than because they want to, and may therefore be reluctant to invest effort. Plus, there are specific problems of identity, relationships, physical change and so on, which may make it more difficult for them to concentrate

• The best source to gather information about what is effective to teach teenagers, is teenagers themselves (what do they value the most in their English lessons?)

What materials would you suggest for teaching teens?

Teaching adults (you!)

Abstract thinking ability. Adults are better able to understand a context reduced segment of language.

Attention span. Adults have longer attention spans for material that may not be intrinsically interesting to them (no discipline issues).

Self-confidence. Adults often bring a modicum of general self-confidence into a classroom, so their egos may be somewhat stronger, but we should never underestimate the emotional fragility of adults. Vocational interests. Adult learners, especially those in their college years and beyond, are more able to focus on their vocational future, and will derive motivational intensity from such vision (added motivation) - General English/ EAP/ BE/ Other courses...

Why may it be challenging to teach adults?

A

They are more demanding

B

They have a short attention focus

C

They require more attention

D

They lack motivation

What materials may be suggested for teaching adults?

A

Songs

B

Grammar drills

C

Stories

D

Worksheets with practice tasks