Adult ESL Activities
As an ESL teacher or lecturer, you always search for ways to innovate your classroom. The degree to which your students engage determines the incline of their learning curve, the more captivating your lessons, the more meaningful and productive their learning experience. Today’s ESL resources combine traditional language learning, technology, and innovative interactive teaching materials. Coursebook authors have raised their game considerably over the past few decades, meaning language learning books are now relevant and focused on learner benefits. But what about the classroom? How can you refresh your materials and methods? This question plagues most language teachers, especially those teaching professionals. This post provides inventive adult ESL activities you can use in your classroom or adapt to meet your students’ learning needs and objectives.
Successful Language Learning Strategies
Much research and analysis have gone into identifying and crafting successful language-learning strategies among adults. From developing the best language teaching methods to interviewing hoards of students, the ESL community has invested much time, resources, and efforts to create a pathway to exemplary learning outcomes. Every teacher seeks the surety that students complete courses equipped with effective language tools, ready for whatever setting they are about to enter. The success of any language programme hinges on student commitment and teaching quality.
The 2023 research project Exploring Learning Strategies and Characteristics of Good Language Learners among EFL Graduate Students in Morocco: A Case Study sought to identify the characteristics and criteria leading to outstanding ESL learning. 118 graduate students from a Moroccan Master’s and Doctorate programme responded to a broad range of language-learning-strategy-related questions. The results highlight a pressing need to engage students, meaning teachers must integrate “diverse learning strategies into language teaching, learner training” and further explore social strategies. “Metacognitive, cognitive, compensatory, and affective strategies” produced the best results. Teachers supporting their students toward self-motivation, resourcefulness, and a positive attitude reaped much praise.
Those findings suggest that adult ESL activities can provide a framework for much-improved learning. The goal is to create a positive learning atmosphere and proactively engage students to become self-driven and proficient.
Top Priorities for Adult Classroom Activities
When setting up classroom activities, teachers must consider the following aspects:
- Real-Life Relevance: At least linguistically, classroom activities must be opportunities to use and expand student language capacities they can subsequently use in real-life situations.
- Student Autonomy & Ownership: The activity must provide the scope for students to take ownership of their learning and allow them to work independently.
- Challenge: The activity must challenge students without overwhelming them.
- Collaboration: Activities whereby students cooperate to complete a task produce great learning and communication opportunities.
- Language Skill Integration: Projects which task participants with writing, reading, listening, and speaking are particularly fruitful.
- Clear Objectives and Instructions: The clarity of your instructions and objectives determines how smoothly the classroom activity will run and how independently participants can thrive.
- Evaluation and Feedback: Establish a feedback and evaluation system beforehand, informing students and laying down parameters and scope.
Adult ESL Activities for Any Classroom
Let’s start by introducing adult classroom activities you can use regardless of the student group. They prioritise interaction, involvement, and active student participation.
We have chosen activities covering all language skills rather than listing separate activities to improve listening, writing, reading or speaking. Most of the following projects require 5 or more lessons to complete.
The Local News Project
Divide your class into pairs tasking them to research the latest local news story within a realistic timeframe. Prompt them to contact local publications or find online sources. The entire class must then jointly create a news bulletin (video or print).
Evaluate the news reports and grade research, writing, listening, and speaking skills.
The Drama
Create a list of story scenarios from which students can pick. They must write a script and perform the play.
Evaluate the writing, acting, collaboration, and delivery.
The Poetry Workshop
Start your lesson with a diverse range of 3-5 poems. Briefly introduce poetic tools before asking students to pen a poem and perform it. You can illustrate your instructions by introducing slam poetry (YouTube).
Evaluate the writing, performing, and audience reactions.
The Debating Competition
Split your class into two groups (four if necessary) and provide two opposing viewpoints. The topic choice is entirely up to you, meaning you can choose any topic including sports, the arts, politics or global issues.
Allow the groups to prepare arguments they must present to the entire class. The teams choose the best speakers, and you evaluate their performance and choose a winner.
The Sales Pitch and the Advertisement
Create small groups of 3-5 students. Ask them to invent a product or service they wish to sell. They must prepare a convincing sales pitch for potential clients in writing and deliver it while scripting and performing a TV advertisement.
Your evaluation covers the choice of language, oral abilities, and team effectiveness.
The Multi-Cultural Museum
Ask students to bring an item representing their culture to the classroom. As a group, they must create a museum exhibition, with each participant educating the audience about their cultural heritage when talking about their item.
Evaluate each student’s writing and speaking skills while providing feedback on the team’s organisational skills.
The Real-Life Pickle
The Real-Life Pickle is an elaborate role-play. Create small groups and provide real-life troubles, including car accidents, medical incidents, consumer complaints, relationship turmoil, etc. It’s best to deliver the scenarios in the form of little stories. Give each group the same scenario to act out and resolve.
Evaluate creativity, performance, and teamwork.
Adult ESL Activities for Professionals
The following activities allow professionals to expand their business English skills.
The Job Application/Business Plan
Suitable for any professional, the job application classroom activity can produce excellent learning. At the very beginning of this activity, ask each student to find an appealing job advertisement online. Pair them up and ask each pair to compile resumes and interview questions. Allow sufficient time for them to produce professional CVs and industry and job-relevant questions.
When all pairs are ready, bring the class together and examine each resume before role-playing the interviews.
The class rates each CV and interview performance, providing tips and constructive criticism.
The Start-Up Competition
Divide your class into groups of 3-4 people and ask them to develop a business idea and write a business plan.
When all the groups are ready, get them to pitch for investment and choose the winner.
The Corporate Dilemma
If you are working with corporate students, you can create the most relevant and engaging expanded role plays. Provide scenarios such as a product recall or financial crash which participants must handle. At the outset, divvy up different roles including CEO, manager, accountant, etc. Students must collaborate to resolve the crisis and secure the firm’s survival.
You can also create negotiation scenarios whereby students must reach a deal from opposing starting points. Alternatively, you can present an ethical dilemma company management must tackle.
Choose your corporate dilemma in line with your students’ professional situations to make them as relevant as possible.
On completion, evaluate research, writing, communication, and soft skills.
The Research Project
If you are working with academics, the research project provides them with a structure to use English in an academic setting. Ask them to research a topic, develop a theorem, and write and present their findings. Finish with a Q&A session encouraging the class to ask questions and discuss the study.
Task students with the evaluation to help them develop their language skills further.
When it comes to adult ESL activities, you can create just about the most engaging learning experiences. If you mix inventive ideas with your student goals you can be sure of excellent outcomes.