Vicky Ariza-Pinzón

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47133/tegc_ch08 

ABSTRACT

Teaching adolescents is often challenging. However, is it challenging because teens are moody, lazy, or rebellious? Or could this challenge be rooted in pre-conceived ideas about teens? To better understand this challenge and any possible myths, we need to examine the developmental stages and key characteristics of young teens, middle teens, and late teens within a broader sociocultural context. By understanding the traits of teenagers and by studying contextual factors regarding second language learning, we will be better prepared for unlocking the potential of this dynamic group of language learners. In this chapter, you will learn about applying The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners (Short et al., 2018) as a guide for effectively teaching and engaging adolescents. Based on these 6 principles, you will also learn how to use several pedagogical applications for teaching and engaging adolescent learners. 

Keywords: teenagers, adolescent learners, English learners, principles for exemplary teaching, learner engagement

How to cite this chapter: 

Ariza-Pinzón, V. (2023). Teaching and Engaging Adolescent Learners. In V. Canese & S. Spezzini (Eds.), Teaching English in Global Contexts, Language, Learners and Learning (pp. 116-123). Editorial Facultad de Filosofía, UNA. https://doi.org/10.47133/tegc_ch08 

INTRODUCTION

During your career as an educator, you might find yourself teaching adolescents. To work more effectively with these students, you should first set aside any pre-conceived ideas or myths that you could have heard about teens and how they might be moody, lazy, or rebellious. Instead, you should focus on getting to know your students, what motivates them, and, also, what activates or obstructs their learning. When teaching teenagers, it is important to know their likes and dislikes, social background, relationship with parents and peers, and experiences with other languages. Of course, as an English language teaching (ELT) professional, you also need to know about second language acquisition, the learning process itself, and how contextual factors can affect language learning (Walqui, 2000).

Throughout their time in secondary school, adolescents are affected by aspects related to their physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development (Papalia et al., 2009). By becoming informed about these aspects, you are better able to plan effective lessons. For example, by knowing that teens are sensitive about their appearance, you can plan a lesson in which you build a safe space so that they can express themselves without fearing prejudice. Likewise, by knowing that they are strongly focused on individual relationships, you may include one-on-one activities that address their hobbies and interests. 

This chapter describes developmental traits of teenagers so that, as future English teachers, you can glimpse into their world and reach a better understanding of factors that affect how they learn language. This chapter also provides principles for engaging adolescents and suggestions for teaching as well as reflection prompts and other ideas to apply in your own classroom.   

Background

Adolescence has been characterized in different ways. Its original definition was related mainly to biological changes within the human body. Since then, adolescence has been defined as a transformational change between childhood and adulthood entailing physical, socioemotional, and cognitive aspects (Bretón & Castro, 2017). This definition led to classifying adolescents as young teenagers (12-14 years of age), middle teenagers (14-17 years of age), and late teenagers (17-19 years of age) with the latter also called young adults (Lewis, 2007). In short, a teenager is someone between 12 and 19 years of age who experiences biological and psychological changes. 

Teachers can effectively teach teenagers by understanding the particularities that define their age group. According to Lewis (2007), young teens (12-14 years of age) and middle teens (14-17 years of age) deserve special attention because they are in a self-recognition process between support and independence. Characteristics for both age spans are provided in Table 1:

Table 1

Characteristics of Young Teens and Middle Teens

Note. Compiled from Teenagers by G. Lewis, 2007, Oxford University Press. 

Table 1 describes characteristics of young teens and middle teens. On the one hand, young teens undergo extreme biological and psychological changes that they are still striving to comprehend. They often feel that they are at the center of attention and that nobody understands them. As such, they might become overly sensitive or emotional. On the other hand, middle teens have gained a higher level of self-awareness, insightfulness, and maturation (Lewis, 2007). 

In contrast to young teens and middle teens, the late teens (17-19 years of age) have already explored their identity and role in society. Peer pressure no longer exerts as much impact. As such, late teens are usually able to balance their independence from parents while also maintaining respectful connections with them (Papalia et al., 2009). 

This age-based generalization of teen characteristics is useful. However, teachers need to be aware that this developmental process can vary from person to person; they need to recognize and appreciate the individuality and uniqueness of each adolescent. They also need to be sensitive to students’ cultural identity (Harrison et al., 2019). By taking a culturally responsive perspective to understanding teenagers, teachers will be able to engage with them in several ways inside and outside the classroom:

MAJOR DIMENSIONS

After learning about teenagers in general, get to know the students in your class and focus your instruction on meeting their needs. Involve your teens with the lesson content by connecting this content to their personal interests and having them work with peers (Bernstein & Mosenson, 2019). To more effectively teach and engage adolescent learners, follow a pedagogical approach such as The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners (Short et al., 2018).

Upon recognizing the need for a common understanding about second language theory, instruction, and assessment, the TESOL International Association initiated collaborative efforts that led to The 6 Principles® (Short et al., 2018). The 6 Principles are a state-of-the-art approach for educators to make thoughtful decisions about teaching English learners. Although The 6 Principles were designed for teaching all age groups, this inaugural book led to a series of other books targeting specific learner groups (e.g., young children, adult workforce). Within this series, each book is structured around the following principles:

1. Know your learners  

2. Create conditions for language learning

3. Design high-quality lessons for language development

4. Adapt lesson delivery as needed

5. Monitor and assess student language development 

6. Engage and collaborate within a community of practice

Consider using these same 6 Principles (Short et al., 2018) when working with adolescent learners. Based on how these principles were used for teaching young learners and adult learners, examples are provided below for teaching adolescents.

PEDAGOGICAL APPLICATIONS

The 6 Principles were not designed to be used in any specific order. Nor were they designed for all six to be included within a single lesson. Instead, focus on the principle that best fits a given lesson and that responds to your students’ needs at a given time. For example, to start a new term, use suggestions from Principle 1 Know Your Learners. To promote critical thinking and language learning, use suggestions from Principle 3 Design High-Quality Lessons for Language Development. Because mastery comes with practice, focus on one principle at a time. Following are suggestions for using each of these principles to teach and engage adolescents.

1. Know Your Learners

Learn basic information about your teenagers’ families, languages, cultures, and educational backgrounds to be able to prepare and deliver tailored lessons that more fully engage your learners in class activities. Get to know your learners and implement activities focused on their interests, homes, communities, and cultures. Teenagers are the most valuable source of information about themselves and their experiences. Effective ways for learning about your students are having them participate in interviews, informal talks, and writing prompts. You might be surprised at some of the responses provided by your students. Although the gathering of information works best at the beginning of a term, implement similar activities throughout the term because of changes not only in students’ lives but also in local and global contexts. 

2. Create Conditions for Language Learning 

Create a classroom culture to ensure that teenagers feel comfortable in your classroom, especially during critical changes in materials, physical environment, and social integration. When teaching teenagers, class dynamics are just as important as the language content. That’s because teenagers are in the process of defining their personality. To create optimal conditions for teenagers to learn, incorporate non-threatening activities such as roleplays or artistic drama techniques that support students’ confidence (Anderson & Beard, 2018). Base these activities on students’ individual interests and focus on promoting values of respect, tolerance, empathy, and inclusion.  

3. Design High-Quality Lessons for Language Development 

Plan meaningful lessons that foster language learning and help teens develop learning strategies and critical thinking skills. Consider students’ unique personalities and intellectual capabilities before trying to engage them in language learning activities (Lewis, 2007). Design your lessons based on the models or approaches adopted by the institution where you are teaching. Among many possible models, Project Based Learning offers opportunities for students to develop language learning while also developing creativity, critical thinking, and a sense of self-development. This model, like several other models, fosters the development of individual and group strengths. Whatever model you choose, engage your students with authentic and meaningful topics. Above all, do not be afraid to try something new. Adolescent students are your allies, and they will let you know if your new idea works or not.

4. Adapt Lesson Delivery as Needed

Assess continually by observing your learners’ responses, determining whether learners are reaching the learning objectives, and reflecting on how best to meet their needs and interests. As needed, adapt lessons and lesson delivery. Because teens thrive at testing their own hypotheses, use the teens’ inner drive to guide them in thinking critically about abstract ideas and concepts. Classes for adolescents often have students at different developmental levels and with different language proficiencies. Help students with differences by strategically including self-assessment activities. Simple prompts (e.g., Now I can…; I need help with…) can provide insights about what certain students might need. Adjust activities to meet their needs. Contrary to some myths, teenagers appreciate challenging activities. However, such activities need to have clear and achievable objectives and, if possible, be differentiated for varying language levels.

5. Monitor and Assess Student Language Development 

Because adolescents learn at different rates, regularly monitor and assess each student’s language development to effectively support their learning. To do this, gather data for measuring students’ language growth. Teenagers are unique individuals and have preferred learning styles. Help them advance in their language development by keeping record of their progress and offering genuine praise for concrete accomplishments.  

6. Engage and Collaborate Within a Community of Practice

Collaborate with colleagues to support your professional learning and classroom teaching. Engage in communities of practice to learn more about reaching and teaching your teenage students, providing instruction based on their needs and interests, and supporting each teen’s personal growth. During your teaching journey, collaborate with peers, teachers, and mentors. When teaching adolescents, seek support from colleagues who are experienced at teaching this age group. If you are a novice teacher, be proactive at creating your own support network. Take initiative and ask experienced colleagues about ELT conferences and other events. Join professional groups virtually or face-to-face. The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) offers Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for free. Many of these opportunities focus on teaching adolescents. 

In this chapter, you learned about teaching and engaging adolescent learners in ELT classrooms. You learned about characteristics that differentiate young teenagers, middle teenagers, and late teenagers. You also learned about using 6 Principles (Short et al., 2018) for effectively teaching adolescent students. By putting these ideas into practice, you will be able to engage teenagers and help them learn English.

Vicky Ariza-Pinzón holds a doctorate in applied linguistics and a master’s degree in English language teaching from the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla in México where she works as a teacher and researcher. Vicky also works part-time in the Access Micro-scholarship program (sponsored by the United States Embassy) where she teaches high school students from at-risk environments. She is an active member of the Legitimation Code Theory Centre for Knowledge-Building in Sydney, Australia. Vicky is a teacher trainer with experience presenting both nationally and internationally. Her research interests include academic literacies, teacher development, and knowledge building. 

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4544-4708 

Email for correspondence regarding this chapter: vicky.ariza@correo.buap.mx

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