Motivation
ESL learners are highly motivated to communicate well if
they interact with English speakers often. Motivation is a
very important key to learning.
Needs and goals
Are their goals related to everyday communication needs,
jobs, citizenship, further education, family, and so on? The
learners’ needs and goals will provide you with the basis
for your lessons. Matching lessons to needs and goals will
increase motivation.
Time
It can take 500 to 1,000 hours of instruction for adults who
are literate in their native language, but have had no prior
English instruction, to handle basic day-to-day interactions
in English. It takes much longer to develop the skills to
handle all English communication tasks. Academic tasks
can require five to seven years. The more time learners have
to practise their English skills, the faster this process goes
for them.
Interaction with English speakers
Interacting with native speakers provides authentic
learning situations, motivation and practice for English
learners. Learners who are isolated find it more difficult to
learn English.
Familiarity with Canadian culture
It’s easier to learn when people feel comfortable. Although
immigrants may never feel at home, they can gain a
familiarity with the Canadian culture.
Settlement issues (for immigrants)
Settlement issues such as housing, decreased socioeconomic
status, lack of community and family
support, different child-rearing practices, changing
roles and responsibilities of family members, racism
and discrimination, mental health issues, change in
home language and culture, and differences in children’s
education make it difficult for adults to focus on learning
and attend sessions.
Energy
Learning a new language takes a lot of energy. Learners
who have just settled in your community may be exhausted
from other demands in their lives and thus find ESL lessons
draining.
Fear
Learning a new language is a venture in risk taking. Fear of
embarrassment can inhibit learning.
Previous experience learning English
Their previous lessons may not have covered all the aspects
of communication that learners now need to address. For
instance, learners may have little experience in speaking
English because previous lessons may have focused on
written grammar. Learners may have gaps in their learning
and may have formed expectations based on their previous
experience. For example, if previous lessons focused on
written grammar, the learners may expect subsequent
lessons to do so even when they need to work on other
aspects of the English language.
Previous experience learning another language
If they have learned a second language already, learners
will be able to transfer some of their successful learning
methods to their experience learning English.
Ability to read and write well in their first language
The understanding of how reading and writing works in
one language gives learners a basis for their next reading
and writing experience.
Similarity of their first language to English
It’s easier to learn a language that has similar sounds,
structure, words, writing system, and so on.
Family support
Attitudes towards learning English related to gender and
age may influence whether learners have the support of
family members to study and go to tutoring sessions. This
may be particularly challenging for women raising young
children, women in relationships of unequal power or
grandparents with child-rearing responsibilities.
Reason(s) for coming to Canada (if they are immigrants)
If they wanted to come to Canada, learners are more likely
to want to learn English.
Cultural attitudes towards teacher/student relationships and
education
For some learners, a tutor/learner relationship may be
new and take some time to get used to. For example, some
learners are used to very formal relationships and will call
tutors “teacher” rather than by name. Others may have
concepts of education that it might be helpful for you to
understand. For example, some learners may feel that they
must always be correct before they venture an answer. This
can stop them from making guesses with unknown words,
which is something we all do when reading.
The other factors that might affect any adult learners’ ability to learn were covered in Unit 2, Adults as Learners.
Handout 11.4