Mastering the nuances of English can be a daunting task for language learners. Still, there are numerous ways to keep your advanced students engaged and challenged. Here are some expert tips and resources for teaching advanced learners.
13 Tips for Teaching Advanced English Learners
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning English. Every student has different needs and strengths, so effective teaching for advanced learners must be tailored to their individual needs. These tips will help you get the most out of your class time.
1. Develop an Objective
Developing objectives for your English teaching plan will help you stay focused throughout the semester. It can take time to come up with goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART). However, once you have a general idea of what you want your students to achieve, you can begin to develop SMART objectives. For example, a specific objective for an English writing class might be: “By the end of the semester, students will be able to write a five-paragraph essay with a clear introduction, body and conclusion.”
With a SMART objective in place, you can develop lesson plans and activities to help your students achieve their goals.
2. Spend Time Understanding Student Needs
The old saying "knowledge is power" is especially true when it comes to teaching. The more you know about your students, the better equipped you will be to meet their needs. That's why taking some time at the beginning of each semester is important to get to know your students and understand their individual needs.
One way to do this is to ask them to write a list of their goals for the class. You can use this information to tailor your lesson plans and ensure that every student has a chance to reach their full potential.
3. Work on Clear, Concise Writing
One of the challenges of teaching advanced English is that there are many aspects to focus on. Advanced learners will begin to shift their focus from BICS (or basic skills) to CALP (advanced skills). For example, beyond grammar, students would need to work on clear, concise writing. This can be a tough transition for many language learners as they move from focusing on grammar mistakes to developing strong writing skills.
Some clear, concise writing tips include avoiding the passive voice, using strong verbs instead of linking verbs, and eliminating unnecessary adjectives and adverbs.
4. Use Newspapers and News Content
Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is a valuable tool in any language learning program. Students should consume as much material in their target foreign language as possible. And while this is certainly true for beginners, it's also important for advanced learners to continue their exposure to new and challenging material. After all, once one reaches a certain level of proficiency, it can be easy to become complacent and stop pushing oneself to improve.
One way to keep students’ English skills sharp is to incorporate newspapers and news content into their English studies. Newspapers will often feature articles on more advanced and nuanced topics than beginner materials, allowing one to expand their vocabulary and learn new grammar constructs. Likewise, listening to news videos can greatly improve one’s pronunciation and provide more exposure to naturally spoken English.
5. Focus on Conversation and Discourse
Conversation is key to improving language proficiency. Once students have mastered the basics of grammar, it is essential to encourage them to practice using their new skills in everyday conversation. However, simply discussing the weather or current events is not enough to challenge advanced speakers. To help them continue developing their language skills, it is important to introduce more sophisticated topics. This could involve reading and discussing news articles on current affairs or debating the merits of classic literature.
By engaging with complex topics, students can expand their vocabulary and learn to express themselves more clearly and fluently. As a result, they will be better prepared to communicate confidently in English in various real-world situations.
6. Focus on Business Skills
The goal for many advanced speakers is to be able to use English in a professional setting. As a result, it’s important to discuss the nuances in business language when teaching English to adults. Focus on language pertinent to students’ area of expertise, whether that be science, finance or marketing. In class, you can practice drafting emails and mock reports to further develop these skills.
7. Help Students to Develop Research Skills
As any teacher knows, teaching advanced English learners can be a challenge. On the one hand, you want to help them develop their language skills so that they can communicate effectively in English. But, on the other hand, you also want to challenge them academically so they can succeed in school.
One way to do both is to help them develop research skills. By teaching them how to find reliable sources, take notes and organize information, you can help them become better writers and thinkers. And by showing them how to use these skills in their everyday lives, you can help them overcome the challenges of being advanced English learners.
8. Encourage Students to Read Extensively
One of the best ways to encourage advanced English learners to improve their language skills is to encourage them to read extensively. You can do this in many ways, such as by providing a list of recommended books, setting up a reading group or simply encouraging them to visit the library.
Reading extensively will help them broaden their vocabulary, improve their comprehension skills and become more fluent in English. In addition, it's a great way for them to learn about new cultures and worlds.
9. Help Them to Learn Vocabulary Through Context
One of the most challenging things about teaching advanced English learners is helping them to expand their vocabulary. With so many new words to learn, it can be difficult for students to keep up. However, one effective way to help students expand their vocabulary is through context clues. Students can see how they fit into the larger picture by providing examples of how new words are used in real-world situations. In addition, contextual cues can help students to remember new words more easily.
By understanding the meaning of a word in its proper context, students can better internalize its definition and usage.
10. Challenge Students With Creative Writing Tasks
It can be a challenge to develop creative writing tasks for advanced English learners that will simultaneously capture their interest while providing an adequate level of difficulty. However, if the bar is set too low, they'll quickly become bored; set it too high and they'll become frustrated. The key is to find that delicate balance.
Here are some ideas:
- Leverage a prompt: One way to do this is to start with a basic prompt and then add layers of complexity. For example, you might begin with the prompt, "Write a story about a character who goes on a journey." You could add the constraint that the story must be exactly 50 words long.
- Use Newspapers: Alternatively, you can leverage newspapers in creative ways. Have students read a newspaper article. Then allow 10 minutes for discussion. Once the 10 minutes are over, have students compose an essay summarizing the article.
- Write a Story in Reverse: Another way to increase difficulty is to require that the story be written in reverse chronology. This forces the learner to think creatively about how to structure their tale. With a little thought and ingenuity, it's possible to create writing tasks that challenge and engage advanced English learners.
11. Familiarize Your Class With Different Speaking Patterns and Accents
If you're teaching advanced English learners, exposing them to various accents is important. This will help them become more familiar with different speaking patterns and understand different regional language variations.
Here’s how:
- Use online resources. For example, many websites offer audio clips of people speaking in different accents. You can also find videos on YouTube or other video-sharing sites.
- Have your students listen to the radio or watch television shows from different countries. This will help them identify the different sounds of the language and become more familiar with how it is spoken in different regions.
- Expose them to different accents through music. Many songs feature artists from around the world singing in their native languages. By listening to these songs, students can learn about the rhythm and flow of the language and get a feel for how it sounds when spoken by someone with a different accent.
- Finally, you can also bring in guest speakers from around the world. This is a great way to make the language more real, exciting and personal for your students.
12. Focus on Cross-Cultural Communication
Teaching English to advanced learners is a balancing act. On the one hand, you want to help your students improve their language skills. But on the other hand, you want to be sure they have enough new information. One area where this balance is especially important is cross-cultural communication.
As advanced English learners, your students will likely come from all over the world. And while they may have a basic understanding of American or British culture, some may not be too familiar with cultural subtleties. For example, in Chinese culture, eye contact is not always appropriate. However, Americans may find someone who does not make eye contact rude.
So how can you help your students navigate these cross-cultural differences?
The key is to provide them with enough information to understand the basics without overwhelming them. Start by teaching them some of the basic local cultural norms. Then, you can introduce more nuanced topics as they become more comfortable with the language.
Some examples include:
- Indirect vs. Direct Communication: Direct communication styles involve speakers saying directly what they mean. For cultures that prioritize indirect communication styles, it may be considered rude to solicit an opinion directly.Pro Tip: It’s also important for language learners to understand the nuances among English-speaking cultures. British people tend to be less direct in their communication style than Americans, for example.
- Formal vs Informal: Americans, meanwhile, tend to be less formal than other cultures. In the work environment, it’s common to address a colleague by their first name, even if they’re the CEO.
13. Teach Difficult Grammar
Teaching grammar to advanced English learners can be challenging, but it's possible.
Here are a few tips:
- Make sure your students are ready for advanced grammar. Even though they're in an advanced class, they must be ready to tackle tough grammar concepts.
- Break down the concepts into manageable pieces. Don't try to teach everything at once. Instead, focus on one concept at a time and have your students practice, practice, practice. Then move on to the next concept.
- Use real-world examples whenever possible. Students will be much more likely to remember and understand a concept if they can see how it's used in everyday life. So instead of just giving them a list of rules, provide examples of how the grammar is used in conversation or writing.
- Be patient! Learning grammar can be tricky, so don't become frustrated if your students aren't getting it right away. Instead, just keep teaching, practicing and providing feedback.
Bonus Tip: Allow Them to Be Involved in Decision-Making Processes
When teaching advanced English learners, it's important to give them a voice in decision-making. Allowing students to share their opinions and have a say can help them engage with the material. Additionally, it shows them that you value their input and are willing to work together to find the best solution.
Of course, you’ll need to make the final call. But if you can involve your students in the decision-making process, they'll be more motivated and invested in the outcome.
Wrapping Up
Teaching English as a second language can be tough, but it doesn't have to be. NYTLicensing offers a wealth of advanced English learner materials for English teachers looking to take their students to the next level.
From exercises and multimedia content to industry-specific topics and current events, our advanced English learner resources provide everything you need to help your students succeed. And because we're always updating our offerings, you can be confident that you're getting the most up-to-date and relevant material available.
