Job Discussion Forums

[Ilja]

I posted this in the newbie section, but got little response...I was just wondering some pros and cons for adults vs. kids teaching. What is the general response out there? I guess there should also be a teen section....

[donfan]

For me it really depends on the country and the situation. In Korea I preferred teaching adults, in Taiwan I preferred teaching kids. In Russia I taught both and didn't really have a preference. There are pros and cons to both.

[Roger]

I prefer children. More naural, less formal, less brain-damaged and exacting, easier to inculcate discipline and behavioral norms.
Initially I thought adults are more interesting. That's quite simply wrong in a country like China. They remain intellectual vegetable, expecting to be served, spoon-fed, cuddled, flattered up, and they often have attitudes.
Not that I over-generalise; I do teach adults from time to time, and sometimes it's highly rewarding, but the rapport is always unpredictable. Just imagine you were an American, and another USAirforce spy plane gets shot down by the Chinese... I am glad I am NOT an American! But then again, it saddens me to have to say this!

[denise]

Adults.

I do believe the arguments for teaching children: they're more flexible, more energetic, less set in their ways, you can watch them blossom, etc., but I'm just not a kid person--in either my professional or personal life. (And I must say that I have tremendous respect for those talented folks who can inspire and mold young minds.)

I prefer adults because (theoretically!) they can reason, discuss mature topics, etc., and there aren't discipline problems.

My ideal age group is young adults: 18-20s, which is what I've got now. I see them as adult enough to be able to discuss things on a deeper level (although they rarely do here...), but young enough to still have hopes and dreams and be thinking about what to do with their lives.

d

[shmooj]

Haven't we done this before just recently? Perhaps we've come a long way since then

[Gordon]

I like young adults. That must be why I like uni students so much. However, I like students who are a mix, not from the same ethnic background. It makes things much more interesting.

[Wolf]

I prefer to teach adults. Teaching children requires a whole different set of skills and training, much of which I don't have.

Adults can sit down in a classroom and I can use more of what I'm learning now in my MA course with them than I could with children. I don't know anything really about early childhood development or langauge learning, and it's only an optional focus in my MA course.

I've taught kids in non-EFL settings, and, while I've gotten better at it over the years, I don't think I'm up to the day to day demands of teaching kids classes all the time.

That being said, I like a challange. IF I spoke their native language as well, I'd do it. If someone's tummy hurts, or they have to go to the bathroom, or some other non - EFL related event comes up, I want to be able to deal with it right away. I've also noticed that kids respond to me a LOT better when they know that I understand them. There was this four year old Japanese kid who taught me the Doraemon song once. She was afraid of me until I spoke one line of her language to her, then my "foreigness" disappeared.

Actually that was cool... .

Okay, but I do perfer teaching adults, as I know that I can do that job reasonably well, and I know I enjoy it, and I know that I would find the kids' classes more stressful.

But I might try the kids one day (maybe one of those "adults and kids" jobs for a year or something.)

[Lynn]

kids

[Capergirl]

Adults

[Shonai Ben]

Adults are the best.

[struelle]

Adults.

I've taught all the age groups, and each have their own pros and cons. Kids are fun because they are super-motivated, have lots of energy and learn fast. But the teaching approach is more engaging, you constantly need to keep their attention and vary the activities. Their attention span is quite limited, which only makes sense. The net effect is that a class with children is bound to be teacher-centred.

Adults are mature enough and have the self-control so that the class can be more student-centred. I prefer to have the students discover things for themselves, and adults have the cognitive skills to do so. That said, I agree with Denise about teaching young adults who are mature but also have hopes and dreams for the future.

Steve

[joe-joe]

Adults

[leeroy]

Adults. So adults! If I ever see "Chatterbox", "English Parade" or (God forbid) "Gogo loves English" again I'll crack... I mean it, you'll find me cowering in the corner of the room mumbling incoherently, rocking back and forth...

[Capergirl]

"Gogo Loves English"...OMG, someone else had to teach that abysmal series of "English" books?

[yaramaz]

Gogo loves English but Yaramaz prefers a jaccuzzi anda bottle of champagne