ESL is not only learning English, it is a state of mind that allows your brain the ability to deprogram itself. As an ESL professor, I’ve taught students with different learning abilities but, most are not ready mentally. Learning a second language means that your brain has to be able to go back to infant state and it isn’t easy when you are inundated with responsibilities. Most ESL students that I teach are foreigners that are studying while they work fulltime. They also have families that need their attention and care. All of these factors keep the students from being prepared mentally to tackle this daunting task that is learning a second language.
In the ideal world we would prefer to learn a second language as a leisure activity. However, immigrants do not have that luxury migrating and looking for a better future. Therefore, these learners have to find ways to adopt quickly and overcome the always present culture shock. I have observed that learners react best and learn faster when you allow for a learning environment that reminds them or brings them back to happy place in the past. I also observed that this common ground is playground learning setting. Yes, you read correctly, I’ve wrote a “PLAYGROUND” learning setting. Have you ever notice an adult that didn’t like to be a kid again? I have transformed my teaching techniques to be more interactive and social. I have introduced lessons through games, acting out movie scenes, team projects and role reversal. The reaction has been amazingly inspiring and fulfilling. I have created a learning environment that allows adults to be, for 3 hours a day, a kid at a playground. This frees their minds of the other consuming responsibilities that interfere with their progression. Some students have told me that they hate long weekends. Several others have mentioned that ESL is therapeutic and relaxing. But, the most important thing is that they are all enjoying learning English. I’m not trying to change anyone’s teaching techniques or pretending that my approach is the best. I just want EVERYONE to know that result oriented actions call for “out of the box” thinking and approach. Most importantly why can learning be fun like it ones was!
