The Multifaceted Definition of Adulthood and Its Implications for Language Education

Teaching Adult Learners: Navigating the Complex Landscape of Adulthood

As language educators, we often navigate the tricky terrain of teaching adults. The very term "adult" conjures up images of responsibility, maturity, and independence. However, the truth is more nuanced than the clear-cut age thresholds might suggest. How do we, as teachers, tailor our approaches to this diverse group, and ensure our methods resonate with the psychological and social aspects of being an adult?

Who Is an Adult?

The term 'adult' might seem straightforward, but its definition is multifaceted. Legally, countries have their own age markers. Culturally, various religious rites, like the Jewish bar mitzvah or the Christian Sacrament of Confirmation, signal a person's entry into adulthood. Societally, it's about roles – getting a job, marriage, or parenthood. Psychologically, the journey starts in early childhood, emphasizing self-directed, lifelong learning fueled by experience.

This mosaic of definitions presents both a challenge and an opportunity for educators.

**In some countries the legal age of an adult can be as young as 16 whereas other countries one is not considered as a legal adult until the age of 21!**

The Social Psychology of Adulthood and Learning

Adults don't just bring age to the table; they bring a tapestry of experiences, fears, ambitions, and social constructs. The adult psyche often grapples with the expectations of 'being an adult'. In a classroom, this could manifest as a fear of judgment or the pressure to grasp concepts quickly. There's also the social aspect; adults often compare their learning pace with peers, which can either motivate or dishearten them.

But it's not all challenges. Adults often have clearer objectives and a higher motivation level. They might be learning a language for a job, travel, or personal growth. Tapping into these motivations can make learning more effective and enjoyable.

Childlike Techniques for Adult Learning: A Paradigm Shift

It's crucial to shed the conventional wisdom that adult learners always prefer, or benefit from, mature teaching methodologies. Sometimes, techniques that work wonders with children can also be effective for adults.

• Storytelling: Everyone loves a good story, regardless of age. It's an engaging way to teach language structure, vocabulary, and cultural nuances.

• Games and Play: Play reduces stress, promotes creativity, and can be a powerful tool for language retention. Games like 'Charades' or 'Pictionary' can make vocabulary lessons fun.

• Visual Aids: Using colorful charts, mind maps, or flashcards can simplify complex topics and make them more palatable.

Incorporating Adult Techniques for Young Learners

The converse is also true. Some young learners show an aptitude and maturity that aligns more with adult teaching techniques.

• Discussion and Debate: Encourage younger students to express their views on various topics. This not only enhances their vocabulary but also hones their critical thinking skills. This is more for advanced levels. This is typically used in immersion schools.

• Project-Based Learning: Give them real-world problems to solve, fostering a deeper understanding and application of the language.

• Goal Setting: Encourage young learners to set short-term and long-term language learning goals. This instills discipline and purpose in their learning journey.

Sometimes, strategies used for children can be incredibly effective with adults, and vice versa.

Using Kid-Centric Techniques with Adults: Adults might relish activities usually reserved for younger students. Think of games, colorful materials, or interactive storytelling. These methods tap into the inherent human love for fun and play, making learning engaging and memorable.

Using Adult Techniques with Kids: Conversely, children, especially teenagers, can benefit from more mature learning methods. Techniques such as structured debates, self-directed projects, or in-depth discussions can cater to their analytical skills, and I'm sure that they will feel proud that we are treating them like little adults.

Striking a Balance: Respecting the Spectrum

Instead of viewing adulthood as a binary transition, educators should visualize it as a spectrum. This spectrum encompasses cognitive development, maturity, and critical thinking skills. Remember, age is just a number. A 30-year-old might benefit from a storytelling session, while a teenager might thrive in a discussion-based class.

With the diverse spectrum of adulthood in mind, consider these strategies:

Individualize Learning: Understand each student's learning style. It's essential to recognize their cognitive development, critical thinking ability, and maturity levels.

• Blend Techniques: Mix and match teaching techniques from both worlds. A bit of fun combined with deep discussions can keep the learning atmosphere fresh and engaging.

• Create a Safe Environment: Foster a classroom atmosphere where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities. This will help alleviate the fears many adults harbor about judgment and not 'keeping up'.

• Acknowledge Experiences: Adults bring a wealth of life experiences. Incorporate these into discussions, which not only validates their experiences but can also provide rich, contextual learning moments.

• Empower Autonomy: Encourage self-directed learning. Adults appreciate having a say in their learning journey, and younger students can benefit from the early introduction to autonomous learning.

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Closing Thoughts

Being an effective language teacher to adults requires a blend of psychology, pedagogy, and adaptability. As we stand at the crossroads of various definitions of adulthood, it's our duty to ensure our teaching methods are as diverse as our students. Let's strive to be educators who not only impart language skills but also understand and respect the rich tapestry of experiences each adult learner brings to the classroom. After all, it's not just about teaching a language; it's about bridging cultures, experiences, and ages.

Ready to master the art of teaching languages to adult learners? Unlock effective strategies and methodologies with our specialized teacher coaching. 📚✨ Email me now at rosita@rositaruiz.com and elevate your teaching journey!"

How to control the Tension

Do you feel heaviness while you sing? Do you feel vocally fatigued or have a sore throat after? Are you able to complete the exercises mentioned above without tongue interference?  Believe it or not, a large portion of my teaching day is devoted to freeing singers of tongue tension and its undesirable effects. I'll take you through one student's first few steps toward freedom of the tongue.

A lot of the time students will admit that they’ll get frustrated and discouraged because they feel a major squeeze and/or a choking feeling on their higher pitches. Students would feel they had to push hard in order to engage a register or to hit the right note.

Especially with a beginning singer, it is often that one would judge his or her singing in terms of how they hear themselves and feel. I remember a student, not too long ago, told me that while singing she felt an overall sense of heaviness, felt tired, and getting sore. It was stealing the joy from her singing.

You could tell that this student loved to sing caused it showed, but her voice wasn't reflecting her hard work.  She was pushing when transitioning registers thus, she had to push harder to sing any higher. The voice was strident and harsh above A4.  She had one general loud volume in her chest and mixed-voice ranges, which ultimately led to no mixed voice at all. When singing in her head voice, she wasn't able to access it without a major squeeze.

This student's voice was being robbed by that common culprit: tongue tension.  It's a tough issue to self-diagnose. Without trained eyes and ears, students will say phrases like "really feeling it" or "this song is too high for me."  And it has to do with the tongue.

I could see her frustration, but I knew exactly how we would spend our session together…

First, we identified the problem.  Indeed, she felt her tongue retract, or pull back into the throat.  Not only that, the tongue was flat. A lot of trainers will say to bring your tongue forward. This is correct but there is more to that statement. But don’t worry, it is not going to get complicated.

To create great sound, your tongue needs to be just as released as the rest of your body while you sing. The tongue is a huge muscle, and if it’s tense or bunched up in the back, it blocks or it squeezes the tone, making it sound tight. Your tongue should slightly arch when making those consonant and vowel sounds.

We would want to form the back vowels ooh, OOh, oh, aw, and ah by arching the back of your tongue and creating very specific lip shapes. The tongue arches to its highest point on the ooh vowel and then gradually lower for OOh, oh, aw, and ah. The lips create a specific shape for the back vowels, but the shape is more open when you sing the higher notes.

• To sing the ooh vowel (as in shoe and new ), allow your lips to pucker forward (that is, to move forward away from your front teeth) and to round to a small opening.

• The OOh vowel (as in took, shook, and crook ) requires that your lips pucker and open just slightly farther than they do for the ooh vowel. For the oh vowel (as in go and no ), your lips round into a circle.

• For the aw vowel (as in awful and slaw ), your lips are slightly rounded and open into a wider circle than the circle they make for the oh vowel.

• For the ah vowel (as in father and gaga ), your lips are slightly rounded but without the protrusion that they made for the oh or aw.

For all the back vowels, the tip of the tongue continues to touch the bottom front teeth. If the back of your tongue feels tight when you make the back vowels, you’re pushing up the tongue rather than raising it. To fix this problem, allow the space in the back of your mouth and throat to release; then you can raise the back of your tongue without having to tighten the muscles. You’ll feel some movement in the muscles as you arch your tongue, but that basic movement is different from tension.

This is an exercise that I usually give my students to feel the difference of the slight lift. As this particular student slid up to the higher tone, she could feel the tongue trying to retract again.  So we made an adjustment. She placed the relaxed tip of her tongue between her lips. (Think of it as a hum position with tongue showing.) Now we could really see when her tongue was trying to help her change the pitch.  It took some practice, but she finally made it through the exercise without the tongue retracting.

Since this session, this singer has made tremendous improvements.  She easily glides through her registers, rarely cracks, and has increased her range.  Most importantly, however, is the newfound confidence she feels.

How about you?  Do you feel heaviness while you sing? Are you tired or sore after? Are you able to complete the exercises mentioned above without tongue interference?  If so, don’t worry! This is quite common. Just give the previous exercise a try. And depending on where you are on your vocal journey, you may want to investigate starting voice lessons.  There are many great teachers out there. Find one in your area and get started.

Interested in taking lessons? Book here!

Until next time, Happy Singing!

Why do we Sing?

Why do we sing instead of speak? It's an honest and serious question. Why do we? We can talk for hours but when it comes to singing we only get so lucky! Well, in singing there is an emotional meaning stronger than regular speech. Embracing this fundamental fact is the joy of singing; having control and understanding of it is the challenge of all vocalists.

What is it about what you’re feeling, what you’re experiencing, what you’re listening that must be sung? Getting specific and detailed with this question in every moment of a song is sure to bring out the clarity in one’s performance like no other point of analysis can. Close friends of mine who are professional performers have shared that, due to the size of the houses they perform in front of, details like these are essential to communicating the intimate details and to share their realizations alike to their fullest potential. However, it wasn’t the idea of performing and getting people engaged that brought this question to my immediate attention. Her voice had energy and sounded smooth. 

What inspired me to write this articles were my students. When they are singing a song  after class they get so expressive, they are sharing their emotion, sharing how they feel. One specific example: my 11 year old student was singing "Sad Song" by We the Kings thinking and showing how she felt about her crush. When singing becomes lazy, when vocals don’t appear motivated, when catchy riffs or embellished arrangements dominate a song above its message it becomes a burdensome thing to watch or it just makes you sleepy.

We sing because we feel a relation to a song and it is easier to express when we don't have the words to describe when speaking. It is a way that we can express us without not thinking about it. This is why we sing. Singing is the extension of communicating what we want to say and feel.

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