Short presentation on teaching teenagers. Recognizing the difficulties that exist, and suggestions on how to overcome them and enjoy the experience.

2. WHY CAN IT BE SO DIFFICULT?

3. Teenagers are going through physical and emotional changes
– including changes in their brains
What do
these
changes
affect?
• Decision making
• Planning
• Control of their emotions
• Empathy
• Understanding of other
people’s facial expressions

4. • Teenagers are in a “transition age.” They are not young children (as they
will so eagerly remind us) and they are not yet adults (though they
sometimes think they are)
• The changing levels of hormones in their bodies make them moody and
unpredictable
• They would prefer to be anywhere else in the world, as long as they are
not in class
• Their peers affect them more than we do
• Their friends or family might see English as a “useless” subject

5. ARE TEENAGERS ALWAYS
HORRIBLE?

7. HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THE
EXPERIENCE OF TEACHING
TEENAGERS?

8. THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEMESTER
It is in the first
few lessons
that students
make
subconscious
decisions
about the
teacher and
the class
Make it very
clear that YOU
are in charge,
but that you
can also be
relaxed and
friendly
The students
must
understand
what you
expect from
them, and
what type of
help they can
expect from
you

9. “Good Cop VS Bad Cop”

10. Research shows that teenagers prefer disciplined teachers, and get higher
results in their classes. This does NOT mean that we should be evil dictators,
though.
Teenagers need discipline because they are not mature enough to make
responsible decisions all of the time. It is our job to decide when the class
needs to work hard, and when we can have some fun.
We need to strike a balance. Teenagers need discipline, but they
also need to feel happy, secure, valued and motivated to learn.

11. SET SHORT-TERM GOALS
For many of us a year can go buy very quickly, but this is not true
for our students
The goal is to, obviously, pass the final exam, but for many
teenagers that goal will not feel “real” until 6-8 weeks before
Using module checks, monthly quizzes, extended assignments and
other techniques, we can keep them motivated and working hard.
They should ALWAYS be working towards a goal.
The goals we set must be VERY clear to the students, and we
should negotiate with them. Giving them a tiny bit of control can
help them feel more motivated to complete the tasks

12. HOW CAN I MAKE THEM
WANT TO LEARN?

13. Joke with them! It’s okay to have laughter in your
class. If students work hard, then you can relax a
little bit together.
Be aware of what types of activities your students
like and dislike. No course book will be “just right”
for your class, so adapt activities and get creative
For example, if your students HATE gap-fill
activities, adapt the text into a jigsaw-reading or
running-dictation to make it more interesting

14. Make sure that you’re teaching them things that they
can use in REAL life. If teenagers feel like their time
is being wasted they will become completely
unresponsive.
Explain to your students WHY you are doing things.
They are more likely to participate if they know and
understand the reason for doing certain activities.
Make sure to use topics that they are interested in.
At the beginning of the semester ask them questions
about their hobbies and interests, and then use that
information to help you plan your lessons.

15. TALKING TO YOU IS GOOD, BUT
LET’S GET SOME REAL PRACTICE
NOW!