TEACHING ENGLISH COMMUNICATION TO ADULT LEARNERS

Анотація

The article seeks to establish the basic principles of teaching English communication to adult learners and elaborate a corresponding methodology. It proves that adult learners’ behavior in a foreign language (FL) classroom is determined by their educational background, motivation to learning, social position and status, and their cognitive profiles. The obtained results indicate that adults as an age group possess a number of positive characteristics that substantially contribute to successful FL acquisition, as they may easily cope with abstract thoughts and ideas, utilize their life experience for accomplishing teaching objecives, and pursue long-term educational goals. At the same time, adult learners’ progress in developing FL proficiency can be hindered by diminishing cognitive and communicative abilities, previous negative experiences, prejudices and fears. All these obstacles may be overcome if their cognitive and psychological profiles are taken into consideration and the input is modified to their specific needs. With the intention to verify the practical utility of the suggested premises, a corresponding methodology has been devised, which incorporates the elements of the Commu- ?icative and Cognitive model (O.Vovk), variations of the PPP model, the most effective constituents of the Suggestopedic model (G. Lozanov), and the model of Untapping the Reserved Capacities of an Individual and a Collective (G. Kitaygorodska). The elaborated eclectic model encompasses such stages as: Warming-Up, Perception of the New Input, Initial Reproduction of the Perceived Information, Apperception of the Perceived Input, Incubation of the Acquired Knowledge, Creative Reproduction of the Assimilated Information and Independent Speech Production. Each stage of the suggested model is characterized by definite goals and tasks, meant to simplify the process of FL acquisition by adult learners and stimulate their speech, memory and cogitative performance.