There are few, perhaps none among us, who would deny that teaching teenagers is one of our profession’s most challenging tasks. If one considers that teens are, in a nutshell, kids trying to become adults, we can easily infer how demanding this ‘’quest’’ can be. First and foremost, the educator needs to bear in mind the physical changes that teenagers go through, transitioning from children to grown people. That is to say, there are fundamental hormonal changes that impact the students’ overall attitude towards learning as well as life itself.
This transformation that takes place over the course of their entire adolescence, imposes a great impact on the psychological, behavioral and social dimensions in their environment, something that directly affects their school performance, which unavoidably occupies most of their everyday life. Now, what can we, as part of their closest adult circle, do in order to not only successfully teach our lesson, but also act as mentors and offer them the guidance they need to navigate through these years, lies on the willingness we are determined to show so we can communicate as effectively as possible with these young soon-to-be adults.
Childhood is a specific world on its own, and so is adulthood, which is why we teach kids and adults with entirely different methods. What about this in-between stage though, this teenage limbo that we need to approach a little bit differently, a little bit more carefully? Teens can be as playful and as easily distracted as children during a lesson or as demanding and close-minded as adults the next day, which can make things difficult. Therefore, the teacher needs to always be prepared of what they may encounter each day of the week.
One thing is certain, however, that teens are rather easily bored. The only way to reach to a teenager, so far so, that they will actually, do us the honor of paying attention in class and bother to learn something that they do not necessarily relate to instantly (and this does not apply to teaching English specifically, but to all courses), is to present them with something they will find engaging and ‘’worth their time’’ and effort, of course. They are teenagers, it is in their nature to defy all adults and everything the ‘’grown-up world stands for’’. What better thing to do then, other than, show them how things work through their own lens. This will not only trigger their critical thinking and get them involved, but will also contribute to giving them a sense of independence, the one they all so much crave for.
One of my favorite things to do with teen classes is social media projects. It does not have to be something extremely complex or difficult as a task, as long as it does the job. For instance, upon instructing them to exercise some newly introduced vocabulary through speaking activities and posting it in their favorite social media platform, or a common class group chat, I then request they give some peer- feedback to each other, either through posts (which they can also later check for any mistakes) or in class.
As I have seen it happen before, such activities not only promote their social and cognitive growth, but they also bring joy in class and a fun atmosphere, which gives students a lasting impression that this place is safe, comfortable and provides a space to learn, grow and interact with each other in real life, something that is unfortunately missing from the life of young people these days.
Drawing from that, one should also keep in mind another crucial aspect when teaching teenagers, that of the constant emotional alternations. We have all been there, so we can understand how exhausting it can be attempting to get a grasp of all these feelings we start experiencing when entering adolescence. These students have to deal with emotions never felt before until now, so it can be overwhelming and chaotic. Therefore, learning might not be a priority now, or seen as less important compared to all this new and exciting world of feelings, of ideas, of new ways of seeing the world.
At this point, steps the skillful educator, who is willing and able to blend the overbearing teenage emotions, with the magic of expressing them. If emotional exploration is one thing that defines teenagers, showing them how to express those feelings might just as well, be another useful trick to keep a functioning class while at the same time accommodate the learning outcome.
Undoubtedly, teenagers are well-known for their rapid mood swings, emotional outbursts, either of joy, excitement or on the other hand, anger, rage or, more often than not, melancholy and depressive thoughts. This way, a teacher may offer a class where one can practise talking or writing about such feelings or experiences or in general something they have been obsessing over lately, whether it is a song, a book, a video, a trend or a fashion item. Such activities can be beneficial for both parties. Two birds with one stone, therefore, since the teacher runs a successful class with minimum disruption, but most importantly, the students are provided with the opportunity to a safe expressive outlet, all while simultaneously the learning target is achieved.
These activities can be executed anonymously, if this is what suits each individual learner, or they could turn into another useful task for instance, if the teacher suggests they read them aloud ‘’presentation-style’’. Alternatively, the students could trade papers and read each others’ work or even turn this activity into a game by mixing them up and each student randomly picks a paper and tries to guess which peer wrote it.
Needless to say, such tasks should not be applied if/when sensitive personal content is concerned and the learners do not wish to share. The educator should always, jointly with the students, decide beforehand, what kind of activities they wish to engage in, something that, beyond dispute, also represents a more equal class atmosphere. Thus, the young learners feel seen, they feel that their voice is heard, hence, they will also be more eager to participate. To conclude, teachers should not be intimidated by or tired of teenage classes. They should be equipped with immense amounts of patience and understanding, though, as they might be helping shape future adults.
