English for the Older Adults: How to Learn It

Older adults want to continue to learn English too…

Do you have a parent or a grandparent who needs a little boost in life? Learning languages is a universal solution for older adults to improve brain activity, find friends and get rid of boredom.

However, the first place in the ranking of the most relevant arguments in favor of English learning is that the elderly would like to have more fun in their lives and boost the interaction.

English is the language of international communication. It has long been no secret that this is the key to successful career advancement and “hassle-free” communication in any country.

Not all people on the planet speak it, but “gestures plus a couple of English words” is already a formula of mutual understanding, making it a significant push to study the language.

Try Private Lessons with the Older Adults to Learn English

Older adults need to try private lessons and find an English teacher. If you want them to practice additionally on your own, then it is worth remembering some recommendations. The person has to do it regularly, willingly every day, at least for ten minutes.

The best time for learning is in the morning. The first step should be familiarity with letters, sounds, reading rules, and phonetics. The person needs to find out how to pronounce a particular word with the help of transcription in the dictionary.

It can be an online translator, where there is a “pronounce a word” function. The older adult needs to listen to it several times, try to repeat it.

Visual dictionaries, which can also be found on the Internet, are very convenient. Ask some younger generation to help, and if you are an advanced Internet user, your usual search engine will help. Vivid pictures, words pronounced by native speakers, and translation into Russian will facilitate the memorization process.

The older adult will need to determine their English proficiency level in order to see how much they need to learn. Remember that people get an incomplete and not entirely accurate result from such tests, but it speaks the truth! This service is provided by many language schools and is often free of charge as well. Another technique that works well for adults is the so-called mind map.

Learning English is always a two-way process. If you are ready to study, you have the desire and motivation, and then it is essential to choose the right teacher. Most English language schools give a free first trial lesson. It will reveal to you the competence of the teacher.

Group Lessons Can Be Helpful

There are many opportunities to learn a language on your own. It is almost impossible to learn to speak alone with yourself. That is why many centers that provide lessons for older adults conduct classes for retirement age classes.

The basic skills in learning a foreign language are these: listening, reading, vocabulary, grammar, and speaking in the process of training. Many language schools also place great emphasis on pronunciation in their curriculum. The older do their homework and check it in the lesson with the teacher.

Training should take place twice a week, and the classes should last an hour and a half. There should be no more than twelve people in the group, so far only women. This diversity can positively impact the learning process: the students get to know each other, communicate, and have fun.

Positive Influence of Learning English

It is possible to look at the advantages of education in the “adult” age from a health-improving perspective.

Research in Toronto has shown the effectiveness of learning a new foreign language in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Spanish woman Mari Huston began learning English after reading Shakespeare plays at 60. Now she is 90, and she perfectly translates the works of the Spanish writers into English.

Wrap It Up… Older Adults should study a foreign language

The life of a modern adult is in full swing at a frantic pace. Allocating time throughout the day is considered a skill taught by smartbooks, courses, business coaches.

Nurture the motivation of your older people to study a foreign language. Desire will automatically appear as the person starts the lessons. Passion will help people find time, energy, and money. This ingenious chain is the foundation of personal progress.