Teaching EFL to teens requires very specific approaches based on their brain development and emerging identity. We look at some basic guidelines to enhance motivation, retention and learning of EFL by teens and young adults.

1. Unlocking Learner Mo/va/on
In The Age Of The
Digital Na/ve
Paul Maglione
Co‐founder,

2. The internet
is now
20 years old

3. We live in a 9me of astounding change.
Who could have imagined 20 years ago that today…

12. “A subordina,ng conjunc,on always comes at
the beginning of a subordinate clause. It
"introduces" a subordinate clause. However, a
subordinate clause can some,mes come a>er
and some,mes before a main clause….”

14. 1910 2010

15. It’s high 9me we put these four things
together and came up with a more effec9ve
way of mo9va9ng learning and teaching
English to teens and young adults.

18. Who Are Teens?
 What’s going on with their lives?
- hormones / sexual development
- independence / autonomy
- ques9oning of authority / rebellion
- social hyperac9vity / peer pressure
 What’s going on with their future?
- pressure over educa9on, career
prospects, type of friends, values
 What are their cultural references?
 What is their rela9onship with
educa9on?
 English: how do they see it as
relevant to them?

19. What else do we know about teens?
Their brains
are in a very
specific
state of
development.

21. THIS IS SO LAME!!!
Can’t wait to check out who tagged me on
As if! I’m sitting next to the biggest
geek in the class. I’d rather die.
BORING BORING BORING BORING BORING BORING
!!!
boring boring boring
boring
boring
What-ever…… boring
boring
boring
boring
Blah Blah Blah
I definitely like
Matt; he’s so
cute. I hope he
likes me too…

22. But seriously, folks….

23. The Teen Brain: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
A framework, not an empty structure wai/ng to be filled

24. Teen Brain
Development
Phenomenon #1
last
Prefrontal
Cortex
• Reasoning
• Organizing,
priori/zing
informa/on Limbic
1st System
• Control of
Impulses • Physical
Coordina/on
Not fully mature
un.l age 25! • Emo/on
• Mo/va/on

25. Teen Brain
Development
Phenomenon #2
Maturing of brain as
Grey MaQer is lost
Adolescent Pruning Of Brain Cells
The brain selec9vely strengthens or
prunes neurons based on ac9vity.
Synapses con9nually used will flourish;
those that are not used will wither away.

26. Teen Brain
Development Mylena/on (increase in White MaXer)
Phenomenon #3
Speeds the
brain’s
informa9on‐
processing
capacity
equivalent to
3,000 X
increase in
computer
bandwidth

27. EFL teaching implica/ons

29. Phased development of
cogni/ve func/ons:
EFL teaching implica/ons
Use teen craving for
NOVELTY and
EXCITEMENT to get their
ATTENTION.
+
video, music, movement,
news, games, anecdotes
‐
worksheets, lectures,
objec9ve texts

30. Phased development of
cogni/ve func/ons:
EFL teaching implica/ons
Break large, long‐term
assignments down into
short‐term objec9ves
Remind them of
concepts, objec9ves and
deadlines frequently.

31. Phased development of
cogni/ve func/ons:
EFL teaching implica/ons
Use short formats.
Teens can only focus
on someone talking
for 15 minutes at a
9me  they need a
change in state of
mind every 20
minutes.

32. Phased development of
cogni/ve func/ons:
EFL teaching implica/ons
For young
(13 – 16)
teens, don’t
make topics
too abstract

33. Phased development of
cogni/ve func/ons:
EFL teaching implica/ons
The teenage
brain quickly
discovers a
need to
CONNECT.
INTEGRATE THIS
into Communica/ve
Task Work

34. Pruning of neurons
maintaining only most‐
used connec/ons:
EFL Teaching Implica/ons
Aim for
relevance
and
usefulness
to their
lives

35. Pruning of neurons
maintaining only most‐
used connec/ons:
EFL Teaching Implica/ons
Repe99on with varia9on. Get them to not just
read a vocabulary item, but also…
use it in a story use it in a sentence
play a game based on it see a photo of it
unjumble it hear it in a song
hear it spoken by a f
amous actor

36. Vastly increased
processing bandwidth:
EFL Teaching Implica/ons
Exposure  input  intake

37. Vastly increased
processing bandwidth:
EFL Teaching Implica/ons
Provide data capable
of being processed
into knowledge while
avoiding boredom
filter (lexical /
communica.ve rather
than gramma.cal
approach)

38. Vastly increased
processing bandwidth:
EFL Teaching Implica/ons
Provide ANALYTICAL
CHALLENGES that
s9mulate higher‐
order thinking: ask
How
What
Why

39. Don’t forget: male and female
adolescents mature at different rates
Grey cell Grey cell pruning
pruning starts at age 14 – 16
starts at age
10 – 12
Boys and girls may
be ready to absorb
challenging material
at different stages.

40. …also don’t forget: the average teen is
SLEEP DEPRIVED
Physiologically,
teens require Sleep
9.25 hours of depriva9on
sleep. makes it more
Most teens difficult for most
report sleeping students to
5 hours or less learn, remember
per 24‐hour and think
period. crea/vely.

41. WHAT ABOUT EFL PEDAGOGY?
What have we learned these past 20 years?

42. NEW EFL
Approaches
MOST of these match up with recommended Brain Learning
techniques for engaging teens and young adults

43. What else do we know about teens?
One of the things they really enjoy, even
seem addicted to, is VIDEOGAMES. Why?

44. What can we learn (and adopt) from
Video Games?
• Failure is part of the game
• Try and try again without s9gma
• Repe99on breeds competence
• Posi9ve reinforcement all the ,me
• Posi9ve vs. nega9ve stress
• Level design: progress to next level is
always a challenge, but achievable
• Progress = status enhancement
• Social (mul9player gaming; leader boards;
in‐game chat; challenge‐a‐friend)

45. Where it all comes together for teens:
MOTIVATION

46. Understanding Learner Mo9va9on
• The “neglected heart” of our understanding of
how to design instruc9on.
• Par9cularly an issue for teens, due to:
ZZZZZZZ

47. Learner Mo9va9on For Teens
Exploit learners’ natural curiosity to explore the
world, which is at its most powerful during
teenage and young adult years

48. Learner Mo9va9on For Teens
Make the
input material
relevant to
them.
Do they
believe that
what they are
learning will
be useful to
them soon?

49. Learner Mo9va9on
for Teens
“The simplest
way to ensure
that people
value what
they are doing
is to maximise
their free
choice and
autonomy”
‐ Good & Brophy, 2004

50. Learner Mo9va9on for Teens
Three strategies* to encourage posi9ve
self‐evalua9on:
Promote / Reward Increase
Provide Mo9va9on
Effort Mo/va/onal via
rather than Rewards,
Feedback
Ability not Grades
*Dornyei, 2001

51. A word about
technology…

52. Class Time Is Precious Time:
Technology Can Op/mize It
• Exposure / input and repe99on:
outside the classroom as much
as possible.
• Use precious class 9me for:
• discussion
• interac/on
• group work
• tasks requiring teacher
supervision
• face‐to‐face intelligent error
correc/on

53. English AQack! ‐ English 2.0
Bringing all these ideas together: ENGLISH ATTACK!
Video‐based learning units Thema/c visual dic/onary wikis
Prac/ce &
drill games
Social Networking

54. The Web allows learners to go beyond
learning: to create

55. Some Ed‐Tech Gurus
#efl #esl #elt #edtech #iatefl #tesol

56. A final point about teens and language

57. Language is part of one’s iden/ty and is used to
convey this iden9ty to others.

58. Teens’ iden9ty is in
full‐swing evolu9on,
so both L1
sophis9ca9on and L2
learning have a
significant impact on
the social being of
the learner.
*Thanasoulas, 2007

59. If we can integrate
English into teens’
idea of self, we
turbo‐charge their
learning, reten9on,
and enjoyment of the
process.
*Thanasoulas, 2007

60. Unlocking Learner Mo/va/on
In The Age Of The Digital Na/ve
TwiXer: @paulmaglione
@englishaXack
Web: www.english‐aXack.com
Blog: hXp://blog.english‐aXack.com
E‐mail: paul.maglione@english‐aXack.com
LinkedIn: Paul Maglione
Ob r i g
ado !