Development Of Self-Directed Learning Skills In Students Enrolled In ESL/Adult Education Classes

Abstract

The purpose of this table-top presentation is to fill the gap between the everyday practical concerns of English language teaching professionals and research in the fields of Adult Education, Educational Psychology, and Teaching English as a Second language with respect to self-direction. Being prompted by research in these fields, the presenter proposes to teach self-directed learning skills explicitly in ESL classes. By choosing this approach, ESL students take responsibility for their own learning process, learn about their learning styles and develop knowledge how to learn, how to plan, how to achieve outcomes, and how to transfer that knowledge into new, real life situations. A self-directed component in ESL class enhances students’ motivation and independence. Adult students are usually serious learners once motivated.