ANASTASIA SASTRIKIRANA (THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA)

ADDRESSING DIVERSITY IN ENGLISH CLASSES FOR ADULT LEARNERS TO CREATE POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT : TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Teaching adult learners in a language class is always challenging in terms of designing classroom activities as there are both visible and invisible diversity aspects that have to be taken into account such as age, educational background, and previous learning experience. Various research on adult learners have been conducted, for example the research that examines adult learners’ motivation, anxiety and expectation in language classes. There are also studies that focus on challenges often faced by trainers when teaching adult learners. Meanwhile, some other studies have highlighted the characteristics of adult learners which should be considered during teaching practice. However, there has not been research that thoroughly elaborate classroom activity selection and examples in relation to adult learners characteristics and diversity aspects that exist in English classes. To fill in this gap, this research is conducted to give a thorough description of classroom activities that have been carefully selected after considering those characteristics and aspects. This study also elaborates the learners’ perception on classroom activities to gain understanding if the activities are suitable for them. It will be of interest to novice trainers who look for real examples of classroom activities and to trainers at all levels who are concerned with diversity in order to create positive and safe learning environment for adult learners.

Anastasia Sastrikirana specializes in teaching adult learners and is passionate about classroom management, cultural awareness, and multimodality. She has thirteen years of teaching experience and is enthusiastic to continuously improve her knowledge in order to be able to successfully deliver the best practice in every classes that she teaches.