Teaching a Foreign Language According to Age Groups

Abstract

Teaching a foreign language according to age groups (adults, adolescents and preschool/school children) has its own specificity, as well as methods and principles with some attributes of adult learners being facilitative of this task and others constituting a source of difficulties. This study is aimed to provide an overview of key issues relevant to foreign language learning and teaching according to age groups, as well as highlights the ways in which the characteristics of age groups can be capitalized upon to optimize the teaching process. In the first place, common principles of language learning are discussed, which is followed by a consideration of issues concerning the specificity of teaching foreign languages according to age, as well as choice of the most effective methods and strategies.