[ELTWeekly Volume 7, Issue 20 | November 23, 2015 | ISSN 0975-3036]
Many teachers of teenagers find their lack of motivation, lack of willingness to study, and hesitance to stop using their native language quite challenging. These are issues that go beyond language, so it’s important to look beyond language teaching in finding solutions.
Research shows that due to developments in the limbic system of the brain, teenagers are extremely prone to risk taking. They also tend to be driven by emotions rather than logic. However, they are very capable learners, often more capable than they’re given credit for, and are also very adaptive. The challenge, then, is to find a way to tap into this adaptive capability.
This is, of course, more easily said than done, largely due to the competition teachers face for students’ time. Teens spend an average of 70% of their time with peers and media. Because of this, teens are often occupied with superficial activities like social media rather than more serious pursuits. Studies that show checking Facebook, Twitter, email, and similar online outlets constitutes a sort of neural addiction. The novelty-seeking part of the brain is rewarded when we see a like on a Facebook post, not the higher-level part of the brain that governs planning, scheduling, and other functions critical to successful studies.