Social Media and Adult Education

Writing is traditionally the least enjoyed part of adult English classes. While much of the time is devoted to listening and reading skills, and some, although not enough, to speaking, writing is often left neglected. However, writing is more than just a mechanical stringing of words into sentences, which often creates anxiety. It supports critical thinking and problem-solving skills, grammar and spelling development, and metalinguistic awareness.  Most adult learners experience language writing anxiety even when they type a sentence in a chat box. The fear of making mistakes can be paralyzing for some students. The irony is that their desire to be perfect too quickly often slows their learning trajectory. If we want to lower our students' affective filter, they must experience low-stakes practice on a regular basis.   Blogging seems to be one of the least threatening solutions to the problem of teaching writing. First, it offers learners greater control over thei...

As a non-native teacher of ESOL, I felt slightly uneasy after reading Perry (2026). His article discusses power dynamics and capital conversion in YouTube language learning communities. One recurring theme is the recognition and legitimacy of the three language influencers on YouTube. All three of them are native speakers.  How can one possibly overcome this type of hurdle? Honestly, to support my students' language development, I recommend that they visit Speak English with Vanessa. Vanessa is one of the three YouTube language teachers featured in the study. Her style is easy-going, friendly, and unpretentious. Her advice is sound and, from a language acquisition standpoint, highly professional.     Why, then, would my students need me? First, Vanessa teaches general English and I teach an ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course. While participating in YouTube lessons with Vanessa is an option, taking part in my class is a reality, which directly chan...

Most of this week I spent on Reddit. The main takeaway from this excursion is that Reddit is a universe of its own. It is like a living organism bursting with human thoughts and ideas. it can also become a final resting place of some ideas. (I thought I also saw a couple of bot posts.) Here is my reply to the challenge: Part 1: Finding Spaces Academic/professional interests: r/AdultEducation Personal hobby: r/HomeImprovement Surprise: r/AmIOverreacting Very strict rules: r/NeutralPolitics Very minimal rules: r/AskReddit    Part 2: Deep Dive on a subreddit One rule that shapes what can be posted on a subreddit is adhering to the topic and having a fair purpose (e.g. r/Canvas). One example that follows the rule well:     One example that breaks the rules:    Part 3: Highly upvoted post: r/Teachers ; It's going to get worse, isn't it? The reason for the upvote is the teacher rant, sounding sort of exasperated.  Picture of the last portion of the post...

A couple of years ago, I would not have believed that I would enjoy being an online ESOL teacher. Sharing a physical classroom space used to be the ultimate energizing experience for me. But we cannot have it all, and my family's situation required a move. So we moved, and I moved my job with me. Within a few weeks, I became an online worker, and I created my routine. In a month, synchronous online teaching became my second nature. What I could hardly ever imagine began to take shape: my unique online teacher persona.   An online teacher must develop new skills, attitudes about teaching, and habits pertaining to class structure and preparation. While in the traditional classroom, learners interact with those present in the room, bound by four walls, online learners connect from various locations (nodes) to create a virtual place called a "classroom." The teacher's role is to help focus the networked learners' attention on the topic and support their class presence...