ETpedia TM

Teenagers
500 ideas for

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teaching English
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to teenagers
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Edmund Dudley
Series editor: John Hughes

www.myetpedia.com
Contents
Introduction
Introduction
10 reasons for using this resource.................................................................................6
10 ways to use this resource.........................................................................................7
10 facts about the author..............................................................................................8
Preparation and planning
Unit 1: 10 ways that teenagers are different from young learners..............................10

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Unit 2: 10 ways that younger teens are different from older teens.............................12

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Unit 3: 10 ways that teenagers are different from adult learners................................14

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Unit 4: 10 things that teenagers value in their teachers..............................................16
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Unit 5: 10 ways to find out about your teenage learners............................................18

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Unit 6: 10 questions to ask teenagers.........................................................................20

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Unit 7: 10 things to avoid when working with teenagers............................................22

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Unit 8: 10 things to remember when planning lessons for teenage students............24

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Unit 9: 10 ways to use the space in the classroom......................................................26

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In the classroom
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Unit 10: 10 ways to begin lessons with teenagers......................................................30

Unit 11: 10 ways to ask questions effectively..............................................................32
Unit 12: 10 tips for motivating teenagers...................................................................34
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Unit 13: 10 ways to get teens using their first language in lessons............................36
Unit 14: 10 ways to give teenagers responsible roles ................................................38
Unit 15: 10 reasons to get teenagers working in small groups and pairs...................41
Unit 16: 10 ways to get teenagers into small groups and pairs..................................43
Unit 17: 10 ways to establish rapport with teenagers.................................................45
Unit 18: 10 ways of dealing with students’ names......................................................47
Unit 19: 10 ways to deal with teenage behaviour problems.......................................49
Unit 20: 10 ways to get the best out of mixed-ability teen classes.............................52
Unit 21: 10 techniques for developing teenagers’ study skills....................................54
Unit 22: 10 ways to end lessons..................................................................................57
Developing skills
Unit 23: 10 ways to help teenagers become confident listeners................................60
Unit 24: 10 ways to exploit out-of-class listening opportunities.................................62
Unit 25: 10 techniques for improving speaking in roleplays and dialogues...............64
Unit 26: 10 techniques for managing long turns in speaking.....................................67
Unit 27: 10 ways to motivate teenage students to read.............................................70
Unit 28: 10 strategies for handling reading comprehension tasks .............................72
Unit 29: 10 techniques to help teenagers plan, draft and revise their writing............74
Unit 30: 10 motivating writing activities for teenagers...............................................76
Unit 31: 10 ways to get teens thinking critically ........................................................79
Unit 32: 10 tips for evaluation and giving teenagers feedback on skills.....................82

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Unit 33: 10 language games that teenagers enjoy.....................................................84

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Developing language awareness (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation)
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Unit 34: 10 grammar activities that teenagers won’t hate..........................................90

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Unit 35: 10 ways to give teenagers effective feedback on grammar..........................95

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Unit 36: 10 techniques to help teenagers record new vocabulary .............................98

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Unit 37: 10 ways to help teens find the words they need.........................................100
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Unit 38: 10 teen-friendly techniques for revising and recycling vocabulary..............102

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Unit 39: 10 ways to discuss pronunciation with teenagers........................................104

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Unit 40: 10 ways to get teens interested in individual sounds .................................107

Unit 41: 10 tips for building confidence with pronunciation.....................................110
Keeping it real: additional lesson topics and activities
Unit 42: 10 DOs and DON’Ts for finding topics that teenagers are interested in....114
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Unit 43: 10 activities using music .............................................................................116

Unit 44: 10 ways to use online videos with teenagers..............................................119
Unit 45: 10 ideas for making student videos.............................................................122
Unit 46: 10 ideas for using selfies, street art and internet memes ...........................124
Unit 47: 10 more ways to use mobile phones ..........................................................127
Unit 48: 10 ideas for projects with teenagers...........................................................130
Unit 49: 10 teen-friendly formats for presentations .................................................133
Unit 50: 10 activities for last-minute substitutions with large classes........................136
Appendix.............................................................................................................. 139
 10 reasons for using this resource

1. You’re new to teaching

Less experienced teachers will find this a useful and practical introduction to working with
teenage students.

2. You need some ideas

More experienced teachers in search of new ideas will find good, practical activities and
techniques here.

3. You’re struggling with teens

This book does more than provide classroom ideas: it aims to help teachers better
understand teenagers, and to empathise with some of the issues that teenagers have in
the classroom.

4. You’ve never taught teens before

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Experienced teachers who are about to work with teenagers for the first time will get a

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sense of the unique challenge posed by teenage classes.

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5. You read on the run
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Introduction

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Teachers who need something bite-sized that they can dip into between classes will
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appreciate the format of the book.

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6. You’re looking for staffroom discussion-starters

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Senior teachers and heads of department can select units of the book to kick-start
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staffroom conversations, peer collaboration and idea-sharing among colleagues.

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7. You want something that works

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The ideas in the book are designed to be simple, effective and down-to-earth.

8. You haven’t got much time to prepare lessons

Most of the practical ideas and activities in this book are straightforward and need little or
no preparation.
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9. You enjoy teaching

This book is written for teachers who love teaching, and who want their lessons to be
memorable and enjoyable – both for their students and themselves.

10. You’re curious about other teachers’ experiences with teens

The author has spent many years working with teenagers, thinking about the teenage
classroom and discussing teaching with colleagues. The book is a culmination of that
process.

6 ETpedia: Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018.
10 ways to use this resource

1. Use it to get ideas when planning lessons

This book can be dipped into when planning practical activities for lessons.

2. Talk about it with your colleagues

Read a unit and then discuss it with your colleagues. Share your own ideas and techniques.

3. See what your teenage students think about it

Use one of the units (for example, Unit 4) as reading input in one of your classes. Ask your
teenage students if they agree with the views expressed about teenagers.

4. Read it critically
No two teenage classes are the same, and experiences differ. Modify and adapt ideas to
suit your own needs.

5. Add your own ideas in the margins

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Use this book as a notebook. Jot down your thoughts and new ideas in the margins of

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Introduction
6. Read a unit a week
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Tackle one short unit a week for a manageable and beneficial reading challenge.
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7. Try out one idea every week

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Choose an idea that you like from each practical unit. Try it out.
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8. Open it at a random page

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Open the book at random, read one unit, and make a note of one idea to try out, or one
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view about teenagers to discuss with a colleague.

9. Compile a ‘Top 50’

Read the book from cover to cover. At the end of each unit, circle the point that you like
the most.
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10. In case of emergency

Keep the book in the staffroom for those moments when you need a quick idea for your
next lesson.

ETpedia:Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018 7
 10 ways that teenagers are
different from young learners

Adolescence affects students in different ways, so we need to be cautious when drawing

conclusions about the ways in which teenage students are different from young learners.
Having said that, it is a fact that the teenage years are characterised by the changes
brought about by puberty. These changes are not only physical, they also have an effect
on the way that students learn, feel and interact with others.

Here are some of the ways that teenagers are different from younger learners.

1. More grown up
Although they are still children in many ways, teenagers are maturing fast and are much
more concerned with being treated like adults. In the classroom this means that they reject
activities that they deem childish, and are – with some exceptions – generally much less
willing to take part in activities that include total physical response, kinaesthetic learning
or singing.

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2. Longer attention spans

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Teenagers have the capacity – though not always the desire – to concentrate for longer
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periods than young learners. Whereas successful lessons with young learners require
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huge amounts of variety and regular transitions from activity to activity, lessons with
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teenagers should be designed partly to nurture this growing capacity they have to sustain
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Unit 1

concentration for a longer period of time.

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3. Better at abstract thinking

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Changes to the brain mean that teenagers are better at thinking in abstract terms than
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young learners. They are also quickly learning to be more analytical and systematic in
how they process information about the world. We need to make sure that their growing
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cognitive capacity is regularly fed with tasks that get them thinking.
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4. Body-conscious
The changes to the body that teenagers experience in puberty have a truly significant
impact on their lives and the way they see themselves and others. Teenagers are
extremely body-conscious – some to the point of distraction – and this makes it hard for
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them to concentrate in class. As teachers, it is important that we demonstrate sensitivity,

understanding and patience, for example by not drawing attention to students’ physical
appearance.

5. In a world of their own

The egocentrism of adolescence can make many teenagers hard to reach. They can
appear distant, distracted, uncommunicative, or just lost in thought. Some teenagers can’t
seem to stop looking out of the window or at their own reflections. A patient and sensitive
attitude from the teacher is the best way to navigate this obstacle. When students’ minds
have wandered, try to get their attention back in a way that does not make them feel
embarrassed or singled out.

10 ETpedia: Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018.
6. Brittle self-confidence
Although teenagers can appear brash and self-confident, they are far more sensitive to the
opinions of others than young learners are, and often regulate their behaviour in order to
try to influence what others say about them. Be mindful of the fact that teenagers can be
extremely sensitive to offhand comments from their teachers, no matter how bulletproof
their behaviour might appear.

7. More swayed by peer pressure

Peer pressure is at its highest during the teenage years, when the influence of a pack
mentality can sometimes be detected in the decision-making and behaviour of individuals
in class. Be aware of this when negotiating with teenagers or discussing issues that affect
the whole group: talking to students one-to-one or asking them to write down their
opinions individually are the best ways to counter the power of peer pressure and to
discover what individuals really think.

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8. Sexually aware

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There is no avoiding the fact that teenagers are growing in sexual maturity and are often
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pre-occupied with the topic of sex. This can affect how they respond to certain topics
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and can influence how they conduct themselves in class when working with students they
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are trying to make an impression on. Teachers of teens need to be calm and assertive

Unit 1
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when establishing norms of acceptable interaction between students, but should also be
understanding of the fact that the inappropriate behaviour of many teens is caused by
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confusion and insecurity.

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9. More rebellious
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Students tend to become more rebellious as they reach adolescence, a natural

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consequence of the many changes they are going through on the journey from childhood
to adulthood. No longer children, yet not always capable of behaving like adults, teens
sometimes see teachers as domineering adult figures who are trying to order them about.
In class, this can lead to confrontations and resistance, which are best met with a calm and
consistent response. Be willing to hear students out and to compromise where possible.
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When you stand your ground, do it in a mature and respectful way.

10. Less concerned with getting the teacher’s approval

Unlike young learners, teenagers care less about what the teacher thinks about them and
more about the opinion of their classmates. Telling teenagers you are ‘disappointed in them’
will not have the same effect as it has on younger learners. Ultimately, teens want to keep
some kind of distance between themselves and the teacher, which is quite understandable.
Accept it. In the long run, teenagers are actually more likely to warm to teachers who accept
them as they are than to those who try to judge them or guilt-trip them.

ETpedia:Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018 11
 10 ways that younger teens are different from
older teens

At the risk of making generalisations, it’s possible to notice a gradual change in

teenagers as they get older. Thirteen year olds and 14 year olds tend to conduct
themselves in a different way from 18 year olds, and also have a noticeably different
attitude towards the learning process.

Teenagers are also developing and maturing at different rates and in different ways, so
in many cases we find that there can be a clash of norms within a single group. This is
particularly true among 15 year olds and 16 year olds, where developmental differences
between individual students can be most marked.

This unit focuses on younger teens, drawing attention to some of the ways in which they
are likely to present a slightly different challenge from students a few years older.

1. Noisier
Younger teens are often noisier, more fidgety and more physically energetic in the way

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they behave in the classroom than older teens. In addition, they are often oblivious to the

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effect that their behaviour has on others. Be firm and patient when the lively behaviour of

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younger teens interferes with your teaching, and remember that others in the class are also
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put off by it. Work hard to establish and enforce ground rules, while also being tolerant of
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the fact that a certain level of animated behaviour is inevitable at this age.
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2. Less self-disciplined
It takes teenagers a few years to develop enough self-discipline to avoid unnecessary
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conflicts. It can also be hard for them to anticipate the consequences of their actions,
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and to manage their time effectively. Although problems of this kind are found among
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teenagers of all ages, it tends to be most acute with younger teens. Instead of just telling
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them what they’re doing is wrong, indicate what steps they can take to put things right.
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3. More active and enthusiastic

Younger teenage students often have a strong sense of fun, and bring humour and energy
to the classroom. They are often less jaded than older teenage students, who tend to be
slightly more serious and goal-oriented. Younger teens want to enjoy themselves in class,
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and are generally more willing to take part enthusiastically in activities that offer them the
chance to do this.

4. More attention-seeking
There are usually more class clowns who are inclined to mess around in order to impress
their friends or to try to draw attention to themselves in some way. As they mature,
teenagers tend to outgrow the urge to be the centre of attention in lessons, and look for
more subtle and sophisticated ways to get the attention and approval of their peers.

12 ETpedia: Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018.
5. Less focused on exams and careers
Younger teens are generally more concerned with the here-and-now, while the priorities
of older teens are more geared towards attaining their goals. As a result, it is difficult to
get younger teens to take exam practice seriously, as anything happening in more than a
year’s time seems to be in the distant future. Older teens, meanwhile, are more concerned
with passing their exams, and demand lessons that are more oriented towards helping
them practise and prepare.

6. Less interested in abstract topics

As they get older, teenage students become more interested in abstract ideas and show
greater interest in debating and discussing topics that extend beyond the confines of
their own lives. Younger teens have a fast-growing interest in the world at large, but have
generally spent less time thinking about abstract topics than their older peers.

7. Less life experience

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A 14 year old usually has much more limited life experience than someone three or four

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years older than them, and this lack of experience can have an effect on how well younger
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teens are able to tackle tasks that draw on real-world situations. Bear this in mind when
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planning tasks and activities for lessons.

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Unit 2
8. Less sure of themselves
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Younger teens are soaking up the world around them, and as a result are still in the
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process of forming some of the opinions and values that they will come to have as adults.
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Older teens generally have a clearer idea of where they stand on certain issues, and so are
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more self-assured when asked to express opinions, especially on topics connected to the
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outside world.
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9. More adventurous
By the time they leave secondary school, many teenagers have fairly pragmatic
expectations and ambitions for themselves; younger teens, meanwhile, are more likely to
have big dreams. They often have an adventurous, more optimistic outlook on life, which
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can be harnessed with appropriate tasks in the language classroom.

10. More impulsive

Younger teens are generally more impulsive and spontaneous than their older peers. In
class, we might notice that they sometimes do and say things that appear thoughtless
or insensitive. Older teens, with greater life experience, are generally more tactful and
measured, and usually have better social skills.

ETpedia:Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018 13
 10 ways that teenagers are different from
adult learners

We have already seen that teenage students respond well to being treated like adults.
It is important to remember, though, that there are many ways in which teenagers are
significantly different from grown-ups.

The following characteristics are not necessarily true of all older teenagers, but they
should be taken into consideration by teachers who have decided to approach their
teenage students in the same way they would approach a group of adult learners.

1. Less likely to empathise with the teacher

Teenage students are more likely to consider their teacher an authority figure, and do not
see themselves as their teacher’s social equals in the same way that adult students might.
This can mean that they are more deferential or passive when it comes to negotiating
learning, or that it is harder for them to empathise with the teacher’s aims and perspectives
than it is for adult learners.

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2. Less willing to ask for help

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Adult learners tend to be more confident about asking for help or indicating that they do
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not understand something in class. Teenagers, on the other hand, are more likely to stay
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silent and try to muddle through the best they can. Be aware of this, and take steps to
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ensure that teenagers have access to extra explanations and support when you sense that
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Unit 3

it might be appropriate.
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3. More inclined to take risks

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The teenage years are associated with risk-taking, and this can have both positive and
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negative consequences in the language classroom. The teenage attitude of ‘let’s-see-

what-happens’ can mean that lessons are enriched by students’ spontaneous ideas and
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off-the-cuff remarks, but it can also result in slapdash work and a less methodical approach
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to studying.

4. Less autonomous
With greater life skills and learning experience, adult students are generally better
equipped to find the resources they need to learn independently outside the classroom.
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Teenagers need more guidance. Remember to discuss study skills with your teenage
students, and share techniques to help them become more autonomous in their learning
(see Unit 21).

5. More willing to accept uncertainty

Teenagers are generally less concerned with the gaps in their knowledge and
understanding than their adult counterparts. For example, you might find that teenagers
have better gist reading skills, simply glossing over the unknown words they encounter in
a reading text. Adult learners, on the other hand, often want to know the meaning of every
new word straight away.

14 ETpedia: Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018.
6. More likely to switch off in class
The motivation of teenage students is often less clear-cut than that of adult students.
Whereas many adult students are instrumentally motivated to learn English for better life
and career prospects, and have signed up – and paid – for their English classes with a
determination to get the most out of them, the situation with teenagers is hazier. In many
cases, teens take English classes because they have to, or because a family member is
paying for them to do so. As a result, they are less likely to be self-driven, and more likely
to drift when they are not in the mood to learn.

7. Less interested in grammar and language analysis

As exams approach, older teenage students begin to take an interest in grammar practice
and language analysis activities, but generally speaking these are not things that they
enjoy in their own right. For that reason, lessons with teenagers always need to have a
strong communicative element. Adult learners on the other hand, tend to be interested in

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both analysing language and communicating in English.

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Teenagers often underestimate how much time they are going to need to complete a task,
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and also have a tendency to put things off. This can lead to late assignments and rushed
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work. Give them plenty of advance notice and reminders to help them get their work

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done on time. Adult learners, despite their busy schedules and out-of-class commitments,
usually have much better time-management skills.
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9. More emotional
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Although mature in many ways, older teenagers find it harder to regulate their emotions
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than adults, and are sometimes hampered in their learning by their emotional states.
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Adults are usually – but not always – better at leaving the problems of everyday life at the
classroom door.

10. Better mobile-phone etiquette

We often complain that teenagers are obsessed with their devices, but they are much
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better than adults at remembering to switch off their phones in class, and deserve credit
for this. When a phone rings unexpectedly in the middle of the lesson, it is most likely to
be the teacher’s. If we are going to lay down the law about the use of mobile phones in
class, we need to make sure that our own phone is switched off first.

ETpedia:Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018 15
 10 things that teenagers value in their
teachers

It can take time to gain the respect of a group of teenage students, no matter how good
the teacher’s intentions are. One of the reasons for this slow process is that teenagers
tend to feel slightly threatened by new teachers, and so can be quite cautious and
reactive when they encounter them for the first time. Teenagers are not usually keen to
articulate the things that they value in a teacher, partly because – unlike adult learners
– they are less confident in their status as ‘equal partners’ in the classroom and so tend
not to make suggestions, instead preferring to wait and see how the teacher wishes
to work.

On the other hand, teenagers are very quick to express dissatisfaction with working
methods and tasks, even if they cannot always offer an explanation as to why they
do not like them or suggest a better alternative. By noticing the things that teenage
students resent in a teacher’s working methods, it’s sometimes possible to figure out
what they actually value.

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1. Willingness to experiment

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Although teenagers certainly prefer a well-prepared and methodical teacher to one who
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is unprepared and disorganised, a little bit of novelty and creativity will also go down
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well. When teens complain that a lesson is ‘boring’, what they actually mean is that it is
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predictable. Try to find a new twist on revision activities rather than always doing them in
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Unit 4

the same way. (See, for example, Unit 34.3: Mini-interviews from workbook questions.)
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2. Consistency
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For all that they value novelty and innovation in language-learning activities, teenagers
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do want predictability and consistency from their teachers when it comes to managing the
classroom and handling evaluation. Don’t spring surprise tests on them, for example, or go
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back on your word about lesson content.

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3. Fairness
Teenagers have the capacity to endure uninspiring lessons without getting frustrated or
upset, but they will never forgive a teacher for a perceived act of unfairness. Pay special
attention to how you treat students, making sure that no one receives preferential or
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discriminatory treatment. Avoid double standards: if student A gets into trouble for not
doing the homework on Monday, but student B is let off with a smile the next day for the
same oversight, the rest of the group will rightly be annoyed.

4. Willingness to use technology

Don’t feel intimidated by teens’ mastery of technology. They are actually more interested
in our attitudes towards technology than our ability to master it ourselves. Naturally,
teens respect those teachers who already use technology as well as they do, but they are
also generally happy to explain and demonstrate apps and programs to less tech-aware
teachers – provided we show a genuine interest and willingness to learn.

16 ETpedia: Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018.
5. Not embarrassing students
Avoid comments that put individual students in embarrassing situations. Teenagers are
highly concerned with how other people see them, and are particularly aware of the
danger of losing face in front of their classmates. Insensitive comments by teachers (about
a new hairstyle, clothes, pronunciation, test results, etc.) can make teenagers cringe – even
if the comment itself is positive or seemingly innocuous. Remember that teenagers are
not really interested in winning the approval of the teacher: it’s the other students in the
class whose opinions matter to them. Keep personal comments to a minimum. Teenage
students notice if we respect them in this way, and tend to respect us back as a result.

6. Curiosity about their interests

When teenage students do talk about their interests in class, it can be demoralising if
the teacher does not show much curiosity or interest. Such an attitude comes across as
belittling and dismissive. If teenage students are particularly engaged by a topic that is of

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personal interest to them, encourage them – but do not require them – to bring in some

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extra information about the topic to the next lesson, or to do a mini-presentation on the

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topic. It is not necessary to share the student’s enthusiasm, merely to show interest and to
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pay attention.
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7. Sensitivity to students’ schedules

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Teenagers often have tough daily schedules, with a number of different teachers of other
subjects all making demands of them at the same time. A common complaint among
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teens is that a teacher ‘only thinks about his/her own subject’. Rather than announcing the
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date of a test, for example, ask the class in advance which day would suit them best, and
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try to come up with an arrangement that works for everyone. You might try the class-rep
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technique for this (see Unit 14.1).

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8. Willingness to negotiate
As noted above, teenage students appreciate it when teachers demonstrate flexibility and
a willingness to negotiate with them. In addition to giving plenty of advance notice when it
comes to announcing tests and out-of-class assignments, bear in mind that teens respond
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well to being given options and being allowed to take responsibility for their own learning.

9. Setting an example
Teenagers expect their teachers to live up to the standards that they set for their students.
For example, if it isn’t acceptable for students to say that they didn’t have time to do the
homework, teenage students will resent it when we say that we didn’t have time to correct
the assignments that we promised to have ready for the lesson.

10. Ending the class on time

Resist the temptation to take another minute or two at the end of the lesson to finish an
activity or explanation. Break times are precious for teenagers, and every second counts.
Keep an eye on the clock and make sure you let the students go as soon as the bell goes
at the end of class.

ETpedia:Teenagers © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2018 17