Did you know that in Canada, over a third of the overall older population are senior immigrants? Did you know that nearly two in three seniors in the Greater Toronto Area are immigrants?
These older immigrants show up in many of our ESL classes. They can be visitors, recent immigrants, or longer term immigrants. Many of them are grandparents and parents. Are we aware of their different needs? Do we appreciate and love these seniors?
The ESL Link interviewed a teacher amongst us, Anne Sim, who has a lot of experience teaching seniors. Let’s see what we can learn from her experience.
ESL Link: What are the levels and nature of the ESL classes you teach? How many are seniors and what ethnicities are they?
AS: I teach 2 ESL classes. One is a beginner or introductory level class made up of 4 seniors and 1 middle aged woman. The second is an intermediate class, made up of 4 middle aged women. All are Mandarin speaking Chinese ladies.
ESL Link: In your experience, what are the general characteristics of these elderly learners?
AS: The senior ladies are more isolated than those who are middle aged. They are caring for their grandchildren and children. Most are living with their families, but one senior woman lives alone. They are not able to drive and have limited English background. Three of the seniors are widowed, and one lives with her husband in her daughter’s home.
ESL Link: What are their strengths and weaknesses, and special needs?
AS: As you might expect, these ladies have great challenges to overcome to learn English. They are of a generation that did not learn English in school. Their interaction is mostly limited to Chinese family and friends. Because of their age, they have more trouble retaining vocabulary and their lack of confidence in this regard doesn’t help! They have much more difficulty with pronunciation than any younger group I have taught.
I did not become aware of the strengths of these ladies until we hosted a luncheon at my church for both classes. Everyone brought their delicious food, very well prepared. Their generosity and helpfulness were outstanding.
I had arranged for some Chinese music and dance, and this inspired my seniors to show off some beautiful Chinese dancing. Later, they shared videos of performances on WeChat that they had given locally. These showed a great deal of expertise and an ability to remember very complex moves. The ladies looked so elegant and regal, so different from the struggling women I meet with each week who are overwhelmed by the challenges of learning a new language and culture. I looked at one woman’s WeChat profile and saw a picture of her in an elegant long silk dress, sitting with great dignity at her piano. She looked like a totally different woman!
ESL Link: How do these elderly learners adjust to Canadian culture?
AS: Needless to say, these women are probably not adjusting very well. I think it takes great courage and perseverance to continue to come to our ESL conversation class when it is so difficult for them to speak and understand. They are quite familiar with the grocery stores nearby though, and sometimes they surprise me when we chat about everyday outings to the store or park. As they become less self-conscious and more engaged thinking of daily experiences, they become more fluent.
ESL Link: Do you enjoy teaching these elderly learners, and why?
AS: I enjoy teaching these seniors because, in spite of our (mutual!) struggles, we enjoy each other’s company and are thankful for the warm connection we share that transcends the limitations of language and culture.
ESL Link: What do you recommend someone without experience with these learners to do to prepare themselves for these learners?
AS: I think feeling some degree of empathy for these students, imagining how difficult their adjustment must be, helps a lot to connect emotionally with them. I think it is best to have beginners of the same gender and approximate age together because they seem to relate well to one another and can encourage each other.
I have a curriculum called “The First Hundred Hours: Interacting About the Here and Now” which I found helpful at first (see https://growingparticipatorapproach.wordpress.com/first-hundred-hours-2009/). For every lesson, I prepare a sheet of pictures to learn vocabulary. I used some TPR (Total Physical Response) at first. I like websites like ISS of B.C. Students – Janis’s ESL and YouTube to learn basic greetings and vocabulary. Now I am using the Oxford Picture Dictionary to make illustrated vocabulary sheets about topics of daily interest, like cooking, shopping, the home, family relationships, etc. I am asking questions now about each picture to encourage my students to speak in sentences. I write them out so I can correct the grammar and they can read them back, giving me the opportunity to correct their pronunciation.
ESL Link: In light of the aging society and the many needs of elderly people, how can we better care for these elderly immigrants as ESL teachers?
AS: I think this is a very needy segment of the population and we have the opportunity to reach out to them with love and care. The need is great and by word of mouth, our classes will grow. Sometimes a contact in a higher level class is the connection to many older friends and relatives who can benefit. If we can find a way to learn from them, as I somewhat accidentally did, this can be a great opportunity to build their self esteem and open our eyes to the people of dignity and distinct cultures they truly are.
ESL Link: Are there any last comments you want to share regarding teaching elderly ESL students?
AS: In the fall, we plan to resume in-person ESL at my church. Because of their limited mobility though, I plan to continue to teach these seniors online. However, whenever we plan a luncheon or party, I look forward to meeting with them again in person!