Desafios do professor de língua estrangeira ao ensinar alunos de terceira idade

Abstract

By means of bibliographical and documentary research, it was tried to analyze the foreign language (English) teacher´s challenges,when teaching students of old age. More specifically: to know the characteristics and needs of the elderly when learning a foreign language; to clarify the role of the teacher in planning and delivering English classes for the elderly, and to suggest methodologies that facilitate and stimulate learning in the elderly. In this research, we realize the purpose of life, behavior and the universe of interest of these adults. And we clarify that there must be prior preparation for qualified teachers in dealing with the multiple issues involving learning a foreign language in senior citizenship. We suggest, therefore, the updating of the methodologies and technologies used in the foreign language classes, in search of better practices that go beyond the grammar-translation method. This way, we understand that when the teacher knows the characteristics of the seniors and is theoretically grounded, there will be a final integration between the implicit meanings when learning a foreign language and the purpose of their life