Well, that’s great, but what exactly does that mean, and how do you go about doing it? Every language learner has their own idea of what they expect, but let’s see if we can try to pinpoint some specific ideas and suggestions that will help you to achieve what you want.
As teachers of a foreign language, we get a lot of people asking us, ‘How can I learn as quickly as possible without burning out? Learning English is hard!’ One good answer is, ‘Always enjoy yourself.’ For me, this is the best way to learn well without getting tired or bored. But it isn’t always easy to do. Poor material, boring teachers, long class periods, subject matter that isn’t practical or enjoyable…the list can go on and on. The first suggestion I can make is to be open and direct with your teacher. Let your teacher know what you want, and your teacher will be able to give you what you need. This means developing a trusting relationship; when you trust your instructor you can tell them what is on your mind.
Another really important thing to remember is to place practice before perfection. Fluency in a language is not all about perfect use of vocabulary or complex grammatical structures. The more you practice with the teachers you trust, the better your language will be. This is a guarantee. To do this, it’s important to work to overcome shyness and learning to always give the activity your best effort. Everyone knows we all make mistakes, and plenty of them, when we learn a language. But we all benefit from the mistakes we make, so feel free to make them! Your teachers all understand the difficulty of learning languages. Many of us speak multiple languages as well, and we remember! Be brave, be courageous, take risks when speaking, and the long-term benefits will show.
Finally, use the things you learn and practice by engaging in fun activities that use English. Do you like a new English movie that arrived this week? Watch it in English! The experience will be completely different from watching in your own language. You can even use English subtitles at the same time; this is a good way to exercise your English learning. Or, if you like music, learn the words to your favorite English song, and practice it until you can remember all the words. Then, move on to another song. You will be surprised at the number of new words and expressions that you will pick up in these two fun ways.
Good luck with your language learning, and I hope that you can find exactly what you want on the journey.
Published by Bob Z.
