the limits of language teaching language
needs to be discovered it cannot be
taught to an unmotivated learner
becoming a linguist depends on you not
on schools or teachers language teachers
are dedicated to helping you improve but
they cannot make you fluent you have to
acquire the language yourself the
teacher can stimulate explain and
provide the best possible language
resources after that you must take
charge and pursue your own learning
according to your own interests and
nature if you do that you will learn
naturally and without stress the
language classroom is too often an
artificial environment where the
emphasis is on teaching the language
according to a timetable imposed by the
curriculum the expectation is that the
teacher will impart language knowledge
or skills in a certain order as long as
the textbook is covered in the
prescribed time period and test scores
are positive the assumption is that the
language has been learned unfortunately
the results in terms of fluency are
mostly disappointing the language
classroom can be stressful the learners
often dislike having the teacher correct
them in front of others and are
frequently frustrated at their own
inability to speak properly there is an
underlying expectation that the students
should perform correctly rather than
just communicate the students
alternately feel threatened or annoyed
by their fellow students depending on
whether their classmates are more or
less proficient at learning the new
language than they are themselves in the
most effective classrooms it is not the
language that is studied but some other
subject of interest to the students in
studying another subject the learners
absorb the language and are less
self-conscious about their own language
difficulties in their enthusiasm to
communicate about something of interest
to them after the learners are exposed
to a sufficient amount of interesting
content by listening and reading in the
language they gradually become aware of
the knee
for correct structure and word use then
they are motivated to work on these
aspects of the language it is best if
the learners ask for help as they need
it rather than having to respond to the
timetable of the teacher the teacher is
able to correct the students privately
or unwritten content and to offer
relevant grammatical explanations as
required the classroom can be a useful
learning environment if it is used in a
flexible way which puts the learner and
not the teacher in control another way
in which the teachers rather than the
learners control conventional language
teaching is through the frequent use of
tests to evaluate learners for a variety
of reasons educational authorities find
it necessary to try to objectively
assess the language competence of
non-native speakers for English there
are standardized tests which go by names
like TOEFL test of English as a foreign
language and TOEIC test of English for
international communication and similar
acronyms these tests may be a necessary
evil for university entrance or for job
interviews but in my opinion results in
these tests are not a reliable indicator
of language fluency they should not
become an obsession and must never
become the goal of language learning the
best judge of your language competence
is you the learner you know if you can
read more easily if you can understand
more of what you hear or if you are
having an easier time expressing
yourself paradoxically you will score
better on these tests by acquiring a
balanced ability in the new language
rather than by just studying to pass
these tests too many language learners
focus on doing well on these tests
rather than on learning how to
communicate comfortably in preparation
for tests especially for the major
standard tests students will study word
lists which are isolated from any
Content they will spend countless hours
reviewing specialised books with grammar
rules lists of verbs phrases idioms and
sample questions they study the
techniques forgetting
high scores on these tests in this way
they pursue study methods that are
inefficient and stressful in the long
run an undue emphasis on getting a high
TOEFL or TOEIC score can divert you from
the real goal of achieving fluency in
the language the test is only an interim
goal on your way to academic and
professional success if you focus on
test results without really learning the
language you are only fooling yourself
in the end you will not be able to use
the language effectively there are no
shortcuts to be comfortable in answering
most TOEFL and toy questions you need to
become familiar with the natural flow of
the language in many different contexts
this can best be acquired through
intensive listening and reading of a
wide variety of interesting material
while using a program that helps you
remember new words and especially the
most common phrases this kind of
exposure to the new language in real
situations not studying grammar and word
lists is the fastest and most enjoyable
way to learn in some countries
especially in East Asia fierce
competition exists for entry into
prestigious schools and universities
foreign language ability is an important
subject and schoolchildren are put
through high-pressure study programs to
achieve good marks on national tests
there are cram schools with classes of
50 to 70 people it is impossible to
learn to communicate in these situations
teachers devote themselves to revealing
how to get high marks in this
examination hell I can well understand
that this kind of teaching will
discourage a learner's interest in a new
language public school systems
everywhere have been widely unsuccessful
in teaching second languages this has
had a negative influence on language
learning many potential linguists are
conditioned to think that language is a
tedious subject that has to be taught in
schools in my own case I found studying
theoretical explanations of grammar
uninteresting and
not an effective way to learn languages
I resisted doing exercises and answering
questions that tested my knowledge of
grammar after I left high school I
discovered that I learned faster through
systematic exposure to the language than
if I relied on formal teaching in a
classroom environment sentence
structures that were strange and
difficult at first eventually felt
natural if I encountered them often
enough in my reading and listening
occasionally I would consult grammar
books to answer questions that I had
about the language sometimes the
explanations helped and at other times
they did not much like when I looked up
words in a dictionary I would usually
remember grammar rules or explanations
if I understood them only for a short
period of time and then forget them in
the end it was only through enough
exposure to the language that my grammar
improved I was prepared to devote
considerable effort away from class to
listening and reading on subjects of
interest to me this was the natural and
enjoyable way to discover the language I
developed my own systems for expanding
my usable vocabulary to ensure that I
was able to retain words and phrases
rather than immediately forget them if I
did not see them again for a few days
these methods helped me develop study
programs for the linguist there are
undoubtedly learners who are happiest in
the structured environment of a
conventional no language classroom and
who are comfortable
studying grammar and preparing for tests
even those learners can benefit from a
self-directed learning system like the
linguist by customizing the learning
process to suit their needs and
interests learners will find that their
classroom language experience will be
more effective in this way they will
also make it possible for themselves to
continue progressing in the language
after the formal classes are ended
the linguist calm the power of language