CHAPTER 5 - English Is A Physical Sport One of the greatest errors of the hidden curriculum
is that schools teach English as an academic subject. In school you study English. You
learn about English. You analyze the parts of the language (grammar, vocabulary, etc.).
You take tests about this knowledge. The problem is, English is not a subject to be studied.
English is a skill to be performed or “played.” Speaking is something you do, not something
you analyze and think about. Perhaps you can see the problem. Real English conversations
are very fast and they are unpredictable. The other person speaks quickly and you never
know exactly what they will say. You must be able to listen, understand, and respond
almost instantly. There simply is no time to think about grammar, translations, or anything
else you learned in English class. English conversation is more like playing soccer (football).
A soccer player must act and react almost instantly. The player must play the game intuitively.
Soccer players do not study physics formulas in order to play well. They learn by doing.
They “play” soccer, they don’t “study” it. Studying grammar rules to speak English
is much like a soccer player studying physics to play soccer. It might be interesting (or
not!), but it certainly won’t help performance. Your job, therefore, is to stop “studying”
English and start “playing” it! Remember that your fuel is an important part, perhaps
the most important part, of your Effortless English™ engine. Learning to play English,
rather than study it, is a powerful way to develop strong psychology and go much faster
on the road to fluency. When we first discussed fuel, we learned how to use our bodies to
change our emotions. It turns out the body is, in fact, a very important (and neglected)
key to learning English. By using physical actions while learning, it is possible to
learn faster, remember more, remember longer and speak better. Dr. James Asher, a psychologist
and professor emeritus at San José State University, found that using physical actions
in language class actually helps students learn vocabulary better. Dr. Asher became
curious about the link between language and movement after watching how young children
learned to speak. He noticed that when parents said something, their children typically would
respond with a word and some sort of action. He also noticed that parents frequently used
actions and gestures while speaking to their babies. Based on his research and observations,
Asher developed the Total Physical Response system of language teaching in which students
respond to teacher commands in the new language with whole body actions. These actions strengthen
the meaning of the phrase and make it easier to remember. Dr. Asher believes that students
can learn 12 to 36 words in an hour using this method. I’ve had similar success using
a version of it in my lessons and seminars. Of course, this is the complete opposite of
what happens in most English classes. In school, you are told to sit still in your chair. You
sit for an hour or more. Naturally, the longer you sit, the more your energy drops. As your
energy drops, your concentration drops, too. And as your concentration drops, you learn
less and forget more. Of course, this lower energy frequently leads to feelings of boredom.
Less movement, less energy, lower concentration, and boredom naturally produce worse results,
no matter what the method is, and so we have another downward spiral. While everyone benefits
from physical learning, some people absolutely need it. These people are called “kinesthetic
learners.” They learn best when they connect learning to physical movement. This kind of
learner tends to struggle in traditional classrooms, where they are required to sit motionless
for hours. Schools and teachers often label these people as being “learning disabled”
or as having “attention deficit disorder.” The problem, however, is not that “kinesthetic
learners” are disabled. Rather, the problem is a teaching disability — the failure of
schools to teach active learners in an effective way. My Effortless English™ seminars and
classes are quite different. Many have described them as “English rock concerts.” In an
Effortless English™ seminar, we frequently jump, dance, shout, laugh, and move. In fact,
it is rare for learners to sit for more than 15 minutes in one of my seminars. I want them
moving. I want them energized. Because I know that active and energized people learn faster,
learn more, remember longer and perform better! Remember, English is a performance skill,
not a subject you study. The more you use your body while learning, the more success
you will achieve. One way to use movement while learning English is to use the Action
Vocabulary method. In this method, you connect a unique physical movement to a new vocabulary
word. You shout the word (or phrase) and perform the movement. The movement should remind you
of the meaning of the word. By doing this repeatedly, you connect the word, its meaning,
and the unique physical action. This combination creates a stronger and deeper memory, resulting
in faster and deeper vocabulary learning. This is far more effective than simply trying
to memorize long lists of words. Another simple way to use your body is to walk while learning
English. With a smart phone you can make your learning mobile! Instead of sitting on your
butt, slowly losing energy, put on your headphones and go for a walk while listening to English.
As you walk, your heart will pump and your brain will get more blood. You’ll feel more
energy and thus you will concentrate better. You’ll probably enjoy learning more, too.
There is no reason to be limited by the old school methods. You do not need to sit motionless
in a chair while you learn. You do not need to remain silent. You do not need to be bored
and tired. As an independent learner, you are free to learn in the way that is most
effective and most enjoyable for you. You are the master of your own learning. Enjoy
it! Remember the peak emotion exercise you learned? This is another excellent way to
use your body while learning English. Take a short “energy break.” Play your favorite
energetic music. Jump, shout, smile, cheer and dance for a couple of minutes. Fully energize
your body and create peak emotions. Then continue learning English. Take these energy breaks
every 20-30 minutes every time you learn English. I guarantee you will get better results. Watch
children when they are playing. They are happy, energetic and active. Children learn best
while playing. They bring an attitude of play to everything they do. Small children don’t
need much effort or discipline. They are energized by curiosity. They learn actively. They learn
by playing and play while learning. It is time for you to rediscover these natural qualities.
As an adult, you still learn best in this way. You, too, benefit from being active and
energized while learning. You, too, benefit from physical movement and an attitude of
play. As you use the techniques and methods in this book, always do so with a fun and
playful attitude! There are two major parts to the Effortless English™ system: the psychology
and the method. You know that psychology is the fuel that makes the engine go. You must
develop that fuel to create higher and higher energy for learning. You have learned how
to use peak emotion anchoring, beliefs, and physical movement to create that fuel. You
have learned the importance of an active, playful attitude. In the next chapter, you
will learn another psychological technique for creating the most powerful fuel possible
for English learning.