I can learn English like a native speaker

What type of novel do you enjoy reading most? Use reasons and examples to support your response.

The way non-native students  learn English is very different from learning overseas. This difference in learning and teaching  English  cause problems  both for teachers and non-native students. One of the problems is that non-native students ask some  questions which are  realy simple and obvious for  native  English teachers. I know these kinds of  questions might make teachers sad because every year they hear the same questions over and over from thousands of students, which is of course boring for them. But, I have to say that asking simple questions  are not resolved for English learners.

I remember that I learned English since I was twelve years old in Elementary school. We most study vocabulary, grammar and reading as part of English curriculum. We did not have speaking, listening and writing section. Our teachers did not even talk in English. Some of whom were more interested in their jobs can speak English. But, their speaking were even different from native English teachers. They spoke with accent and they were not aware of pronunciation techniques. At that time, there was no internet in Iran so that they can read or learn about these kinds of techniques. They even had difficulty in speaking. They could speak on simple subjects and if teachers would like to explain more in English, they would not speak fluently and as a result, they explain  it in  Mother Tongue language , persian.

I had been  learning English by this way for six years;  only reading passages, learning vocabularies and knowing grammar. But, I was really interested in learning English because I first learned English from my father. He explained me passionately  and his passion affected me to read more and more about English. My father and most of my close relatives know English or French so we always watch and listen to English or French movies and songs. This environment and my interest cause me to watch and read in English more. But, this was not very common at that time. All interested students or students who wanted to achieve a good job, they registered in English Private schools which was somehow expensive and crowded. Signing up in these schools was not popular and recognized as a luxury hobby. Most students went to English schools in summer times as a leisure time activity. These schools had long story as well. They were more attractive in money rather than learning English properly. The English methods they used was old and non-practical. They of course show some movies in English and assinged some writings but there was time-wasting. students  had to enroll every semester every year for five or six  straight  years until they can learn English, which there was not a guarantee if students learn or not.

 When I am thinking about the past time, I can understand why non-native students ask simple question which is really easy to answer for native teachers. .English learners do actually not know how they can improve English because of their bad habits. Our educational system was wrong. Our teachers could not teach us good habits because of many reasons. I do not blame my teachers but I am trying to say that students are trying to learn English and asking simple questions help them to know if they are in the right track or not.

Listen to the music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pw4Nn99vlU and the lyrics taken from this site: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/celinedion/imalive.html

“I’m Alive”

I get wings to fly
God knows that I’m alive

One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.

The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn’t see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.

Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.

“Hellooo Mr. Frog!” called the scorpion across the water, “Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?”

“Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?” asked the frog hesitantly.

“Because,” the scorpion replied, “If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!”

Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. “What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!”

“This is true,” agreed the scorpion, “But then I wouldn’t be able to get to the other side of the river!”

“Alright then…how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?” said the frog.

“Ahh…,” crooned the scorpion, “Because you see, once you’ve taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!”

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog’s back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog’s soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog’s back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

“You fool!” croaked the frog, “Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?”

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog’s back.

“I could not help myself. It is my nature.”

Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the flowing river.

” Our edducational system teaches riding bicycle by lecturing on the subject for fifty hours, giving a written test, and punishing the students for falling off.” (from the article “why making mistakes should be a part of your study system”, written by Robert Seiler, http://www.housing.uic.edu/lrc/docs/CollegeStudySkills/MakingMistakes.pdf )

Recently, I read a blog which advises English learners do not write or speak in English because of making mistakes. But the writer argued that the mind becomes familiar with incorrect grammar structures, which is really hard to forget . So, he advised students to write and speak flawless.  In contrast, I read an article which encourages students to make mistakes as much as they can because making mistakes is part of learning system. We, the students, can not learn without making mistakes. How can I learn writing without the experience of writing? or the same for speaking.

I think I have to speak and write even though I make mistakes. I will learn from my mistakes and making errors during learning process is really normal and natural. So, making errors is a progress in learning process. I go forward by making mistakes.

Once upon a time, there was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him brag,  slow and steady,the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the jungle gathered to watch the race. The race started and the hare cried out: ” How do you expect to win the race when you’re walking so slowly?”. He ran down the road for a while and stopped to rest, thinking:” there is plenty of time to rest.” But, the tortoise walked and walked and  never stopped until he came to the finish line. All the animals cheered so loudly for him, the hare woke up. It was already too late to continue the race. So, he always reminded himself: ” Don’t brag about your lightening pace, for slow and steady win the race.”

Each learning style matches with different students. Some learn best through pictures, figures, charts, movies and etc. Others learn from reading and writing. It is really useful if we know which style is matched with our learning ability in order to learn faster and deeper.

 The people who learn better via pictures and charts called Visual. Aural learners like to learn from hearing, talking, tapes and group discussion. Read or write group learns most through reading words or writing notes. The Kenesthetic learners like to do some hands- on activities. For example, they learn in lab environment better.

If you are interested in knowing which styles is matched with you, it is really helpful to take the questionare here. http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

Procrastination is a common problem among students. Statistics show that seventy percent of students procrastinate. Procrastination means putting off what one can do today. When it comes to learning English, I do not practice speaking skill every day. I do not learn new vocabularies. I do not write very often. Every day, I would like to do these kinds of practices but a consisting voice inside me says: ” there is a plenty of time to do it.” Postponing is a big enemy of my self. How can I destroy this enemy? What causes to postpone? what kinds of methods help?

Why do students procrastinate?

Researches show that there are some major reasons.   A weak ego or sense of identity, lack of sleep ,lack of rich nutrients or exercising can cause this problem. An article named “Six Steps to Help You beat Procrastination” has mentioned some methods to overcome the problem, which I remark  here.

What students can do

1. Be honest with yourself.

2. Make a deal with yourself to do the task for just 15 minutes. Doing every task for just 15 minutes is endurable.

3. Break down tasks into pieces and do one task at a time.

4. Do mindful meditation by focusing on the breath. Studies show that this simple task builds concentration.

5. Do not overwhelm yourself with a lot of tasks. Every day do small things.

6. Think about the consequences of procrastinating. If I do not learn English, I may loose many opportunities during my lifetime.

 Postponing do not allow  to follow  dreams.  So, the best way is to fight with it and  to say that “It is tough but I can do it.”

Learning Grammar and sentence structure, listening to many dialouges,movies and stories, practicing speaking and writing are parts of activities that a learner do in order to learn English. But beyond these practices, there is a major and significant factor which has a key role in learning a language: a right attitude is a key to be succeeded.

A right attitude is a positive thinking. It is common to feel down when students can not overcome difficulties such as making grammar errors while speaking . In this case, students have to think positive, thinking how much they know or how much they advance.

English teachers always correct mistakes made in speaking. I really liked these corrections but after a while, I recognized that these corrections not only helpd me but also decreased my self-confidance. I had first to think about English grammars and then spoke. It was extremely difficult while speaking and almost impossibe. Because when I am talking with neighbours or store salers I never think about grammar. I only want to communicate. In addition, teachers correct the same mistakes over and over. I know gramatically I made a mistake. I can not do anything about it even though I pay attention to what I am talking about. I know grammar somehow but making mistakes unconsciously is not because of the lack of English knowledge.It is because I need some time to practice.

So, I do think positively. I only think how much I know , today more than yesterday. I accept everything happens in the journey of English learning because I am sure that I will make a progress in the near future, slow and steady.

 I read another English blog called Randal ESL blog. Randal is an English teacher and he always suggests a new topic to comment on in his blog. This time, the new topic was what a successful language learner is. Is a person who was born in a foreign country and learns English as easy as pie? or  can other students also learn, even though they are not in abroad?

An anonymous person commented that learning English is not like learning an art. It is necessary to have a talent for learning musics or singing. Even though one is trained many years in music, one may encounter difficulty playing or singing a song because of lacking the talent. But the anonymous person mentioned that the beauty of learning English is that everyone can learn it. One does not need to have a special talent. The only thing that helps is to work hard and hard.

Conclusion: Do not blame anyone for not learning English, work hard and practice more and more!