Language Learning: Why Most Fail and How YOU Can Succeed [COMPLETE]

Language Learning Why most and how people you can fail... succeed si on er l lV Fu

Brought to you by: Foreign Language Mastery How to Learn Any Language Effectively L2mastery.com

Fact: The vast majority of language learners fail to reach ﬂuency in their target language even after years and years of study.

Test: Is this because of their: a) method b) attitude c) materials d) all of the above

The answer is d). Nearly all learners fail because of poor methods, poor attitudes, and poor materials.

Let’s now take a look at these 3 factors in more detail, starting with...

Methods

Before you diss it, you have to deﬁne it. So what exactly is the traditional language education method?

The 5 W’s of traditional language learning

Students: have little or no control over what they study do almost no talking, but are forced to talk before they are ready

Teachers: choose what will be studied do almost all the talking punish mistakes if students do speak

Students spend most of their time: memorizing grammar rules & vocabulary reading or reciting texts taking tests

Where?

Most studying takes place: at ﬁxed locations under teacher or parent supervision

Most students: only spend a few hours a week with the target language only read or listen to the language while in class.

Most students: only study what is required because it is required do not read or listen to the target language for enjoyment.

In East Asia: most students study English to pass school entrance exams most adults study for advancement at work.

So what are the results of teaching and learning languages this way?

After 10 years of English study, the vast majority of Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean students graduate from university unable to speak the language ﬂuently, if at all.

And if you think this is just because they lack the proper environment, consider the case of New Brunswick (the only constitutionally bilingual province in Canada)

To help boost the French skills of Anglophone citizens, the province created an early immersion program starting in the 1st grade. After 12 years of daily study (and living in a French-speaking region)...

...only 0.68% of the students reached an intermediate level in French! Source: www.cbc.ca (via Steve Kaufmann)

This troubling data shows us that traditional language education doesn’t work. But why? One major reason is that...

Knowledge and skills are completely different

Traditional language education fails because it treats language as an academic subject, not the physical skill it truly is.

This fact received little attention until a certain Dr. Stephen Krashen put forth his now famous Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis

This complex sounding theory can be explained with a simple metaphor...

Learning is like memorizing the parts of a car.

It is a conscious process. Most schoolwork is of this type.

Acquisition is like being able to drive but not necessarily knowing how the car works.

It is a subconscious process. Sports and language are of this type.

Most people never reach ﬂuency because they spend too much time learning about the language... ...and not enough time actually acquiring it.

Acquiring a language does not require conscious study of grammar rules. It happens naturally (and automatically) when you get lots of interesting and meaningful input.

So if traditional language learning and teaching methods are soooo ineffective, why have they survived soooo long?

Three key reasons the traditional model has survived:

The Weight of Tradition

Though there have been many “cosmetic” changes over the years, languages have been taught in the same basic way for millennia.

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Most people don’t know (or won’t admit) that there are better ways.

Vested Interests

Textbook publishers, language schools, teachers, and even politicians, all beneﬁt ﬁnancially from the traditional education status quo

But even after we push all these aside, we are left with yet another obstacle: the individual learner and their...

Attitude

“In language learning it is attitude, not aptitude, that determines success.” ~Steve Kaufmann Creator of LingQ.com Author of The Way of The Linguist: A Language Learning Odyssey

So what kind of attitude do you need to succeed in language learning? One must be...

Interested. The more you like the content, the more that will stick (and the more time you will spend with the language!)

Motivated. Motivation is fueled by interest, enjoyment, and perceivable progress toward your goals. Which is why you must also be...

Goal oriented. It is not necessary to have serious, pragmatic goals, but you do need a direction to aim in.

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. Alice: I don't much care where. The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go. ~Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (via Tim Ferriss)

Whatever your goals, make sure that they are “SMART” Speciﬁc Measurable Consider Attainable these goals Realistic for example... Timely

I want to speak perfect Chinese. ...is not a SMART goal.

I want to ﬁnish this Chinese comic book by Sunday. ...is a SMART goal.

Patient. Language learning isn’t hard, but it will take time to reach your goals. Progress in physical skills can be hard to notice, so make sure to...

Monitor your progress through quarterly audio or video recording, NOT tests or completion of “levels”

Why? Because traditional assessment tools like written tests measure memorization of knowledge, not acquisition of skills.

Moreover, many language schools encourage students to continue to the next level or material so that they can earn more money, not necessarily because you are ready to move on.

Calm and collected. Try not to get frustrated when you make mistakes or people can’t understand you. Both are a natural part of learning a language.

Negative emotions like fear, anxiety, anger or boredom signiﬁcantly reduce one’s ability to learn and perform physical skills, including language.

So how can one remain relaxed and conﬁdent in language learning? There are 2 keys...

First: Don’t speak until you are ready. Speaking too soon just leads to: Anxiety, inhibition and frustration when you can’t communicate your needs, wants or thoughts Fossilized errors in your pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary usage that are nearly impossible to undo later

“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.” ~Antonio Graceffo Linguist, Martial Artist and Author of The Monk From Brooklyn

Be a baby...

Infants spend about 2 years actively listening before starting to speak. During this time, their brains are busy at work subconsciously organizing what they hear. Adults should go through a silent period, too.

Second: When you are ready to speak, ﬁnd a good tutor. “Good” means: They are friendly and patient They can speak a foreign language They let you choose your own materials They don’t try to “teach” you the language

Disciplined. You won’t always feel like reading or listening. But if you only do things when you feel like it...

...you won’t get very far in any kind of skill-based endeavor. The good news is that you can strengthen your discipline just like a muscle...

Every time you complete a task that requires discipline, the stronger you become and the easier it is to complete the next task you aren’t in the mood for. For example...

Not a morning person? Force yourself to wake up the instant the alarm goes off. You will then be that much more likely to study that day.

Last, but not least, we come to the easiest problem to ﬁx...

Materials

Beyond a complete lack of efﬁcacy, the traditional language learning model has 2 other major disadvantages...

It’s expensive. Textbooks, CDs and tuition can add up quickly. Many would be language learners give up because they can’t afford traditional classes.

It’s location and time speciﬁc. With jobs and families, it can be really difﬁcult to schedule formal language classes. And even if you do, chances are that more urgent commitments will arise.

Fortunately, modern technology has solved both of these problems.

Take podcasts for example... (free audio or video programs distributed as MP3 or MP4 ﬁles through RSS)

Apple iTunes alone has 100,000+ free podcast series available at the click of a button, with something sure to match every interest, ability level and language.

And with the advent of high-end portable media players, you can carry all this content around with you wherever you go. Learn anytime, anywhere.

With so much FREE, interesting, high-quality content available for download today...

“It’s too expensive” and “I don’t have time” are no longer valid excuses!

But with soooo much content available today, how should one choose and manage what they listen to and read?

Topics of interest. Choose topics that you enjoy listening to and reading in your native language.

Comprehensible content. If you can’t grasp at least 80% of the content you read or listen to, choose something easier

Most adults choose overly difﬁcult content thinking that it will help them improve faster (and look more intelligent). In the end, this just slows progress and leaves you unmotivated to continue learning.

Use a spaced repetition system.

Why? Because researchers have found that people forget new information at a fairly predictable rate.

If you review material at certain intervals, you can better control what gets into long-term memory. So when should you review for maximum effect?

10 minutes after 1st Review you ﬁnish studying 2nd Review 1 day later 3rd Review 3 days later 4th Review 1 week later 5th Review 1 month later

Install iTunes (it’s a free download), ﬁnd some podcasts that ﬂoat your boat, and start learning a foreign language today!

Happy Learning!

For more tips, suggested resources, and interviews with language experts, visit: L2mastery.com

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Language Learning: Why Most Fail and How YOU Can Succeed [COMPLETE]

by John Fotheringham on Jun 19, 2009

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Language Learning: Why Most Fail and How YOU Can Succeed [COMPLETE] — Presentation Transcript