Language Learning: Why Most Fail and How YOU Can Succeed

Language Learning

Language Learning Why Most Fail

Language Learning Why Most Fail and How You Can Succeed

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Brought to you by: Foreign Language Mastery

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

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

Fact:

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

But why?

Is it because of their:

Is it because of their: a) method

Is it because of their: a) method b) attitude

Is it because of their: a) method b) attitude c) materials

Is it 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

The 5 W’s of traditional language learning

Who?

Teachers:

Teachers: choose what will be studied

Teachers: choose what will be studied do almost all the talking

Students:

Students: have little or no control over what they study

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

What?

Students spend most of their time:

Students spend most of their time: memorizing grammar rules and vocabulary

Students spend most of their time: memorizing grammar rules and vocabulary reading or reciting texts

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

Where?

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

When?

Most students only spend a few hours a week with the target language, typically while in class. Very few study during their free time for enjoyment.

Why?

Most students only study what is required. And they only study these materials because they are required.

In East Asia, most people study English to pass high school and university entrance exams.

So what are the results of traditional language education around the world?

After 10 years of English study, the vast majority of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese 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, a bilingual province in eastern 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 area), only 0.68% of students reached an intermediate level in French! Source: www.cbc.ca

It’s obvious that traditional language education is ineffective. 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 the Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis

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

Learning is like...

...memorizing parts of a car engine and being able to explain how it works. It is a conscious process.

Acquisition is like...

...being able to drive but not necessarily knowing how the car engine works. It is a subconscious process.

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

Acquisition does not require conscious study of grammar rules. It happens naturally when you get lots of interesting and meaningful input. More on this later...

So if traditional methods are so 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.

Just as in days of old, most people still think that learning must always take place in a classroom with the guidance of a teacher.

Ignorance & Arrogance

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

Vested Interests

A lot of people are ﬁnancially dependent on the traditional language teaching and learning model. Including...

Textbook Publishers

Cram schools

Teachers

...and even Politicians

The traditional model has survived not because it is effective, but because of tradition, ignorance, arrogance, money and politics.

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

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

Motivated

Motivated Goal Oriented

Motivated Goal Oriented Relaxed & Conﬁdent

Motivated Goal Oriented Relaxed & Conﬁdent Disciplined

How to Build Motivation

Motivation has 2 main fuels:

Motivation has 2 main fuels: perceivable progress

Motivation has 2 main fuels: perceivable progress interest in the material, language, and culture

Tracking progress relies on:

Tracking progress relies on: good goals

Tracking progress relies on: good goals good measurement tools

Tracking progress relies on: good goals good measurement tools We’ll discuss interest later...

How to Choose & Monitor Goals

Create “SMART” goals

Create “SMART” goals Speciﬁc

Create “SMART” goals Speciﬁc Measurable

Create “SMART” goals Speciﬁc Measurable Attainable

Create “SMART” goals Speciﬁc Measurable Attainable Realistic

Create “SMART” goals Speciﬁc Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely

Create “SMART” goals Speciﬁc Consider Measurable Attainable these goals Realistic for example... Timely

This is not a SMART goal:

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

This, on the other hand, is a SMART goal:

This, on the other hand, is a SMART goal: I want to ﬁnish this Chinese comic by Sunday.

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

Traditional assessment tools like written tests measure memorization of knowledge, not acquisition of skills.

Many schools encourage students to continue to the next level so they can earn more money, not necessarily because you are ready to move on.

Record yourself speaking once every 3 months. This will give you a good measurement of how much you have really improved.

How to Remain & Relaxed Conﬁdent

Negative emotions like fear, anxiety and 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:

There are 2 keys: Do not speak until you are ready

There are 2 keys: Do not speak until you are ready Then ﬁnd a descriptive (not prescriptive) tutor who doesn’t make you feel stupid

How to be Disciplined

Some days you just won’t feel like studying. But if you only do things when you feel like it, you won’t get very far.

Discipline is like a muscle; the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.

Every time you do something that requires discipline (however small), the easier it is to complete the next task you aren’t in the mood for.

Last, but not least, we come to the ﬁnal and perhaps most important factor...

Materials

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

Beyond a lack of efﬁcacy, the traditional language learning model has 2 other major disadvantages: It’s expensive

Beyond a lack of efﬁcacy, the traditional language learning model has 2 other major disadvantages: It’s expensive It’s location speciﬁc

This leads to two common excuses for not learning:

This leads to two common excuses for not learning: I don’t have enough time.

This leads to two common excuses for not learning: I don’t have enough time. I don’t have enough money.

Fortunately, modern technology has solved both of these problems. There is now a massive supply of FREE, high quality language learning content...

...online.

Take podcasts for example... (free audio or video programs available by RSS)

iTunes alone has more than 100,000 podcasts series available on a wide range of topics and in all the world’s major languages.

And with the advent of portable media players, you can carry all this content around with you.

With so much free content available, “It’s too expensive” is no longer an excuse.

With the portability and convenience of iPods, Zunes, etc., you can never again say “I don’t have time”

And with such a wide variety of content available, there is no excuse to consume boring content. Which brings us to the next key to success...

Get as much listening and reading as possible, but make sure that the content is...

...interesting to you.

This is one major reason why self-study trumps traditional language classes; you can choose what you want to read or listen to.

Always ask yourself, “Would I read this content in my native language?” If the answer is no, choose something else.

To have any chance of sticking, your input must also be comprehensible.

This means that content is just above your level of comprehension. If you can’t understand at least 80%, 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.

Lastly, you should review your content using an SRS (Spaced Repetition System)

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

If you review material at the right time, you can better control what gets into long-term memory

So when should you review?

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

You now have the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in language learning! Happy Learning!

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

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

Language Learning: Why Most Fail and How YOU Can Succeed

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