Part 11
1. I accept that I have to try out new ideas and concepts.
If you continue learning English the way you used to, you will keep getting the same results. Since you want to improve your English, it follows that you will have to change your learning techniques and methods. Please bear in mind, that the vast majority of English learners don't want to do the things winners like to do.
2. I accept the fact that learning English is an ongoing process.
Do you think it is possible to learn English within a certain period of time? Learning a language is a life long process even for native speakers. This means for you that you have to integrate English into your daily routines. English has to become an integral part of your life.
3. I can only learn if I like what I'm doing.
One the main ingredients to success is fun and humour. If you try to just "study hard" forcing yourself to cram grammar and vocabulary into your head, you are bound to fail sooner or later. Of course you can exercise "will power" and discipline yourself to learn some English words by heart but how long can you keep this up? Sooner or later you will get frustrated and quit. A further down in the book you will find suggestions as to how you can make your language activities fun and how humour can help you maintain momentum.
4. English to me is a means to achieve my goals rather than the goal itself.
Now you might think we are getting philosophical and to a certain extend this might be true. One of the reasons why so many English learners fail is that they do activities such as completing grammar exercises or reading texts in order to learn English. This is the wrong approach. Winners use English as a means to achieve a goal. Here is an example: The average person completes vocabulary exercises in a text book because they think they can learn a lot of English words that way. A winner switches the menu language of their mobile phone to English and continues using the phone as before. Since the menu language is in English now, the winner picks up English vocabulary automatically. So, using the phone is the goal, learning English is just a positive "side-effect".
5. I start to use authentic English language resources as soon as possible.
If you want to learn English like a winner, you have to start using the original English media as soon as possible. But what exactly does this mean? Well, a typical learner of English uses ESL resources most of the time. "ESL" stands for "English as a second language". It's a fact that the vast majority of those materials are rather dull and artificial. They contain language most native speakers would rarely use. Winners know that the earlier they expose themselves to authentic English, the better. Let's say you just start to learn English. Instead of using ESL materials, you can listen to original audio books for kids. Using ESL materials is a bit like swimming with floating devices.
If you get used to them, you will never learn to swim freely. The same holds true for ESL materials. Your ultimate goal is to interact and communicate with native speakers of English. To get to that level you have to expose yourself to the same language native speakers use and since it is very unlikely that a native speaker of English will ever use any ESL materials, you should drop them as soon as possible too. Substitute your ESL books and CDs with 'the real stuff' -- media that are not only produced but also used by native speakers of English. The sooner you take this step, the faster your English will improve. What's more, your general outlook on life will change too because you start to learn a new of thinking.
If you have any English grammar or vocabulary questions,
please post them on this English Grammar Forum.
