Saint George International Language School 50 years experience of teaching English has led us to a clear understanding as to what is involved if you want to learn English successfully.

Motivation

If you want to learn English successfully then the first issue to tackle is motivation. Your motivation might be nothing to do with the language and everything to do with what the language can help you achieve. To learn English on this basis is very much a career based move, a means to an end. English as a language holds a dominant position in the world today and so is seen as a pre-requisite for a successful career. This will get you so far, and could get you very far, however typically if you want to learn English and be really successful at it then there are a number of other key factors .

Learn English as a personal interest

Some people are fortunate enough to establish, typically early in life, a genuine interest in learning languages. Some people just seem to have an ear for the sounds and shapes of different languages and take pleasure in being able to communicate to people in their language. If you are not one of these fortunate individuals with a natural passion for language then it is a good idea to try and cultivate an interest and pleasure in learning your target language. This can happen naturally as one progresses in a language and your confidence grows, and then to learn English, or indeed any other language, is no longer a chore.

However to progress to that confident level which might spark a natural interest may very well require ‘managed encouragement’. Obvious ways of encouraging a personal interest in the language is through cultural visits to places where English is the main language such as the UK or the USA.

Research has shown that positive attitudes towards the culture of the language being learnt and engagement with the culture of that language promotes successful language learning. This can start with short-stay school visits or summer holidays in international summer camps in an English native-speaker country. If an interest in the language for itself can be established, and combined with the more general aspirational motivation of wanting to do well in life, then you have a platform of strong motivation which will almost certainly enable you to learn English successfully.

Everything helps!

There is in reality no simple way of learning a language .It is more art than science, no matter what some people might say. The truth is that an eclectic approach based on a strong motivation is the key to learn English successfully. Everything helps. Self-study, study with a private teacher, classroom-based study in a group, a willingness to practice, seeking out opportunity to practice with native-speakers, an immersion in the language, interacting with authentic English materials. Whatever is possible financially and logistically. All the above things contribute and with determination and patience you will get to wherever you want to get to with your English. Yes good teachers can have a hugely positive impact on your learning and we have seen this a thousand times, but it cannot be over-stressed the importance of your own hard work as an integral part of the process.

Submitted by Saint George International

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