Realistic goals, consistency and discipline are essential when learning English. If you really want to learn English, you will have to work at it and it is up to you to decide whether English lessons are a pleasure or just another “need”.
It is important to realise that learning English must become part of your life, a continuous, ongoing process. Your knowledge of English develops gradually. It takes a year to reach one level of English if you study at least twice a week and do your homework.
Often people are attracted by hyperbolic advertisements such as “Learn English in 30 days”, “Memorise 100 words in a day”, expecting a quick result, but are disappointed and drop out.
With 16 years of experience working with students, I’ve seen a lot of stories, I’ve had a lot of practice, and I want to share a realistic plan of what you really need to move forward, to gain more knowledge and to enjoy learning English.So let’s get started.
THE FIRST STEP IS TO GRASP REALITY. English lessons are not a fairy tale where the teacher works miracles, where you can buy that “special bag of knowledge”, where you don’t have to do too much, and OP – I know English. No! Learning English is real work on yourself, concrete steps, tasks that help you improve and really learn to communicate in a foreign language.
STEP 2 – MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES. Before starting to learn, it is very important to have a good self-assessment, to be open to yourself, to accept yourself. To find out your true level of English, take an English placement test. It is recommended to take several tests to get a realistic picture. It is also very valuable to talk to an English language specialist who will give you a few exercises, ask you some questions and give you an accurate assessment of your English level. After the English level assessment, there are two options. Study to consolidate the same level of English that the test showed, if the score is the minimum for that level. Or study for the next level of English if your current level is already strong, with more than half of the scores for that level.
STEP 3 – AN INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMME. You can learn English in a variety of ways: on your own at home, with a teacher, in a group with other students, or in contact or distance learning classes. I recommend that you try out a wide variety of ways of learning and observe yourself to see which way of learning makes you feel most comfortable and helps you achieve effective results. You can choose any of the learning styles you want, but the best results come from mixing and matching, whether you are learning individually, in groups or alone at home. Practice helps you know yourself. You can also take tests to determine your learning style. As you get to know yourself better, you will be able to do more of the tasks that suit your style and character.
STEP FOUR – PRACTICE: With your goals, your individual programme and your English language learning, you will begin to do a lot of English language tasks. Vocabulary, grammar, listening, writing tasks, speaking lessons. If you want to get ahead, it’s not enough just to come or join a class, the real results come when you do your homework. Let it be 1 – 2 writing exercises, 3 – 5 words learnt per day, but it makes a big difference. It is also very important to put your knowledge into practice and to communicate as much as possible in the foreign language. This can be through chat rooms, correspondence through letters, conversations during foreign trips. Be brave and you will find that people around you are very kind and it doesn’t matter at all that you have made a mistake. Most of the time, the interlocutors are kind enough to ask if they understood and you learn another word, expression or grammar rule.
STEP 5 – EVALUATION. Observe yourself, rejoice in every achievement, see not what you don’t know yet, but how much you have learned, how much you have achieved. Be proud of yourself, feel grateful to yourself for your efforts, for your improvement. And this is not selfish at all, it is a healthy relationship with yourself. I have noticed that students who focus on their strengths rather than their weaknesses find it much easier to complete tasks, interact in a more relaxed way and take on challenges with a smile and a can-do, can-want-to and will-learn attitude.
So, take a piece of paper and write it down:
- What is my level of English? What level of English do I want to improve/achieve in one year?
- I learn best in (underline): alone, in a group, at a distance, through contact. How and where do I want to learn?
- My favourite tasks are (underline): writing, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary. I want to improve (underline): speaking, writing, grammar. When and how much time a day will I study?
- What is my learning style? What are my character strengths?
- What do I feel grateful for? How will I reward myself when I achieve my goals?
Please fill in this questionnaire and if you need any help in finding out your level of English, making a learning plan, please contact me and I will be happy to help you. See you soon!
