Creating networks of English learners. Learning English on your own can be a difficult task. studying grammar and vocabulary and listening to the BBC can help you understand what you hear and repeat. But for most learners, the most important goals are to speak and write English well. And in order to do this you need to communicate with other people. So how can you do this if you are studying alone?
And this Listen, Karen Adams, writer of many English books gives her advice on how to go about creating networks of learners who can communicate with each other. Think about your own situation. Are any of your friends or members of your family learning English? Do you ever practice English with them? One of the most Important things in successful language learning is getting over the fear of communication with others in the foreign language. It's not unusual to find learners who have been studying English for many years but who find it almost impossible to have a conversation.
This is usually because when they learn English in school, the focus was on learning grammar and vocabulary. Making mistakes was seen as bad and it is often this fear of making mistakes, which means that they are too frightened to use the language which they know. We encourage learners to overcome their fear by forming networks of learning circles. These learning circles can have as few as two members. Two friends are members of the same family or they can be large clubs. The most important feature about them is that they encourage people to communicate in English to talk about things which interests them without being embarrassed about making mistakes, but learning circles need them's only focus on speaking.
You could have a learning circle of pen friends who all write letters to each other. The most important thing is that it is what they say or write to each other which is important, not simply the grammar or vocabulary they use. What are the best ways of creating opportunities for communication English? Start an English learning circle. Ask her family and friends if they would like to spend some time speaking in English. Arrange a regular time each week which you set aside for talking in English.
This could be after your favorite BBC World Service Program. Talk about what you understood what you thought of the program and find out what others thought. main contact with learners in other places do work for a company which has offices in other towns. Does your school have contacts with other schools in your region? Why not find out if people who are working or studying in these places would like to communicate with you in English, this could be by letter, on the phone or in person. Start an international network.
If you have a friend or family member who lives in another country, he or she might know people who would like to write to you or to your learning circle. Remember when you're communicating with someone Who doesn't speak your language, you really need to speak English and that is the advantage. This is really good