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Learning English As Second Language

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Before you purchase anything to help you to learn your new language, you need to figure out your learning style. Are you a visual person who would learn better with a DVD learning program? Or are you an audio learner, who should have better success with a CD or mp3 course? For some people, books are a better option, though learning with text alone often creates a less effective learning experience. There are also interactive software programs on the market today that can be very effective.

The second aspect to consider is how the language is spoken. A lot of adult language education is focused on the rules, regulations and structure of the new language. However, this is not the way that children are taught naturally. Even though there are some significant cognitive differences in the way that children learn versus adults, it doesn't mean that they are entirely different. One of the key similarities is that exposure to the language as a whole is important in learning the language.

Think about it this way: Before children start speaking in their native language, they are exposed to the way that the language is spoken for years previous. They grasp the natural flow of the language and are able to tap into how the language is used. By contrast, many adult language learners are forced to learn grammar rules and structure first in order to learn the language.

Make sure your language learning material has some sort of immersion component to it. Do you hear the language on a regular basis while you are taking the course? Are you being taught to listen to the way the language is formed? If not, make sure that you make an effort to immerse yourself. Listen to television programs in the language you are trying to learn. With the Internet and sites such as YouTube, it's possible to access a wide variety of programs from different languages, even if nothing is available on your television.

It's important that you begin to think in your second language, just as you do in your first. A good language-learning program will help you to make connections from objects in your surroundings to the second language. Instead of seeing a red car and thinking, "Red car. That would be coche rojo in Spanish," you should be able to see the car and think "coche rojo" instantly.

If the standard materials aren't helping you learn, there are a lot of new language learning tools that can make the process a lot more fun. Language video games can help you internalize your new language. There are games for your computer as well as for video game systems.

Another fun idea to try: look for a few comic books in your second language. Comic books make learning the language easy because you have the pictures in the book to help you make meaning out of words you may not know.

By following these tips and getting a sense for all the cool tools that are now available for second language learners, you'll begin to see that the process is definitely possible, and may even be fun!

Learning English As Second Language

Yumi Imai, a Japanese student who learned English in Japanese schools, is frustrated. She has high scores on English tests, such as the TOEFL. She reads English well and has a large vocabulary. According to standardized tests- she is an advanced English learner. But she has a problem-- Yumi speaks English slowly, makes frequent mistakes, and struggles to understand native speakers.

Yumi does well on tests, but she can't communicate. Of course, she is not alone. All over the world, millions of English learners struggle with the same problems.

Most of these people learn English in the same way-- they study grammar textbooks, they memorize vocabulary wordlists, the do "speaking drills". Many learners, like Yumi, do well on tests but cannot communicate.

A new movement in English education seeks to solve this problem. It's called the "Listen First" movement and teachers are getting powerful results with it.

Listen First was started by the late Dr. J. Marvin Brown. Dr. Brown noticed that "when people move to a new country the children will eventually speak the language like natives and the adults won't." The normal explanation is that children have a special talent that they lose as they grow up. Dr. Brown, however, believed that the differing learning methods of children and adults made the difference.

Dr. Brown noticed that when learning a language, children tend to focus on listening and often do not speak the language for up to a year. Adults, however, often focus on speaking and force themselves to speak as soon as possible. Dr. Brown believed this was the key practice that makes children such powerful language learners.

His Listen First method is now revolutionizing English language education. The Listen First method teaches students to focus most of their time on listening. Students are also taught to never force speech, but rather to speak only when words come effortlessly.

The method is being used by David Long, president of "Automatic Language Growth", to teach English to students in Bangkok, Thailand. Long says, "The formula is Listen, Don't Speak, and Be Patient."

Listen First teachers advise students to focus solely on listening for a full year. They call this year the "silent period", though students may speak during this time provided their speech comes effortlessly.

Long is getting excellent results with the Listen First method. He says, "The students just listened for as much as a year without speaking at all. We found that adults get almost the same results that children do. When adults listen to natural language, and don't force speech for a full year, they become fluent speakers with near-native pronunciation."

Yumi is convinced. She has traded her grammar books for an iPod and mp3 lessons. She says, "I don't care about test scores anymore, I just want to speak easily to native speakers."

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About Author

Both Jamie Jefferson & Aj Hoge are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jamie Jefferson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Family Travel and Online Dating. Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com, where you can sign up for a free 6-day Spanish course from and read a. Jamie Jefferson's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.

Aj Hoge has sinced written about articles on various topics from Education, Language. For more information about the Effortless English system, go to: . Aj Hoge's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.

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