[00:11.60]Research in the field of language indicates that there are many things you can do to become a successful learner.
[00:18.75]Curiosity about language and culture, daily study, and the commitment to use English in every possible situation
[00:26.90]while in an English-speaking environment, are very important conditions for success.
[00:33.41]1. Be clear and realistic about your goals. Your sense of success will depend on your needs for English
[00:41.41]and whether or not you meet your needs. It is not just a question of measured progress.
[00:47.71]If you need conversational fluency, notetaking skills will not meet your needs.
[00:53.77]If you must learn to write effective business letters,
[00:57.04]informal conversation with current slang will not help you achieve your goal.
[01:02.99]Know what your goals are. Do you need English for occasional speaking situations,
[01:09.09]for travel or entertaining English-speaking visitors?
[01:13.22]Do you want to improve comprehension in both written and spoken English?
[01:18.40]Do you need to write English for professional purpose? Are you preparing for a university career in English?
[01:26.17]If so, your goals must include proficiency in all skill areas.
[01:31.37]Learning a foreign language is an inexact process.
[01:35.38]Very few people learn to use a foreign language as well as a native speaker does.
[01:40.84]Fortunately, very few people need to learn English like a native English speaker in every skill area.
[01:46.87]Be realistic and aware of your goals. There are many reasons to learn English, and your reasons are your own goals.
[01:56.02]2. Be realistic about the length of time it takes to learn a language.
[02:01.71]Programs which promise overnight success are simply not being honest.
[02:07.05]Language learning is a cumulative process.
[02:10.55]You will experience bursts of accomplishment as well blocks and delays in progress.
[02:17.66]You will notice improvement at different speeds in each skill area.
[02:22.24]Many students progress more quickly in passive skills
[02:26.22](reading and grammar analysis) than in active and complex skills (speaking, notetaking during a lecture).
[02:34.98]If you are beginning level student whose goal is proficiency,
[02:39.21]a typical program may include at least nine months of intensive English study.
[02:44.66]If your study program is short-term and your goals include improvement
[02:48.77]and review rather than proficiency you may realise some progress in two or more weeks.
[02:54.98]3. Be aware of your learning style.
[02:59.86]If you know that you learn more quickly when you listen to an English statement a few times before writing it,
[03:06.04]or if you know that seeing a picture or graphic representation of a word or expression helps you to remember the word,
[03:14.24]then develop study habits which use the most effective techniques for you.
[03:19.70]Excellent instructors who know that students must be involved in active learning
[03:24.63]will created active learning experiences to connect you with the language.
[03:29.73]4. Learn something about “language learning”.
[03:34.24]Remember that language is a complex system of meaningful sounds organised with a series of rules (grammar).
[03:42.00]Every student has to study enough pronunciation, grammar and sentence structure to understand this!
[03:48.83]It is also true that language is a form of behaviour involving the human need to communicate and to be understood.
[03:56.14]Language learning involves motivation, emotion, a sense of self, and a set of cultural beliefs.
[04:03.97]Language is much more than sound and words and grammar. As you learn a new language,
[04:10.00]you will produce a “series of successive approximations”,
[04:14.03]meaning that each attempt at a new language will bring you closer to effective communication.
[04:20.53]Language learning requires that you make mistakes. Do not be afraid of a language or afraid of making errors.
[04:28.29]Develop an abiity to relax; “playing” with a new language is an important part of learning.
[04:35.28]5. Take responsibility for your own learning.
[04:40.25]A good instructor is half the equation for successful language learning.
[04:45.39]Take charge of your learning; participate actively in your program.
[04:50.45]Look for opportunities to use your new language in any of many new environments.
[04:56.26]Be willing to make mistakes and learn from these mistakes.
[05:00.16]Focus on your goals, your study habits, and your willingness to “learn to learn”.
[05:06.93]Enjoy the process! Find inside yourself the reasons you want to learn,
[05:12.32]and determine ways to evaluate your success for yourself.
