487. Other powers of people (2)


I have copied a post of my former blog and pasted it onto a Word document, and then I’m trying to set it on this very blog, as a new entry. There could be some format setting problems. I have changed minor things from the text published then, October 9, 2007. / Photo: nigerian-student factmonster com


More about effort in learning English


"Mistakes are easy; mistakes are inevitable. But there is no mistake so great as the mistake of not going on."

This was written in 1876 by Jex Blake, and I assure you it hasn't lost its value in our time. In Spain, my country, experts say that children today have more than ever before, but many times lack in receiving affection and also lack in discipline and effort: everything is at hand just in a blinking of the eyes.

Notwithstanding, as I proposed in previous posts, effort is crucial. That is, the firm resolution to do it, to learn English. That person, with that quality, wins the battle always. What is worth to gain implies effort. Best students enroll themselves in a program of a school or an academy, precisely to be demanded by a teacher. In my doctorate research I also used other terms that try to round up the concept of effort---think of them, because they constitute a help to the learning process of a language: willingness, energy, self-control, desires to communicate in the target language, self-involvement, initiative, responsibility, self-planning (Oxford 1990), studying, creativity, constancy, to intervene and participate in the class, autonomy, capability of intuition (Stevick 1989), discerning, perseverance, the more you dedicate to this process the better.

In other words Thomas A. Edison said:


"The three great essentials to achieving anything worthwhile are; first, hard work, second, stick-to-it-iveness, and third, commonsense."


OXFORD, Rebecca (1990) Language Learning Strategies. What Every Teacher Should Know. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.


STEVICK, Earl W. (1989) Success with Foreign Languages. Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall International.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

758. Irregular verbs now and then

Image
One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “English irregular verbs are an interesting grammar point Spanish students have to study year after year, increasing the list of them each academic year. Quite many more verbs of this type existed in Old English, before the 11th century, perhaps most of the English verbs then. In other words, the way each verb took the form of past simple and past participle was more complicate than the simple – ed ending. With centuries passing, fewer and fewer verbs remained as such ‘irregular’ verbs, in fact those verbs native speakers used very often. Because of that those verbs remained being ‘irregular’, while most of the English verbs, roughly speaking, were taking on the regular form of – ed for past simple and past participle. This can be due just to linguistic evolutions that actually occur in every language, with the language common people speak, year after year. Beside the fact that many words, so verbs too, were entering in the E
Read more

3658. Language Facts or Communication in Class?

  I teach English to adults. It’s so great … and demanding.  Adults have some characteristic way of learning the language. For example they tend to focus on specific grammar patterns and ways of saying things in the target language. Well, it’s something I also do when learning that language myself. And it is something I cannot change. It is something we can take advantage from, anyway.  Even in that way they can learn quite a lot. You know, it doesn’t matter they would ask me questions in class that show they are focusing on grammar. It’s ok. It’s ok ever if also we as teachers facilitate there is plenty of communication in English in class.  I mean, do not confine as a teacher to teach grammar and language facts, but provide a lot of communication in class.  When some newcomer arrives at one of those groups of mine – and I’m thinking of one specific group – that new student says kind of, Oh I can see my classmates have a lot of fluency while in my case … Why do the other students have
Read more

2064. Connecting people from different countries

Image
Something we teachers of English or other languages have to bear in mind when teaching adults is that the students should learn and practice communication, and we shouldn’t confine our classes to give them facts of the languages.  Also in kids’ case.  The point isn’t for them to know information about the language, yet to learn how to communicate in that language.  Thus we could plan our classes with that aim.  I state all this because we could dedicate a long time to teach facts, information, something nearly dead, say.  In this way, besides we contribute to connect people from so varied countries. It’s something brilliant, isn’t it? / Photo from: people-happy-cheering bachflowerssingapore wordpress com
Read more

1188. Effort and eagerness are very important

Image
According to Spanish philosopher Alejandro Llano “what it is important aren’t activities or contents, but habits and costumes.” [I’ve translated from Spanish into English; errors and mistakes are mine.]  “The key point is that the student should be capable to carry on learning by his own studying”.  The student should learn on his own, by himself. We as teachers should “help to learn thinking on one’s own, with rigor, profoundness, and creativity.” / Photo from: www milesbeyond300 com. rope pulling  
Read more

2697. Father to sons, mother to daughters

Image
Parents should talk about sex with their kids, before a rascal friend would tell our children about it in a wrong and confusing way.  The point is telling our children about sex in the context of husband and wife’s love.  Also the point here is not just confining to explain biological topics but, as I said, in the context of love within marriage. In the context of love between parents, which is where the spouses express and show their mutual love, to each other. / Photo from: father-son-talking www lds org
Read more