I’ve been teaching English to nonnative speakers pretty much since I arrived in Geneva almost nine years ago. Three questions in particular have come up again and again.
What’s a good book to read?
How long will it take?
What do you think of online language programs?
As with all good questions, there’s no simple answer. Read on to find out some of the best ways to improve one’s English.
1. What’s a good book to read?
As a teacher of literature, I would always misunderstand this question, thinking that students were asking for a novel or nonfiction. No, they were asking about a text on learning English, with clear lesson plans and exercises. They imagine that there’s a structure to follow, a program that, once downloaded into their brains, will let them speak English.
Learning a language is not “first this, then that,” it’s “everything all at once” - meaning we speak even though you haven’t yet learned the verb patterns that will let you say what you want to say, we read not just to illustrate a grammar lesson but to serve as a springboard for our conversations and your own writing, we watch a video because something you said reminded me of it and this in turn promotes further discussion and learning.
With regards to the question about the book, I respond, “We will create the book together.” After each level completed, I put together a document with all the lessons we’ve done together and notes from our chats. I write up a table of contents, which may have five lessons on a particular topic rather than one because it’s what the student needed. There may be many more pages devoted to pronunciation for one student and verb tenses for another. The same exercise sheet looks completely different depending on who worked with me on it.
There is no program before the person. The more the person reveals of themselves, the more the program does too.
2. How long will it take?
This question is best answered with a series of questions: What are you looking for? What does fluency mean for you? How much time can you devote on your end? How much can you do in English for pleasure?
In my experience, people with too narrow a focus don’t progress much or quickly. For instance, they want to pass a language exam for a level that is above theirs. But rather than learning the language in a comprehensive way to bring up their level, they want to do test prep. They are perhaps under the impression that there is less to learn this way and it will therefore be quicker, but this method often backfires. Test prep is best done once you’ve mastered or, ideally, surpassed that level.
Once you’ve made the smart decision to learn the language as a whole, how much you bring to lessons yourself and what and how much you do in between classes is directly proportional to how quickly you make progress. Simply showing up to class is not enough.
Of course, the best way to ensure that one continues an activity on one’s own time is to take pleasure in it. But I’ve found that people don’t identify their “true pleasures.” People try to watch films because they’ve heard it helps with language learning and films are “supposed to be fun.” But I’ve heard over and over the complaint that at the end of the day, they’re so tired that they can’t make the effort to watch TV in English. If it’s an effort, then it’s not really a pleasure. A pleasure always seems effortless, even if effort is involved. When I was learning French for example, one of the things I did was to sign up for swimming classes, knowing that the instructors wouldn’t be speaking English.
3. What do you think of online language programs?
Everything is helpful, nothing is complete. Every program has its strengths and weaknesses; you get the best study from combining several. Using a program can be a fun and sometimes inexpensive way of getting your feet wet in learning a language. But if you’re ready to take the plunge, there’s no substitute for working with a real teacher who can shape the course for you and with you.
When I was studying French, I was using Rosetta Stone (computer program, good for vocabulary, beautiful visuals), Pimsleur (audio program, incredibly boring but also very effective for learning conversation and speech rhythms), and Duolingo (gamified app, simple and fun way to work on vocabulary and speaking - but now they’ve added too many bells and whistles). These helped me keep up a consistent practice but I felt like relying on programs gave me an experience that was “canned.” So I added “real” sources of French - like rewatching my favorite series on Netflix but with French audio or following French-speaking YouTubers. I was getting a lot of “input” from all these sources but I wasn’t giving any “output.” That’s when I started working with a French teacher, so I could use all these things I’d been learning and interact with a qualified professional and actual human. At the same time, I was going out and meeting French speakers so I could practice having conversations in real life.
To sum up, language programs can be part of a healthy and balanced language-learning diet.
And to sum up overall, find your pleasure and keep up a consistent practice. Have the language enter your life in as many varied ways as possible - including using practice books and language programs, as long as it inspires you and you enjoy it.
And when you decide you want real fluency and need to work with a professional teacher, find someone you click with. Someone you can imagine hanging out with - this will open up the conversation easily and naturally. You have to “live” the language to become fluent in it.
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