grammar. In fact, experts say, 80 percent of your time studying English
should be spent listening, even after you’re no longer a beginner.
Unfortunately, most traditional language classes don’t emphasize listening.
So if you studied English in school, you probably learned mostly with your
eyes. I have observed many English classes in many different countries, and
they’re all the same. Most English teachers – whether in middle school, high
school, university or private school – focus on textbooks in the classroom.
There may be short “communication exercises,” but the entire class is
defined and driven by a textbook.
Now, if your goal is to get a degree in English from a university, this is a
great way to study. But if you want to speak real English, these kinds of
traditional methods won’t get you there. Why? Because even if you study for
many years, you’ve basically learned English analytically. You learned to
think about English, talk about English and translate English. You also may
know a lot about grammar rules. In fact, you know more about grammar
rules than most Americans, most Canadians, most British people because
native speakers don’t study that stuff very much.
English conversation is different.
Native speakers learned to speak English with their ears by listening,
listening, listening, and that’s what you must do if you want to speak English
quickly, automatically and naturally just like a native speaker.
The most important factor for learning English is what Dr. Stephen
Krashen calls “comprehensible input.” In other words, understandable input.
Input refers to what is coming into your brain. You get English input in two
ways: through listening and through reading. Certain kinds of reading are
very useful and beneficial. However, the most powerful kind of input for
learning to speak is listening.
Comprehensible (understandable) input methods have been shown to be
more effective than traditional methods (grammar study, drills, exercises,
speaking practice). The research shows that speech happens as a result of
listening.
