Smarter Learning (again): Why virtue doesn't work.

The start of a new school year is always a good time to reflect on your past learning experiences and to think about what has (and hasn't worked.)

This post ("Why Virtue Doesn't Work") dates back to 2010, but I still think it's equally relevant today...

Are adults better learners than children are?

Many students believe that it's better to learn a language when you're a child. Certainly, kids have more neuroplasticity and their brains are able to construct connections because....well, they're kids. That is what the brains of kids do: build connections to understand things more clearly.

Today, I want to present another point of view to the idea that, if you're an adult, you can't learn English - or learn any skill - properly or efficiently.

Here's a short list of what adults can do that kids can't do.

1. Adults have intrinsic motivation to learn. Many adults like learning for many reasons: it gives them a sense of accomplishment; it helps them build relationships and open up opportunities - or maybe they just like learning because they like learning. This isn't always true with children. There are some kids who do enjoy English (God bless 'em!) but most kids don't think of learning as something that's fun, maybe because they don't see learning as something that will help them in the long term.

2. Adults are able to think critically. Well, most adults, anyway. They can see how things are connected or not connected, how things are related (or not related), they know that you can't just say anything. (Most adults are also aware that you have to say SOMETHING - it's not acceptable to sit there with your mouth closed and not say anything.)

3. Adults are able to visualize connections and structures. Most adults have the ability to see the relationships between words and ideas. They also understand that you can put different things together to create different effects, especially with language. That means that....

4. Adults understand how language can be changed or adapted to get different results. Every adult realizes that you don't use the same kind of language with your boss as you do with your kids. The question here isn't about language - it's about social roles. Kids know what it means to be a kid: they don't have the experience of trying to be different because all they have to do is be a kid, so they don't have to adapt to different situations. Adults have to fill many roles in their lives (with work, friends and family) and they have to change their language depending on what role they are fulfilling at any moment.

5. Adults understand that there is more than one way to do something. Again, most adults can do this; some adults need help seeing this. Since adults have an easier time of setting goals and seeing the steps they need to take to reach a goal, they are usually better about developing techniques to do that. Additionally, if their techniques don't work, they're usually pretty good about finding other ways, techniques and solutions to reach that goal.

So don't despair if you're not a kid any more. Not being a kid does not mean that you will never learn English. As they say in English: With age comes experience.

When you think about what it means to be an effective communicator in English, which of these things are most important for you?

New for 2011-2012...

The Tour de France finishes today, which means that the summer is almost over. And since the summer is almost over, that means that the school year's almost here, which means that teachers have to start planning and preparing for September. (Yeah, I know... depressing, isn't it?)

There are a couple of changes that I need to inform students about, so if you're going to be returning to class this fall, or would like to start classes this year, here's what you need to know.

a) Prices: Starting from September, the prices for classes are:

Classes via Skype: €19 per session.

Face-to-Face Classes: €22 per hour if we do them at Stop Spanglish.

Face-to-Face at Your Place:€27 per hour, minimum 90 minutes.

(If you sign up for Skype classes before August 25th, the price still stays at €15, but goes up in September.)

b) To make sure we all understand the same things about HOW we do the classes, Mar has graciously helped me create a Terms of Service agreement that every student will be required to sign before we start classes. Don't panic. It's basically a list of things that I owe you as a teacher and guidelines of how we're going to do business together. When you start classes and begin your training plan, you'll get a copy of this, personalized for you.

As always, if you have any questions, let me know!

Attitude check

If you've ever thought that you're not smart enough to learn English well, read this.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/03/accepting-false-limits.html

This wouldn't work on the FCE. But it's still fun.

"Complaints Choirs" are one of those odd bits of guiri humour that allow us to laugh at ourselves and relieve tension.

This video clip is a bit old, but it's kind of cute. It was created by AS IT HAPPENS, one of Canada's most popular public affairs radio shows, and it's easy to sing along to. (Just a bit of information: Stephen Harper is Canada's Prime Minister; Conrad Black is a media mogul who owns - or owned - newspapers around the world.)

Laugh and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yChwJyOL9vc&feature=youtu.be

How bad is it if you DON'T learn English....really?

It's not a disaster if you don't learn.

Spaniards put themselves under a lot of pressure to master English. Why this is, I don't know. It's not like they speak a language that is useless beyond its borders. It's not like there's so much trade between Spain and English-speaking countries – companies from English-speaking countries do not dominate employment in this country.

There is a lot of embarrassment and fear about being left behind.

There's a lot of jealousy directed towards people who have mastered English. Worse, there's a lot of resentment towards people who make an effort to improve their English. Why this is, I don't know. But it's sad to see it happen.

I don't want anyone to think that they're totally incapable of learning English. (Spanish students of English say this a lot, but I have yet to meet someone who shows it's true.) But being able to do something, and having the time, the determination and the interest in doing something well are different things.

If you decide to learn something, and you say that you're doing it to improve your future, remember that you basically enter into a contract with two people: yourself, and the teacher. The teacher's responsibility is to create a positive, educational environment that helps you get you where you want to go, literally and/or figuratively.

It's YOUR responsibility to do what you can to make sure that happens.

And if it doesn't happen, and you don't learn to speak English perfectly...ask yourself this: What, exactly, have you lost? You can probably still communicate fairly well. If you had to go to London tomorrow, you'd probably do all right in the airport and at the hotel and in a restaurant. So what if you'll never be able to negotiate a multi-million dollar deal, or act in an Oscar-winning movie, or any of that stuff? Do you want to commit to the amount of work and study and practice that a person needs to be able to do that effectively?

Trust me...there's no shame in answering "no." Unless you're marrying someone who speaks English, unless you're going to work for an American company or you're moving to an English-speaking country, "good" is good enough.