Wednesday, November 5, 2008

What is a successful language learner?

Although many international students come to the US to learn English and pursue university degrees, the reality is, from my experience, that not all have the academic skills to succeed in the timeline that they choose. In other words, some students think that they can come to the US at a beginning level, and within 6 months, be ready to enter AND succeed in college. Now, there is a big difference between everyday language skills (meeting people, ordering at a restaurant, talking about hobbies, etc.) and participating in debate and classroom discussions on academic topics (politics, economics, social issues, etc.).

So, what do you think are the keys to preparing for a university degree in another country? Are there born learners who naturally can learn languages while others might struggle? Share your ideas.

Randall

3 comments:

  1. I think not only born children in foreign countries but also thoes who was not born in abroad can learn English Language successfuly. foreigner students would acheive success in a college if they had had good English skills background. Some have studied Enlish as part of their curriculum in high school and university so living in abroad reinforces their skills. I have seen a lot of international students who are very prosper in universities. English can be learnt by practicing. living in abroad provides a good environment for extreme practice. Television, Movies, musics are in English and there is a daily contact with native students.

    The will of learning and patience are also significant factors. How much students try to learn and not being tired and disappointed helps to learn faster.I have a cousin who did not know anything about English. She was not a good student during her study. She could not understand structures, English grammar and vocabularies.Even more worse, she pronounced words incorrectly. But after three years of consistently studying in English college, she finally achieved her goal. She is now studying in M.A in Auckland university.

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  2. i think that studying english language is not depend on who you are,where you are form, it depend on try and struggle of yourself.if you want to improve your english,i think you should practice everyday and study hard.for example learn new vocabularies,listen more and talk more.you can enjoy little games to improve your vocabulary.because vocabulary is key of every language.you can also study form your classmate,your neighborhood.If you are hard you will reach what you want!

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  3. In my opinion, to learn a foreign language is just like to learn a technique. When someone learn a technique i.e. driving, he/she should often practice it. The more you practice, the more you are effluent at foreign language. The biggest barrier for language learner is that the ideal language envirement is not always available. That is to say, if one studies a language abroad with native speakers, she/he would make great progress in relative short time. However, how one can effectively and effeciently learn a language homeland? In my point of view, the commen caracteristic of successful language learners is enthusiasm and passion for language. They seize every fleeting chance to pratice it. They have great desire to express and communicate with native speakers. To conclude, there is no easy way to learn a language, but to practice, practice and practice. The more you practice, the more skillful you become!

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Thanks for posting a comment. I appreciate your interesting in sharing your ideas.

Best,

Randall

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