1st Essay Assignment

Irene

English is a second language for me. As I'm not a bilingual, learning English was not a natural thing but a intended one due to limitations of circumstances to acquire it. I was about 10-year-old when I first started to learn it. While I have tried to study it ever afterward, I couldn't help undergoing trial and error continuously. Even these days, sometimes I'm confused about the proper way of studying English. There are some learning methods I have experienced: Total Physical Response, Grammar Translation Method, and Audio-Lingual Method.

When I first encountered English, it was not a difficult 'language.' It was just recreation for me like a song and game. My native-speaking instructor always used to show various charts and pictures, and let us follow funny kinesthetic activities and sing a song. At that time, learning English was a joyful thing. And then, when I entered the Middle School, English became a necessary course that I had to take and study hard. I knew it, and I was already ready to study it enthusiastically. But, it's hard because my teacher's teaching method was so boring. There was no any activities I could enjoy. We always read textbook and translated it into Korean, and had to solve some questions about the text that we read. Learning English was no longer pleasant experiences, also my aim in learning English changed into getting a good score at that time. Even though I still love studying English, but I couldn't enjoy my teacher's class itself. A few years later, I became a university student. I felt that my English ability was so poor especially in speaking, so I have decided to improve it. I enrolled a language institute which was famous for systematic learning system. The method which that institute pursue was Audio-Lingual Method. Before starting a lesson, all students listened and repeated the dialogue for 30 minutes. Then, on the basis of the contents we listened and repeated, we had to memorize key sentences and use them in a group activity. It was thoroughly drill practice. At first, I could feel that it's nice to improve my speaking skills because I became to say some simple sentences to communicate with others. But, after I kept on studying using that way for about a year, I was exhausted and didn't feel any pleasure to learn English. I thought ALM may be efficient for someone who just begin to study English, it's not the suitable way for everyone.

During over 15 years, I have experienced various conditions in learning English as a second language. Some methods were good enough and others were not. There is no absolutely perfect way to learn a language, only the most proper way which is suitable for a certain learner. In conclusion, teachers have to be a person who find the way and help learners do their best in learning a language. In order to do it, teachers in advance must know learners' needs, their own learning features and superior parts of multiple-intelligence through a needs analysis and diagnosis test. After getting some information about learners, teacher can make authentic lesson plans; integrating four language skills which are considered not only learners but also teaching objectives. Also, learner interests and motivation are the key factors that must not be forgotten to teachers. Although teacher give the learners reliable teaching methods and materials, it can be no use for learners if it is a thing that doesn't evoke the learners' interests and motivation at all.