A few weeks ago, I was concerned that my student was not getting enough opportunities to practice the English that he has been attempting to cram through rote memorization. My week’s assignment for him was to find some activities or regular social encounters where he could meet a variety of people with whom he could chat. I sent him a fairly exhaustive e-mail with links and contact information for possibilities ranging from churches to on-campus interest groups.
My concern has turned to frustration as he has not made any progress in this area and insists instead upon spending several isolated hours in a Starbucks, memorizing decontextualized phrases. I tried to explain to him, that even if you memorize an entire book, if you never use it in a meaningful way (i.e. in the context of a speech act), you might not internalize it and you may forget it (to which his previous educational experience can attest). I told him it didn’t have to be so difficult. He could learn more naturally and perhaps faster by spending time listening and interacting with English speakers. That is why he came to study here, is it not? I can’t help but think that what he is doing now (attending English class, “studying” all day in a café, and watching TV in English) is not terribly different from what he could be doing in Korea
So, once again, I encouraged him to find speaking opportunities both on and off campus, “Learning English doesn’t have to be stressful, Sam. Try to think of things you enjoy doing. What do you like to do for fun? Just do those things in English- you’ll learn, you will and it will be much easier.”
I realize my student is very shy and not terribly secure with his language skills, but I think inactivity will just exacerbate stagnation. I sent him another e-mail with such suggestions as tennis club and http://www.meetup.com/. Learning through doing…and maybe even having fun?
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