What do speaking a foreign language and swimming have in common? They are both skills. That is, they are both activities that you learn to do well by doing them.
By the time most students in Japan finish high school, they can, in fact, do many things in English. For example, you can write sentences, read and understand short basic texts, and say some things that are important to you. This is a real accomplishment!
Of course, your success is largely due to your five or six years of English study. However, it was also because you used the information that you got from your study (information such as grammar), to write, read, and speak, that you now have these skills.
You are now in a great position to really grow as a foreign language user.
As an English teacher, I teach my students new things about the language, and the world, so that they can use that information to be not only better writers, readers and speakers, but also so they can learn more about the topics and ideas that interest them.
For example, most students are interested in other cultures. Therefore, in the speaking and listening class I teach, we use a series of videos that takes the viewer through a day in the life of two children in a country like Russia. The week before we watch the video, the students learn some new vocabulary, and then do some research on the internet. They learn and write down some basic facts about life in Russia. For instance, one student will research food, and another student will research education. Later, the students meet in small groups and tell their partners what they learned, while the partners take notes. Next, we watch the video, and the students listen for the answers to the questions on their worksheets. After the video, the students compare their answers and have a short discussion. We usually conclude by then watching another short video of that country’s folk music and dance.
From this short description of my class, I hope you noticed that the students are almost always doing something, in English, to learn or communicate ideas. This is how, I believe, you learn best. If you are ready to start swimming in the sea of communication and culture, come to Kansai Gaidai University, and I will help you!
picture1:Tracy Cramer and his wife Yumiko Sakamoto
picture2:Russian school children