How can I improve my English? This was a question frequently posed by my students in South Korea. My initial advice was straightforward—dedicate time and effort.
How can I improve my English? This was a question frequently posed by my students in South Korea. My initial advice was straightforward—dedicate time and effort.
However, both my students and I found this advice unsatisfying and overly simplistic. As a fellow language learner who had reached only an intermediate level of Korean after years in the country, I empathized with their frustration. What could propel the linguistic skills of my South Korean students and I forward?
For language learners dedicating hours each week to mastering a second language, the journey often feels interminable, as if they’re making no progress. The advice to « keep calm and carry on » hardly seemed adequate.
The breakthrough came after I left Korea, a revelation that arrived too late for my students there but not for countless others. I learned about language scholar Paul Nation’s own teaching methodology. He suggests a balanced approach to language learning and it transformed my entire perspective. He proposes that language education should be evenly divided among four critical strands:
This involves being exposed to the language through listening and reading. It’s not just about understanding the gist of what is said or written but engaging deeply with the content. Watching movies, listening to music, or reading books in the target language can improve comprehension skills.
Speaking and writing in the language are just as important.
