You can find many online English courses on the Internet, encouraging you to learn English at home. But is it even possible to learn English on your own?
Self-directed English learning or self-directed nonlearning?
Of course, self-learning English at home, as well as any other language, is as possible. This is evidenced by the multitude of people who have learned the language in this way. However, there is one but… it requires a lot of discipline!
There is no set time for classes, no one will ask if we have learned the vocabulary. Freedom comes with responsibility. After an initial period of enthusiasm, we may suddenly find that in the flurry of other activities we forget to learn English at home.
How can our self-directed English learning keep pace over the months or years needed to learn a foreign language?
New technologies can come to our aid.
Self-study of English and new technologies
Here are some tricks that can help you learn English at home on your own:
- Set yourself a daily alarm/reminder on your cell phone that the hour for learning English has just hit.
- Install English versions of programs, especially computer games.
- Sign up for one of the many services that send daily vocabulary words and phrases to learn (in practice, only theoretically, but you can always change services, or be in several at once), such as the Speakingo Newsletter with the button below (if you sign up for a free trial period, you get it free indefinitely – just make sure to choose your native language!).
- Listen to English-language radio in the background while you work.
- Download the Speakingo app for your phone
- Subscribe to Facebook fanpages dedicated to self-learning English. If you “like” a page for learning English, you will receive on your wall not only vocabulary, but information about fresh texts about learning English, funny videos and everything that self-study of English is based on. Facebook has a special algorithm that selects the content that pops up on your wall, so if you are interested in something, then like the texts and comment on them, then more similar posts will be displayed to you.
Obstacles that self-study of English will encounter
Research shows that self-study of English online can be very effective. However, there is one major problem with online courses and e-learning: the risk of getting stuck.
If a topic is not clearly explained, or is particularly difficult, students often become frustrated and drop out of the course.
Therefore, the answer here is: ask, ask, ask.
For there are many online forums dedicated to the English language, also there is usually an opportunity to comment and ask questions under the published texts.
If something is unclear on my blog about learning English online, or you would like to learn something about a particular topic, feel free to write boldly in the comments below!
On the other hand, probably the best option is to combine self-study with group or teacher work. You don’t have to limit yourself to only one learning method! The combination of the inspiration of working with another human being and the efficiency and economy of learning on your own is great for quick progress!
However, I left the biggest problem of learning English on my own for last:
Self-study of English usually results in only passive knowledge of the material
Have you ever had the feeling that you understand everything, but can’t say anything? Do you know all the grammar rules, but somehow the words don’t want to pass through your throat?
This is the passive knowledge provided by school cussing for exams or often self-learning English from books, audiobooks or just solving grammar exercises on the Internet.
If you learn only “with eyes” this will not necessarily translate into fluency in conversation. No one has yet learned to ride a bicycle from an aerodynamics textbook – to start speaking English you have to…. start speaking English!
If you want to speak English, you need to start…. speak English yourself!
You need to teach your brain and throat new habits. This is a huge advantage of language courses, where students talk among themselves, not necessarily even to the teacher.
This is also something that a good tutor will pay attention to – he will not chatter the whole lesson, but will make you talk. Of course, it is also good to have someone correct us – otherwise we may perpetuate mistakes. And once a bad habit is learned, it is very difficult to eradicate….
Does this mean that learning English on your own must end in failure?
Self-study English that really teaches you how to speak
With the help again come new technologies. Speakingo’s online English course uses modern speech recognition technology so you can talk to your computer like a teacher! It turns out that talking to your computer is not crazy at all!
What’s more, the course’s methodological program is built on 2000 of the most popular English words, the knowledge of which allows you to understand about 90% of all conversations in the language. In addition, it also contains all the grammar you need. Most importantly, however, you don’t learn dry theory, you don’t cram boring lists of vocabulary words – which are then very difficult to apply “on the fly” correctly in practice – but you learn whole, correct sentences, suitable for any level of proficiency.
The direct method methodology forces people to speak almost automatically. With this kind of training, in a real communication situation, you won’t think about rules, you’ll just answer – after all, you’ve done or have done it so many times with a computer at home or on your phone!
You simply learn English like a child learning to speak – you listen and speak! And the computer patiently listens, praises or corrects. No stress, with limitless patience!
So, at the end of the day, is it possible to learn English on your own?
In summary, learning English on your own is as possible!
With knowledge of English, you have a good chance of getting a better job, you can travel freely around the world, you get access to virtually unlimited knowledge on the Internet. Learning English is also healthy – it protects the brain and improves its functioning!
If you choose to learn online, however, it is important that you do not end up with only passive knowledge of a foreign language, which requires a skillful selection of effective, modern methods and technologies. For example, the effective and fun Speakingo online English course! 🙂
And in your opinion, what is the best way to learn English on your own? Share your ideas in the comments
