Learning English Like A Child

Yumi Imai is a Japanese student who studies English 4 hours a day. Her English grades are great. She has high test scores. Yumi, however, has a problem. Her speaking and listening skills are extremely low. She has trouble understanding even simple conversations. Her speech is slow and filled with errors.

Yumi does well on tests, but she can't communicate. Of course, she is not alone. All over the world, millions of English learners struggle with the same problems.

Most learners follow a traditional approach to English learning that includes grammar study, vocabulary lists, textbooks, and speaking activities. Many learners, like Yumi, do well on tests but cannot communicate.

A new movement in English education seeks to solve this problem. It's called the "Listen First" movement and teachers are getting powerful results with it.

The Listen First approach to language learning was developed by Dr. J. Marvin Brown. Dr. Brown noticed that "when people move to a new country the children will eventually speak the language like natives and the adults won't.Most experts believe that children have a special language learning ability that is lost when they become adults. Dr. Brown, however, believed that the differing learning methods of children and adults made the difference.

Dr. Brown found that children focus on listening during their first year of language learning, and speak very little. Adults, however, often focus on speaking and force themselves to speak as soon as possible. Dr. Brown believed this was the key practice that makes children such powerful language learners.

His Listen First method is now revolutionizing English language education. The Listen First method teaches students to focus most of their time on listening. Students are also taught to never force speech, but rather to speak only when words come effortlessly.

The method is being used by David Long, president of "Automatic Language Growth", to teach English to students in Bangkok, Thailand. "The key", according to Long, is "focus on listening, don't force speech, and relax."

Listen First teachers advise students to focus solely on listening for a full year. They call this year the "silent period", though students may speak during this time provided their speech comes effortlessly.

Long is getting excellent results with the Listen First method. He says, "The students just listened for as much as a year without speaking at all. We found that adults get almost the same results that children do. When adults listen to natural language, and don't force speech for a full year, they become fluent speakers with near-native pronunciation."

Yumi is convinced. She has traded her grammar books for an iPod and mp3 lessons. She says, "I don't care about test scores anymore, I just want to speak easily to native speakers."

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