Second language leaning experience

English has been a required course in most of the schools in China over years as it becomes an international language. Even though the studying environment is not as good as it is here in Canada and we didn’t have a chance to dedicate all the time to studying English. In short, my experience of English learning can be summed up to 3 points: listening, speaking and practicing as much as possible.

During the process of learning English, I found out that listening is the weakest point for Chinese learners. Therefore, when the moment I arrived here I started to listen to CNN news and watch TV shows in order to get my ears used to English as early as I can. At that time, I picked the most difficult program to train my ears in spite of the incomprehension due to my limited vocabulary and unfamiliarity. Even though, I still kept listening. After period of time, my listening has made a visible progress that I can comprehend more than 75% in the class as nothing could be harder to understand than CNN news. Also, watching movies is another way to improve listening.

Not only does it improve listening, idiomatic English can be learned from watching movies as well. It’s a bit tired though sometimes because I keep repeating same parts that I don’t understand trying to get the words and making use of them in daily life or study. Besides, I found that shyness is one of the reasons preventing us from getting speaking progressed anymore out of the fear of making mistakes. Once we take one step out on it, as matter of fact, it is not as hard as we thought. And, when the communication starts, more and more ways of expression will come to enlarge our present knowledge over English.

However, anything without basis will come to crush. Practicing is one more important part to have stable foundation in English learning. I found grammar the most boring thing during the process of learning but very useful in, writing especially. The sad fact is that when every time I try to get rid of it I will have to finally go back for it again for my writing. No matter how boring it is, it’s something every learner has to start and deal with. Without doubt, we will get our pay back from practicing grammar in higher academic studying.

Anyway, Rome was not built in a day. Success is awaiting us if only trying hard to stick at learning in those ways.