11/20/2022
Many people have beliefs that limit their language learning. It hinders their
learning because they think they can’t learn English because of the belief or
thought that they keep telling themselves over and over again.
Below you will read about five common limiting beliefs that students that are(learning or ) want to learn English have.
1. I’m too old to learn English.
You are never too old to learn something new. It is not true that there is an age
limit for learning a new language. It may however, be more difficult as time goes
on but you’re up for a challenge, right? Instead of making up excuses of what
you aren’t learning, keep track of what you know or have learned. You could try
to learn one new word a day, write a paragraph a day or spend 10 minutes
focusing on English. If you take small steps to learning English; you will learn.
Make a list of words you know or just learned. Don’t get stuck on what you
don’t know. The more positive you are about your learning and English
language acquisition, the better it will stick in your mind.
2. I can’t speak English proficiently without travelling.
This is not true. I have met a lot of people that speak proficient
English and they have never travelled to any English speaking country. They
speak and understand English. You too can learn English without jetting off to
New York, or London. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do right
now, focus on what you can. You can learn English where you live if you have
access to a computer and are determined. There are plenty of free resources,
websites and classes on the internet that can help teach you English.
3. I have no one to speak English with.
That’s ok! You can learn to speak English no matter where you live in the world
as long as you have access to a computer. It doesn’t matter if you live in a
remote village in the mountains of India or in the jungle in the middle of South
America. You can find other English learners, just like you online that want to
learn English and would love to practice speaking with you. Many people are in
the same situation as you are. There are many language exchanges and language
learning websites that will connect you to someone that wants to practice
English or that wants to learn your native language. With the advances in
technology, you can literally learn to speak English without ever leaving yourhome.
4. I can’t remember all of the English grammar rules.
No one can remember all the grammar rules. Learning a new language is not
about learning rules, it is about learning words that allow you to communicate
with other people. Your grammar does not need to be perfect or even near
perfect to be understood and start communicating. Native English speakers do
not know all (or often times a lot) of grammar rules and make many grammar
mistakes. They don’t care. Focus on speaking and listening not on
being the English grammar police.
Let’s pretend your grammar isn’t great but you try speaking anyway. You could
say ‘I yesterday banana eat.’ And I as a native speaker might say back to you,
‘Oh, you mean… you ate a banana yesterday?’ At that point, if you were paying
attention you would have heard what you were trying to say, stated correctly and
could rephrase (or resay) what you heard. ‘Yes, I ate a banana yesterday.’ Just
like that, you were able to communicate with someone while making grammar
mistakes and learn the correct way to say something…. without studying a
grammar book or rules about past tense. You can drastically improve your
English grammar by practicing speaking.
Stop wasting your time memorizing verb tenses and grammar rules. This will not
help you become a better English speaker. It instead will make you insecure
about speaking because you are thinking about rules instead of thinking about
talking and communicating with a new person.
5. I’m afraid to make mistakes.
Mistakes are good; no…EXCELLENT! The more mistakes you make the faster
and more you will learn. Everyone makes mistakes all the time. You should try
not to get hung up on feeling bad about making mistakes.
In my class, I had two very different students. One never said anything and if I
forced her to speak she would look really nervous and whisper her answer. She
was obviously terrified that something bad could happen from her mistakes.
Another student that was in the same classroom talked a lot (sometimes too
much). His English was far from perfect but he kept trying. He made a lot of
mistakes but everyday kept trying his best and approached learning English as a
positive and fun thing. He liked that he could communicate and talk to more people.
The difference between these two students is that one was terrified of making
mistakes and the other did his best. By trying your best and focusing on learning
more, you'll learn English.
Tr. Thwe Thwe
06/27/2022
06/26/2022
06/13/2022