Many of us, foreign English speakers, began our English studies at school, so it would be only logical if the vast majority of use spoke impeccable English. Seven years long English studies will supposedly make you into a near-native English speaker, and we shouldn’t expect anything less from our educational system, isn’t it right?
When an average student is required to speak English in an informal situation, however, the cold reality hits home – most of foreigners having gone through the standard educational system are very poor English speakers ❗
I went through the whole spectrum of emotions starting from shock and ending with despair when I realized that my real-life English was useless back in the days when I just moved to an English speaking country. Throughout the following years up to present days I’ve improved greatly and at the same time I’ve also figured out why my school English studies didn’t contribute into my English fluency at all!
What you’ll read below might shock you and you’ll realize that you’ve probably never looked at this subject from this perspective before. Sometimes a cold shower is necessary, though, so that you can start thinking outside the box and draw the right conclusions about your previous and existing English studying efforts.
Whether you’re in Malaysia, Argentina or Canada and thousand miles separate you from other English students of different race, nationality and language, you’re most likely sitting in a classroom with 10 – 30 other students and staring at your English teacher…
1. Current English Education Has Changed Little Since… 18th Century?!?
Yes, you read it right – foundations of the current English educational system were laid back in 1700’s when students were required to drill Latin grammar and focus on translation and grammar rules entirely!
This grammar translation method of learning a second language has, of course, lost its extreme form and nowadays English teachers do incorporate listening, speaking and role plays in the English lessons. However, the very essence of English language teaching remains the same.
Students are instructed in English grammar, and regularly given new English words to memorize. After relentless English studies you’re expected to master the language by understanding how English grammar works and by being able to use vocabulary that’s acquired throughout years long memorization drills.
In theory it sounds quite reasonable, but let’s not forget that three hundred years ago our world was so much different place!
Academic education was looked at with awe simply because not everyone could afford it. Academic scholars employed study methods inherited from medieval monks when the word ‘to study’ was normally associated with spending your days quietly in a room with plenty of books for a company.
If not for the monks, who preserved knowledge during endless wars waged by monarchs, much of our written heritage would be lost, no doubt about that!
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But as not really talkative bunch of fellas as they were, they left a legacy of a language learning method that isn’t effective if you want to communicate with real people in real life! Hundreds of years ago studying was irrevocably linked with books and reading exclusively. And what’s very important to notice – this notion has been passed on through generations and even these days being a well educated person is mostly associated with doing all the same stuff – reading and writing.
While in many exact sciences you indeed can reap rewards by focusing on crunching numbers in your copybook, it just doesn’t work with languages! I think you can’t even look at English as a subject on its own – it’s not the end itself, it’s just a means to an end! The only natural way to use the English language is to use it as means of communication, but if you go the path created by scholars you’re trying to earn a badge for learning the English language in the olden way. :sad:
If you haven’t spent many a year sitting hunched over manuscripts and books, you just can’t be any good at English – that would be the maxim of the old, grey-haired professors – and this assumption is still pretty much alive!
2. You Learn All ABOUT English at School, in Real Life You Need THE English!
Since the moment you open your first English textbook, your exciting journey into the vast depths of English begins… Hold on, hold on! Did I say exciting? Sorry, it was just a slip of the tongue because English is exciting if you USE it as means of communication, but I’m not sure about English textbooks…
For the most part they’re not so interesting at all because they focus on telling you everything about how the language is built. English syntax, grammar and vocabulary is scrutinized in the very detail and throughout your grades you’ll be required to learn more and more advanced English grammar rules, sentence structures, writing techniques and styles and so on