Persuaded to Change
Do you think you can make changes in your life? Believing in yourself is crucial to successful learning, and being consistent will help you achieve your goals.
I’ve run into a few students who told me flat out that they weren’t good at English and that they wouldn't ever learn to speak. Guess what? They were right. Most of them tried to improve, but they often didn’t put the time into practicing pronunciation and this affected their improvement. I’ve often wondered how I could have persuaded them to consider that many visible and subliminal roadblocks interfere with a person’s ability to speak English as they would like to.
I started Conversation Starters to help students and teachers of English as a second or foreign language find topics to work on during lessons. I believe that fluency can be obtained only by speaking: the more real conversations you have with people, the better you get at expressing yourself.
A cultural hindrance
I’ve lived and taught English in Italy for many years. When I was learning the language, I was astonished to learn the phrase “essere portato per” something, which means to have a flair for something, or that you can learn it easily. (Check the link: WordReference.com is a good online dictionary.) The closest we come to this in English is to say we “are good at something” (or not good at something).
Were you taught to think that your abilities were limited? Maybe someone criticized you, and you decided that the thing you were trying to do was out of reach. Some people have been raised to think that hard work pays off, so they work at it and accept that improvement takes time. However, sometimes things really do come easy. For example, I am naturally inclined towards some things, like writing and playing outfield in softball, but other things, like typing and volleyball, took extra effort to achieve proficiency. I worked to improve in the activities that mattered to me or that I was required to excel at.
Therefore, being “good at” something means that you have learned it and can do it successfully, but it isn’t necessarily second nature or easy for you. Your effort has a direct impact on your proficiency.
This is also true for learning languages, so I find it quite frustrating to see someone give up and write themselves off to what they believe is an innate difficulty. The Italian phrase becomes, at best, a cultural explanation for not being proficient in certain subjects, sports, or other activities, and at worst, an excuse for failure. They simply say “non sono portato per…” and then they make peace with the level they have achieved.
When I realize that my student has some sort of roadblock, I always try to convince them that they can still learn to be proficient in English even if they don’t have a flair for it. They may have to practice longer or change some of their strategies, but it is definitely possible.
Have you got any advice? Please share it with other readers.
The Word of the Day
Maybe you’ve noticed, but I’ve started posting Notes almost every day to explain the form, meaning, and pronunciation of certain English words. Some of them are presented in the form of images, but most of them are just text.
My goal is to create a conversation with my readers. I’d be happy to answer any questions, and I’d love to feature your favorite word.
Talk to you soon,
Marsha