EnglishGateway :: ESL Teacher Blog :: ESL Teacher Blog: Talk to Someone

Have you ever met people who studied English entirely on their own? They didn’t go to a school, but instead use a variety of textbooks to learn the language.

Rarely do I feel learners who are self-taught are as competent in the language as learners who have at least partially relied on learning from other sources. I believe that language learning is an interactive, communicative process that cannot be achieved through solitary study. It must be done in a social context. Only through interaction can an individual create a real environment in which to use the language, and make the language meaningful. Only by using language at the basic level, will learners ever become competent in the language and be able to continue to find reasons and needs to continuing growing in the language. Only through discourse with others will learners discover all the culture clues and contexts that native speakers know and understand.

Self-study is a very necessary part of learning a language. It alone however, will not reduce the need for real interaction in the language. It’s vitally important to have opportunities to practice using the language with other people.

Learners must not think about themselves as being alone. They must talk to in order to improve.