The Speed of Learning Languages

[Niko]

I have seen students continuously learn English for many years, and yet they still show very limited or no improvement.

One learns a language no faster than one generates and tests - in purposeful, motivated use - one's own hypotheses about the language.

This means that the learner is central in the learning process. All other things: the instructional program, the instrumental paraphernalia, even the teacher, exist only to facilitate the learner's task of generating and testing hypotheses about the language through motivated use.

Therefore, the teacher needs to enforce to their students that the real learning of a language occurs through practice of the language rather than merely listening to the teacher and cassettes.