Have you been studying English for several years? Do you feel you’re not making the progress you’d like to make? Maybe there’s just one thing you need to get back to – focusing on what you want to achieve. Here’s a short thought of the day.
Focus is a funny thing. Your English teacher, if you have one, has to make decisions before and during each lesson regarding what to focus on. You also have choices to make, and ideally the two of you should work together to create a successful language course. But it can be tricky. What happens if you want to focus on grammar but your teacher thinks differently? What happens if your teacher believes you need to study more phrasal verbs but you don’t see the reasoning behind this?
It’s all about focus, the theme this week of American author and blogger Leo Babauta, who has written a new book on the topic. There’s a free version you can download below – and you don’t have to type in any of your personal details! The language of this free e-book is quite advanced (for learners C1+), but we can discuss some of the main themes with regards to your English learning right here:
When it comes to learning English, focus means asking yourself ‘what am I motivated to achieve with English?’. This involves going beyond studying page 54 of your coursebook, and asking yourself if your lessons and indeed your language course ‘go with’ your overall goals, plans and ambitions.
In the free e-book, there’s a quote at the beginning of chapter 3 which I like:
“Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?” – Marcus Aurelius
So is there anything you can eliminate or do less so that you can focus on what’s important for your goals and ambitions?
What activities do you feel help you achieve your goals? What can you focus more on in class? What about out of class?
For some learners of English I’ve met in Prague, I’d say they have concentrated too much on studying grammar, and that this is something they could do less of in future. It’s totally your decision to focus on grammar, but if you are doing this it means you have less time for other important aspects of language learning: reading, writing, listening, studying features of spoken English, and vocabulary (eg phrasal verbs, collocations).
The secret ingredient
There’s one more thing which is essential when it comes to focusing on what you want to achieve with English. Can you guess what it is? I’ll write about this next time!
If you download the e-book, please let me know what you think of it. Also have a think about what you would like to do more in class and what you believe you can do less. There’s no right answer, only what’s right for you.
David Sweetnam
English Teacher
Engage sro
IČO 28400852
DIČ CZ28400852
david (at) engage.cz
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