When I found out that I was going to move to the US, I wanted to start learning English before that big change in my life. Everything was happening very fast and I knew I didn’t have time to sign up for an extensive course, but I wanted to at least learn some basics. I ended up choosing a course where they taught English the traditional way. That is, a lot of grammar, textbook exercises, and memorizing new words. See, I knew that this method hadn’t worked for me back in high school because after years of such lessons, I couldn’t even say one simple sentence. But I blamed myself for this. I thought I was lazy and if I could put some effort into it, I’d manage to learn the language.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me that time either. After a few weeks into the course, I was still not able to say anything. Although I knew I had to put more effort into studying, I couldn’t convince myself to sit down and do the grammar exercises from the textbook. So, I was failing again.
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The Callan Method
One day, my husband ran into an ad for another English school. According to the ad, they were using another method to teach the language – a method that helped students to naturally acquire it. They called this the Callan Method. When my husband told me about it, I was skeptical, but intrigued. Although I didn’t want to spend money on yet another course that would doubtfully give me any different results than the previous one, I decided to give it a chance.
The first time I went to the school that used the Callan Method, I was terrified. The teacher was rapidly asking the class different questions and everyone seemed to have the answer right away. Everyone but me. But the school assured me that this is normal in the beginning and I would quickly catch up. The reason everyone else knew how to answer all of these questions so fast was not because they had an advanced level of English, but because the answers were given to them. This sounded strange to me, but I quickly understood how this method worked.
The teacher was asking a question and pointing to someone from the class to answer. But it was the teacher who was answering his/her/their question first and the student was repeating it right after him/her/them. These questions and answers were repeated so many times that students eventually started to memorize them. And after one or two classes like that, I started to speak. It’s true that I wasn’t voicing my real thoughts and opinions, but I didn’t care. I was speaking in English and I felt incredible.
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Although this method is not for everyone because it doesn’t teach you grammar and is not based on real communication, it worked for me in the beginning. Of course, I didn’t learn every component of the English language like grammar, vocabulary, spelling, etc. using the Callan Method. Later, when I went to an ESL school in the US, my teachers used the Communicative method while incorporating grammar instruction as well. But the Callan Method was a great start because it propelled me to start speaking, which was a great confidence booster.
There are many opinions when it comes to the best methods of teaching and learning English. Some still think that drilling grammar rules and memorizing many words at the same time is the way to go. Others, however, claim that learners shouldn’t focus so much on formal rules and just need to get acquainted with the sound, melody, and natural flow of the language. That is, they need to acquire the language in a more natural way – just like children acquire their mother tongue. The renowned American linguist Stephen Krashen argues that acquiring a language in a natural way is more central to learning a language in the classroom. He doesn’t, however, underestimate formal learning, as longas it is used as a supplement to acquisition. According to Krashen:
the optimal user is the performer who uses learning as a real supplement to acquisition, monitoring when it is appropriate and when it does not get in the way of communication.
So what should learners do? Whom should they listen to? The thing is, when it comes to learning a foreign language, there isn’t only one way that works best for everyone. We are all different and we have different learning styles.
Three methods of teaching and learning English (or any other language)
There are many methods to teach and learn a language. Below are three methods that I have personally used when I was learning English.
1. The grammar translation method
This is the classical method of teaching and learning language. With this approach, you study and analyze grammar, memorize vocabulary, and translate words and sentences from your native tongue to the target language and the other way around. This method is still used in many English schools around the world.
Pros:
If you like studying this way, you will become familiar with the grammatical structure of the language, which will give you confidence. Many learners complain that they make grammar mistakes and hence are reluctant to speak. If you understand grammar and find a way to remember a numerous amount of words, you will feel confident enough to keep learning.
Cons:
This method can be quite boring and intimidating for many learners. Sitting in a classroom with a textbook and trying to understand grammatical structures you might not have in your native language gives many students so much headache that they quit before having the chance to advance. In addition, many learners find memorizing words out of context daunting. This method is also not based on real communication and many find it tedious.
2. The communicative approach
This approach is based on the belief that learning a new language should happen through communication. That is, having a real, meaningful conversation rather than drilling grammar and repeating sentences from a textbook. This can be achieved by role-play, games, interviews, sharing opinions on different topics, etc.
Pros:
Through this method, learners start developing their speaking skills in different real-life situations. At the end of the day, being able to communicate is the goal of most people who decide to learn a foreign language.
Cons:
While this approach is great for developing fluency, it doesn’t focus on accuracy. Teachers try not to correct learners while they are speaking because any interruption to correct someone’s mistakes might result in lack of confidence. As a result, if learners are not careful, they can end up developing some incorrect habits, which will be harder to correct in the future.
3. The audio-lingual method
This method focuses on oral skills and is based on the behaviorist theory, which, in a nutshell, suggests that humans (and not only humans) can be trained to develop certain skills through a system of reinforcement. In this method, the teacher doesn’t explicitly teach vocabulary or grammar, but presents a correct form of a sentence and the students repeat it. The idea is that after some time and many repetitions, learners will remember the correct form and continue using it. This is what I experienced back in Poland when I started learning English using the Callan Method.
Pros:
This could be a great beginning for learners who have studied the language using other methods before but are still hesitant to speak. Repeating after the teacher takes the pressure off from the students, who don’t have to come up with their own sentences in this case and hence are not afraid of making mistakes. Some researchers claim that using this method could also lead to a certain level of subconscious acquisition.
Cons:
This method alone is not sufficient for learning another language. Unlike children, adults need a certain level of instruction to complement the acquisition. In addition, this method involves many oral drills, which can quickly become exhausting.
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As I mentioned in the beginning, I’ve used all three methods in my journey to English fluency. I miserably failed back in Bulgaria because my teachers only used the grammar translation method. But once I started learning with the Callan Method (which incorporated a version of the audio-lingual method), for the first time I began seeing results. Having been an ESL student later in the United States introduced me to the communicative approach, which worked wonders, but the only reason I was comfortable saying something in the first place was because of my experience with the Callan Method.
The one and only perfect method to acquire a foreign language simply doesn’t exist. Just try different approaches and don’t give up if you don’t see results right off the bat. Remember, just be persistent and have fun.
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What was your experience with learning a foreign language? What worked best for you? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section.
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