ROYAL

Your English is not as good as you want and need it to be.You have spent years and lots of money on classes and learning materials but you haven’t been able to progress beyond Intermediate level English and you want to become a fluent speaker.When you learn something new, such as a foreign language, you learn quickly at the beginning because your motivation is high and you discover new things every day.But, after a while, you stop improving. You start to think that you will never master English and never reach your goal of becoming a confident and effective communicator in English.This is normalExperts call this‘the Intermediate Plateau’and it happens to all of us when we learn a second language. You understand enough to get by in most situations but can’t fully express your ideas and opinions when you are speaking to fluent English speakers.You are frustrated because you know what you want to say but the words don’tcome out right.Will you ever speak English fluently?I believe that most people have the ability to speak English fluently. I’m sure you know lots of people who have learnt to communicate confidently and competently in English.What are they doing right and what are you doing wrong?I have been teaching English for nearly 2o years and all the successful learners had one thing in common.They were all self-directed language learners.What is a self-directed learner?Self-directed learners manage their own language learning:*.They take control of their own learning development.*.They take responsibility for their own progress in English.*.They use a variety of learning strategies to reach their goal.*.They experiment with different methods and learn as much from failure as they do from success.*.They may attend classes and learn grammar rules, just like most learners, but they assess and evaluate the effectiveness of these methods.*.They find new and creative ways to learn and identify materials and resources based on what they want to learn, what they need to learn, and whatkeeps them interested.*.They manage their emotions and feelings and know when they need to take a break and ensure their motivational levels stay high.*.They set themselves clear learning goals and discover the best strategies for meeting these goals.*.They seek mentors, teachers, coaches and expert English speakers to provide assistance and guidance but do not depend on rely on their help.