THINGS FOR BEGINNERS

If you think your English is so poor as if you'd never learned it before, you won't disagree my naming you as a beginner. And this post is just written for you. Do be patient, and read the following. If you think the writing is a little difficult for you, don't worry, I've written a Chinese version for you. Just click http://learn4wan.blogspot.com/2008/11/blog-post_8628.html.

(I am writing two blogs, both about English learning for Chinese learners including myself, one written in English, the other in Chinese. The two differ a lot from each other, things I've talked in one won't appear in the other. But this post is just an exception for it will appear in both. You might know the reason.)

There are things you must know as a beginner,

1. It's never too late to begin your learning.
   
   You might think that learning a foreign language is only effective for younger boys and girls, and you are just too old to begin. You got a small point there, but only a rather small one. You might think that babies are the best language learners and they can learn languages rather quick. Well, it seems to be. People think it's natural for a baby to learn languages. The truth is that it's only the case when he is facing with one single language. Put into a multiple language environment, he has difficulties and would learn how to speak in a rather late age. Mr. Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang's daughter once lived in France and met people speaking various languages, the result is that she could only mumble separate simple words, whatever Chinese or French. When she was surround by her family who only spoke Wuxi dialect, she began to speak.
   
   I am not saying that one should learn a foreign language when they are old enough. Well, age does affect the speed and learning way. But each period has its advantages and disavantages. Younger persons tend to be more curious and perform better at instantaneous(short-term) memory, their ability of imitating is also better. But it also means that their long-term memory needs development and their understanding is not so good, of which older persons are the masters.
   
   Remember, thinking or if you like, understanding is a very important thing for language learning. Try to use your head and figure out some useful way for yourself. It does help. Learning language is not just memorizing new words or phrase, neither is grammar analyzing, leaving exercises alone.
   
2. Have the confidence.
   
   Let me tell you that you can master a language very well no matter how old you are, or how poor a guy you are at learning affairs. Marx began his English learning in a rather late age, and it is said that his English was as well as his mother tongue, German; Yang Jiang began to learn Spanish when she was well over 40, and her translation of Don Quixote is widely welcome as the best Chinese translation, and becomes a classic. Li Yang had worried about his English very much when he was in university, and finally he conquered it and he even learned German, the regardedly most difficult language in the world, and he succeeded.
   
   I myself also began my formal learning in a rather late time. At that time, I was 18, almost of the same age as you are.
   
3. Keep learning.
   
   One can never master things he/she is too ready to quit. If you don't want to learn, God can't force to learn, neither can He change you into another man. You have problems, and you must solve it with your hands. No one can replace you. You NEED to be willing to learn.
   
   Works won't be done without a beginnig, girls won't be got without you pursuit. You want a Great Wall? Then you must begin your laying bricks. I've told you that method is important, but method itself can't save you if you won't make any efforts.
   
4. Solutions are always much more than problems.
   
   Yes, you are right. I am talking about learning methods, but not too many. I am still encourageing you that things are not so serious as you are imagining. If you are willing to learn and do have confidence with yourself and your teacher, you just can defeat the difficulties one by one, or group by group. What you need to do now is to raise your head up high and give yourself to big smile, then cheer up, go to have a bath or a basketball match, after that, open your English book, give her a sneer. Just tell her that you will beat her.
   
5. Always summarize and review.
   
   Sometimes it is very easy to see why you can't make more progress. I know you hear of the story of the corn-bear. he just keeps get new corns, whenever he gets a new ear, he simply drops the old one. he works all day, but all he gets is only one ear. Learning is like the same. Review helps you to restore you corn you've obtained. Just don't let go those you've learned, then however slow you are, you ARE progressing.
   
   These simple things can keep you move forward. Simple as they are, really powerful they are, too.
   
   
   

to Students: Things you are encourage to do

1. learn in advance. You are encouraged to learn the whole textbooks in the beginning of a term; if you haven’t, do it now.
2. read. You are encouraged to read English books as many as possible, books including those talking about learning strategies, grammars, other persons’ learning experiences, and English novels or plays.
3. sing English songs.
4. write English novels, essays, prose, poems, plays, songs, etc.
5. take roles in English plays. You can do this all by yourself, just imagine you were someone else, sometimes a prince or a king, sometimes a witch or a pirate. You can even imagine yourself as a dog or a baby. Just make fun with English.
6. try various ways to make English learning funny and delightful.
7. challenge your English teacher or friends from English major. You can just beat them, or even you can’t, you might be able in the near future. Just have the confidence.
8. translate an English writing into traditional Chinese or vice versa.
9. play English jokes on your friends. Use English you’ve learned in movies in your life.
10. make learning plans and follow them. Just remember, your plans need adjustment now and then.
11. learn extra things. I won’t say it’s just to make extra efforts. Try not to take learning as a burden, instead, it is always interesting and pleasing. Anyhow, it’s your choice whether to make it delightful or not. If you like, you may learn more specific knowledge of the language and find it very useful. Such knowledge may include etymology (word-building), phonetics (how to pronounce and read with expression), tranlation, linguistics, etc.
12. think in English. Whenever you speak or write in English, try not to translate it from Chinese, you’d better do it directly in English.
13. repeat two to three times whenever you speak out one unfamiliar sentence.
14. make friends with your English-classmates. You need to cooperate to improve your English.

what makes a qualified English teacher

To be a somewhat qualified English teacher, I think one need to be

1. Master of English; 
2.  Good encourager; 
3.  Good at arousing the students’ learning interests;
4.  Good listener to the students and can understand them; 
5.  Capable of helping students to form useful learning habits and develop their own learning strategies; 
6.  easy to get to.
7. knowing the difference between a good teacher and a kind teacher.
8. keeping learning.

You can just add your opinions in your comments if you like.