My Strategies to Learn English
维多利亚学院“说说我们学英语的故事”征文来稿
I am an Engineering Technologist in Toronto. Everyday, I write procedures and set up standards for designing and maintenance manuals. My job also requires me to contact the suppliers, shop personnel and management through phone, email or fax. When I write or talk in English people around me often says “Good English!” It happens from my childhood until present. But I grew up in a small village where you couldn’t expect any special English training in the school. Mostly I only used the materials the teachers prepared for the whole class. But I enjoy studying English. And I follow some strategies to learn English. I hope they are helpful for you too. See some as follows.
I always read aloud. I recited all of the texts from middle school to university. Even if the essays in the textbook in university were very long, about 6 pages or more, I broke them down to sections and recited them separately. I imaged I were the characters in the text and read as if I performed the drama. I never felt shy and I am completely immersed in my role. I read aloud in the classroom in the morning, before the first class started for the day, and I read aloud in the woods on my way to the classroom. I also noticed that once couple of students started to read aloud, the rest students would follow easily. Reading aloud and reciting texts helps me to speak without thinking. The whole sentence just came out automatically since my tongue had already practiced it so many times.
I don’t try to remember every word I read, but I don’t skip the important ones either. Very rarely used words or phrases won’t bother me. I take notes and practice on those frequently used items daily continuously until remember them. I recite the whole sentence or paragraph instead of simply trying to remember the separate words or phases only. I make my own sentences with the words or phases too. Once I remember them very well during the first time, they will be my close friends for a long time. Even I might forget some of them, it is easy to pick up. It is never a good idea for me to recite a dictionary. Because the words on each page are so similar to each other, I am just got confused and lost there. After I close the dictionary, I just have an impression that a bunch of words lined up there, but not even one word is clear to me. For me, reciting a dictionary is nothing more than some medicine helping me to sleep faster.
You might find it is very difficult to study English if you have set up your own family, especially when you have little kids. I prepared my English test prior to immigration when my son was 1 to 2 years old. I understand how hard it is at that time to study while you have a full time job, have to take care of the little boy. Your husband or wife might have his/ her own full time job too. Don’t expect the family can support your study 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. But it doesn’t mean it is not practical for them to support you a couple of hours a day or a couple days in a week. You need to make a schedule to plan your work, housekeeping, study and stick to the plan. Good plan will let you use the time more efficient, avoid missing important tasks, and feel confident and enjoy the support from your family.
Try to enjoy studying English rather than take it as an effort. When you watch TV or movie, you might start with Tree House. Watch the lovely and interesting stories while learning the kids’ simple and useful daily English. When you read, you might start with comics or fiction books instead of science books if you don’t like too much terminology. Read the books while imaging you are one of the characters. Try to talk to the people around you. Talk to your co-worker during break-time, talk to the passenger in the bus, talk to the people in the park. Talk as much as you can only if you don’t try to hurt anybody. You learn live English from live source by talking. You share information and make friends by talking. Of course, your English will improve at a speed you can’t believe even by yourself. Give yourself a little task. Once you achieve the task, treat yourself with something sweet but no so expensive such as a lipstick or a box of beer. You will feel more confident and energetic once you recognize your own achievement.
Start right now and never wait. Don’t think there is a specific day set for you to start studying English. Don’t ignore the words or phases around you because you think they have nothing to do with your professional background. You can’t tell how the things around you or the people around you can help. When I worked as a cashier in Tim Hortons, one customer introduced OACETT to me and helped me a lot to get certified as an Engineering Technologist in OACETT, Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians & Technologists. I told him I was an Electrical Engineer when I was in China before. I said “ Thank you for the Christmas gift” when he gave me the small empty milk container. He was cheered by the joke. He brought me a package of hard copy about the application process. But I never knew his name, before his help and after his help. You should keep your objective in mind and your professional job is somewhere waiting for you. But you need to be competitive to get it, including your language skills, technical skills and personality. Pick up what you can get. Remember “something is for sure better than nothing”. Learn English from the life, from the people, from your job. That is live English and it is interesting part and you can have fun and improve your English skills there.
Don’t complain your English is too bad to improve or you are too old to start. Your English is just not perfect and that is why you need to learn it and practice it. If it is very hard for the people to understand you because of your pronunciation, an English training program might be your solution. The program is “Jerry English Part I & Part II” held in Victoria College. Practice makes perfect. Follow the strategies that are most suitable for you and keep on practicing. You will reap what you sow.
Wish you to enjoy English soon. Wish English improvement help you achieve career development, help you set up friendship, help you gain more respect, help you have more fun in daily life.
