Pros and cons of learning English on your own. Learning English Arguments for learning English

Brazhnikov Alexander. School No. 1, Akbulak, Orenburg region, Russia
Essay in English with translation (topic in English)

What can you say for and against learning foreign language in a native speaking environment?

They say that it is better to study a foreign language in a native country, but there is another opinion: it is possible to learn it without going abroad. So we have different opinions which we’ll try to discuss.

Some people think that learning English abroad is more productive. Let’s discuss arguments “for”. Firstly, children, living in English-speaking country, have the opportunity not only to study the language at school, but communicating with foreigners. Secondly, they may visit various concerts, shows and brush up English there. Thirdly, to know the language properly is impossible without knowledge of the native country’s history and its sights. How wonderful it is to visit historical places listening to excursions in English language!

But there are some arguments “against”. Firstly, it’s difficult to live far away from your family. Then, in my opinion, not every person could pay for such kind of education. And lastly, there is no necessity to study English abroad if you are not going to be an interpreter.

As for me, I may simply prove my English using special programs on-line. In the center City & Guilds, for example. I have Internet at home and my parents will give me money for such courses. From the one hand, I would be with my family. From the other hand, it would be much cheaper.

They say that it is better to study a foreign language in your native country, but there is another opinion: it is possible to study it without traveling abroad. So we have different opinions that we will try to discuss.

Some people think that studying English abroad is more productive. Let's discuss the pros. Firstly, children living in an English-speaking country have the opportunity to learn the language not only at school, but also by communicating with foreigners. Secondly, they can attend various concerts, shows and improve their English there. Thirdly, it is impossible to know the language perfectly without knowing the history and sights of the country - a native speaker. How amazing it is to visit historical sites while listening to guided tours in English!

But there are also several arguments against it. Firstly, it is difficult to live away from your family. Then, in my opinion, not every person can pay for this type of education. Finally, there is no need to study English abroad if you do not intend to be a translator.

As for me, I can simply improve my English through various online programs. In the City & Guilds centre, for example. I have Internet at home and my parents will pay for such courses. On the one hand, I could be with my family. On the other hand, it would be much cheaper.

Daria Popova

Have questions? Ask them in the comments!

Passionate about English from the cradle, the mother of her daughter Radmilka, a psychologist-educator and English teacher by training, has been teaching developmental classes for children from 1 to 8 years old, including in English, for 10 years.

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Comments

At what age is it best to start learning a second language?

We live in Malaysia and the children study at a British school, my youngest, he is 2.5 years old, categorically refuses to listen to fairy tales in English or speak to me in English. But when we come to school and he finds himself in an English-speaking environment, he speaks in English what he already knows. Why doesn’t he want to study English at home, I don’t know?

1. It’s not very clear what you mean by “categorically refuses”: does he protest aggressively, or answer in Russian, or is silent, or...? if in general, then children are a) energy-intensive b) logical. Because of the energy consumption, they refuse to speak a foreign language if they already understand it in their native language. Because of logic, children form a system for themselves where to use which language. At school - English, at home - Russian. On the street, your baby probably hears another language. So maybe you confuse him with English at home? Think: a) how necessary is it to connect English at home? Talk to your teachers about this. If a child spends more than 6 hours at school (as I understand it, it’s still more of a nursery school, isn’t it?) this is more than enough to master the language as a native one. You should be more worried about Russian then - after all, in another country it is he who is foreign. b) if there is still a need, find an opportunity to watch your child at school or ask the teachers about his favorite pastimes, games, nursery rhymes, try playing with him first on the school grounds (when you pick him up, for example), and then after some time Houses. Often, if he protests, he says, “I have too much,” “too much,” “I want to rest.” Remember that a second language is stressful and burdensome. It is more important to love and support than to teach a language. In your conditions, then everything will “catch up” by itself.

And we started learning French (according to principles, we’ll learn English anyway, since for me it’s the same as living in Russia and not speaking Russian), but everywhere they look at me like I’m crazy... and ask: “Why? »
But as a matter of fact, a child of 2.3 years old does not really “respond” to classes: he listens attentively with pleasure, but does not reproduce himself... We have been studying for the second month now. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? What kind of reaction should one generally expect? How often should you exercise for real effect? When could Italian and Spanish be introduced?

1. if a 2.3-year-old child listens with pleasure and attentively, then he is the one who “responds” to the lessons)). Kids don't immediately start repeating. Children have a so-called “quiet period”. Wait. First, something in the brain must “click” and mature. But, as with your native language, be sure that you are not wasting your time. As for the questions of others, “Why?” It would be nice to answer them and decide on your motivation: why am I teaching my child a new language? Why do I want to teach him more Spanish and Italian? Who am I doing this for? For yourself or for the baby? Is the baby happy from my activities with him? Am I overloading it? As far as I understand, you don’t waste your energy on Russian and English, since the child is growing up bilingual (Russian in the family, English outside the home or what?). It’s great if you manage to convey your language skills to your child in a playful, relaxed and fun way. But you need to realistically assess your capabilities: will you be able to differentiate between language environments? (for example, English outside the home, Russian - in the family, French - alone with mom) will you be able to wait as long as necessary, believing in the result and not putting too much pressure on the child with excessive expectations? Will you be able to spend your personal time on self-improvement and reading about methods, bilinguals, the experience of parents of such children, etc.? As for the 4th and 5th languages, your baby, having such a diverse linguistic background from childhood, will be able to learn these languages ​​in the future, when he himself determines that he needs them. Adults learn languages ​​no less successfully than children.

   1. thank you very much for the answer! many of your questions structured my “brain” (I can’t find another word)
      first of all, I teach my child languages, so that later during his school years he can not waste time on this, but spend it on his other interests/hobbies: for example, physics or something else that will be interesting to him, and knowledge of languages ​​will give him the opportunity study literature, experience, participate in conferences, congresses, etc. all over the world, not limited)))

      and also, Daria, a huge request (I think, not only mine!!!), could you devote a series of articles to methods, structure of classes (what must they include??), when to teach reading and writing and how to relate it with your native language (you touched on possible options, but did not dwell on them in more detail), game options! Thank you!
      And yet, can you recommend at least a couple of sites/blogs/groups in contact, etc. intelligent about the experience of parents of bilinguals (preferably where one language is French)?? and my most important and important question for me!! Is it necessary to differentiate the language environment??? and how to create five versions of it: 1. at home, 2. on the street, 3. alone with mom??? But what can we come up with if we introduce two more languages ​​later??? I don't have enough imagination((

My daughter and I tried to study English at home from birth (I sang, read poetry, turned on cartoons in English), but she categorically did not like it - she began to be capricious, demanded a different cartoon, etc.
From the age of 2.5 we went to the group “I can sing” (2 times a week for half an hour) and lo and behold! The child fell in love with English - now she listens to cartoons with pleasure and sings along to songs and uses a lot of speech patterns in conversation if I switch to English with her.
Apparently she categorically did not like my pronunciation - I studied German at school and college, and studied English for exactly a year in adulthood :) Now we “learn” songs together - fortunately, parents are allowed to quietly attend the “lessons”

Today it is difficult to be a truly literate and interesting person if you do not know English - this language once upon a time became the language of international communication, but even being far from the centers of international trade and diplomacy, it is simply necessary to know it. Do you want some arguments in favor of resuming learning English, even if your relationship with it has not worked out since school?

So, the first reason is practical. Without knowing the language, it is difficult to apply for a good position - if in the application you write that you speak English at the school level, and someone indicates that you speak English, this “someone” will probably bypass you. The vast majority of employers console themselves with the thought that sooner or later their company will reach the international level, and therefore prefer to hire personnel who have the necessary skills. Therefore, even if you only have plans to study English online, feel free to write that you already speak it without putting off your studies for long. Subsequently, an advanced level of English will help you directly draw information on your specialty from excellent international publications.

Reason two. Today, tourist trips abroad have become very affordable. Therefore, it is not at all impossible that you will soon go to a place where it will be very difficult to express yourself in Russian. However, residents of most tourist countries have an excellent command of broken English, and speaking English more or less tolerably, you can avoid funny situations, dangers and even financial costs, because it is much more difficult to deceive a person who is not in an information vacuum.

Reason three. The spread of the Internet has made it possible to make acquaintances all over the world, flirt and even enter into international marriages. A simple lack of knowledge of the language can hinder the development of a romantic relationship, and vice versa, English will help you make pleasant and useful acquaintances.

Reason four. In order to feel like a very cultured person, you should read Shakespeare or Byron in English, so to speak, in the original, or even better, learn a couple of sonnets and, on occasion, read them in warm company. This will certainly make a good impression. And in general, the more a person knows, the more valuable he is to others.

Is it difficult to improve your English level? Today, no longer - we won’t argue that English language courses in St. Petersburg will most likely be more productive than in the periphery. But even in small towns you can find opportunities to learn a language if you put in the effort. After all, the main thing is desire, isn’t it? Good luck!

They say that a book is a teacher without payment or gratitude. And for those learning English, the main “teacher without pay or gratitude” is the textbook. However, recently many new methods have appeared that offer to learn English without textbooks. We decided to figure out what the advantages of using textbooks are and in what cases you can really learn English without textbooks.

Why do people want to learn English without textbooks?

When applying to study at our school, we often hear from people: “I don’t want to study using boring textbooks.” Why is this happening? We found 3 common reasons:

1. Association with old school textbooks

Many people associate the word “textbook” with school English lessons. No matter how good the teachers were, the fact remains that school textbooks were not the best books for learning English. Too much theory and too little practice - this is the main drawback of school textbooks. Explanations of English grammar in Russian were long and not always clear. In addition, the “topics” were often boring, and we were surprised, how come the authors don’t understand that the annual story “My family” is already sitting in the liver.

Years have passed, but the opinion about textbooks has not changed: they are still considered boring, incomprehensible and completely inconsistent with today's realities. But in vain: a good teacher today uses modern, authentic manuals, which are strikingly different from old Russian-language textbooks. Thus, the new manuals contain up-to-date information, interesting and truly important topics for use in life, as well as short and clear explanations of grammar. For example, in modern textbooks you can study such necessary and exciting topics as “What’s the right job for you?”, “Stereotypes”, “Megacities”, “Books and films”. You can read in detail in our review and make sure that these are not boring books at all.

2. Craving for creativity

Another category of people believes that a textbook is a boring standardized plan that does not take into account the individual needs and abilities of each person. It seems to them that the textbook limits them, forces them to study banal topics that no one needs, divorced from life. Therefore, such people want to go beyond the textbook, learn something exciting and at the same time in an easy way, and not limit themselves to cramming and grammar exercises.

It should be taken into account that modern textbooks are a set of necessary topics, presented in an interesting and easy way. Thus, the manuals offer creative exercises that force us to get involved in work and take an interest in English. Instead of tasks with clear answers, you will need to rack your brains over non-standard topics and interesting questions. In addition, textbooks often highlight fascinating facts, biographies of successful contemporaries, and unusual concepts - topics that are useful not only for English, but also for broadening your horizons.

3. Hate grammar

Some English learners say: “Why do I need a textbook if I just want to speak English. I don’t need grammar, I want to learn phrases for conversation.” Such people often come to our school with a request to study not from textbooks, but simply to talk with the teacher.

On the one hand, emphasis on speaking practice is the credo of our school, on the other hand, in order for your speech to sound at the level of an adult, you need to know basic grammar. “Only talking” with a teacher makes sense at high levels of English proficiency, when you already have a good vocabulary, know the grammar and all you have to do is “talk.” If your level is not yet high, using a textbook will allow you to develop a vocabulary for communication, improve grammar for speech literacy, and also learn to speak on current topics. For example, in our school, in any case, you will speak English at least 70% of the lesson time, and the manual is supporting material that will give you a topic for discussion, lexical and grammatical material.

Benefits of using teaching aids

You may have already guessed that we are both in favor of using English textbooks. To persuade you to side with the right approach to teaching, let’s name a few advantages that textbooks give us:

1. Structured information

Why do thousands of people ask the question “How to learn English?” Because they don't know where to start. The English manual is a logically structured training program. The textbook gives us a clear plan for learning the language. It is especially important to have such a plan for those who have never studied foreign languages ​​and do not know what to grab first. In any modern manual, the authors adhere to the principle of “from simple to complex” when presenting material. This way, you will not need to look for any additional sources of information and guides to understand in what order you should learn the language.

2. Dosed information

Even the simplest tense of the English language, Present Simple, can count 8 functions. But are these functions necessary for a person with an Elementary level? Of course not, you won’t understand most of them yet, and you won’t need them. Which ones will be needed then? You will find the answer to this question in the manual for your level of knowledge: you will be given only the information that is really needed at the moment.

3. Development of all skills

When learning English, you should remember the main rule: all language skills need to be developed at the same time. In modern authentic textbooks, this principle is precisely implemented: you discuss something in English, read texts, listen to audio materials for the textbook, write various types of written work. Moreover, the textbooks will certainly contain exercises to increase vocabulary, work on grammar, and study English pronunciation and intonation. When learning English without tutorials, you will have to find a lot of different exercises on your own to work on all these skills. At the same time, you may be tempted not to do what is not working, and this can slow down your progress.

4. Current vocabulary

All authentic textbooks are designed in such a way that you learn the most commonly used words and phrases. The authors suggest learning vocabulary from interesting texts and audio recordings, and speaking and grammar exercises will allow you to practice using the words you have learned in practice. When learning without a manual, it will be difficult to figure out which words to learn first, what words you really need in speech. The tutorial solves this problem for you.

5. Exercises for repetition and consolidation of material

The textbook organizes for you a convenient and effective system for repeating and consolidating the material. Thus, vocabulary and grammatical structures from one lesson are repeated in subsequent ones. That is, you periodically return to topics you’ve already covered and work through the material again.

In addition, any modern textbook contains tests to test the knowledge acquired over several lessons. This will allow you to find out how well you have mastered the material and whether any topics need to be repeated.

6. “Debriefing”

There are always answers to all exercises in the textbook. Even if you study on your own, you can look up the correct answer at any time. You will also be able to understand why you made a mistake, because all the exercises in the textbook are based on the theory outlined in it. If necessary, you can return to the grammar comment and figure out what the essence of your mistake is. There are many sites on the Internet with hundreds of English tests and exercises, and we highly recommend studying with them, but they are still an inferior substitute for a textbook. So, you will not always be able to check the answers, and if they are, it will not be easy to understand them, because the tests very rarely come with any theoretical explanation. By the way, ours not only checks your answers, but also gives detailed explanations and recommendations for correcting errors. Do you already know your level of knowledge?

7. Material that is always with you

It doesn’t matter whether you have a printed version of the textbook or an electronic version, the completed assignments will always be in your hands. If necessary, you can return to them and review your mistakes. By the way, she always saved her notes and periodically reviewed them, believing that this helped her repeat the material and better understand it. If you do the exercises online, no data will be saved and you will not be able to track your progress.

8. Time saving

All the previous points boil down to the fact that the textbook allows you to save a significant amount of time on searching for materials. Thus, one manual allows you to train all skills and already contains a logical and accessible training program. If you decide to do without a textbook and learn the language on your own, you will be constantly searching for suitable materials, and this takes away valuable time that could be spent on learning.

When can you learn English without a textbook?

And yet we cannot say with a 100% guarantee that it is impossible to learn English without aids. Some polyglots claim that they do not use textbooks when learning foreign languages. They study audio and video materials, find pen pals, and learn the basics of the language with a teacher. We can identify several categories of people who can try to learn English without textbooks:

1. You have a high level of knowledge

If you have already completed the Upper-Intermediate or Advanced level and do not want to study from a manual, you can try learning from materials from the Internet. The fact is that at a high level you already understand how to learn English, and you can quickly find materials suitable for your level. By the way, in the article “” we named 8 good reasons to complete your studies at least to the intermediate level. And in the article “” you will find links to useful materials.

2. You have a specific goal for learning English

It happens that for work you need to study certain topics in English. For example, you need to prepare for negotiations with foreign partners in the field of information technology. Or do you need . Of course, in such cases we are not talking about a textbook: you need materials on specific topics, and not a general program.

3. You rely on quality material on the Internet

You can try to learn English not from standard textbooks, but from lessons posted on the Internet. Hundreds of resources offer such materials, and it can be difficult to choose truly high-quality ones. We recommend giving preference not just to videos, but to articles that explain the topic in detail, have tests to check your mastery of the material, as well as feedback to ask exciting questions. For example, our blog on learning English already features an interactive grammar tutorial compiled by our teachers. And our subscribers have access to special “Lessons of the Week for Beginners” that help them learn English in a logical sequence. And, of course, we are always ready to answer your questions in the comments.

If you study English with a teacher, then he will be able to select good and necessary materials in such a way that you do not have the feeling that you are learning from a textbook. For example, in our school such training is available as part of a personal course.

We have presented you with our reasons for and against studying English without textbooks, but the final decision is up to you. We can provide you with assistance in learning English within the framework where you will master the language in an optimal and effective way: using modern, interesting textbooks. If you want to try to learn English without textbooks, we suggest that you make your dream come true within the framework, where the teacher selects for you the materials that you want to use in class.

English on your own: 5 arguments FOR and 6 arguments AGAINST

To learn English on your own, answer yourself these questions: do you have enough patience, will and, most importantly, a serious motive for learning English?

It is the presence of a motive that can be decisive.

Sometimes a person who has the ability, patience, and diligence gives up learning English halfway through. The reason for this is the lack of a serious motive for studying.

You can’t start learning English if you want to “ just learn english" or " do something useful" or " kill time" and so on. With this attitude you will last no more than two months study.

Analyze your motives for studying: preparing for work, living abroad, traveling, obtaining the necessary material from.

Let us repeat once again - if something doesn’t work out for you, if you’re not getting along while learning English, don’t blame yourself and your abilities - reconsider your motives . And keep learning :)

Teaching English will not give the desired result if it is not supported by regular, purposeful, independent work.

So, what to choose: self-study or training with an English teacher (courses, tutor)

Arguments FOR independent learning of English

1. Independence. It's hard to argue with this. You independently choose the rhythm of learning, the time of study: - at least at 6 am. There is no schedule or lesson plan hanging over you in English courses or with a tutor. You can on one's own create an English language learning program for yourself, according to their interests and preferences, and sometimes professional needs.

2. Money. By not counting the time spent studying, you can save on teacher labor.

3. As a rule, those who study English on their own use two or more English language manuals and self-instruction manuals in parallel. In courses or with an English tutor, one textbook is often practiced. In this case, the student is within the framework of one teaching method and concept.

4. You work independently with textbooks, tutorials, dictionaries and other materials - which develops the ability to analyze and summarize information, which is so necessary when learning a foreign language.

5. After some time, you will have a huge advantage over graduates of English language courses, namely, you will have self-education skills and will continue to improve your English. It will be easy and understandable for you. Graduates of courses or after studying with a tutor, as a rule, abandon English classes, which negates the resources already expended.

And now the arguments AGAINST self-learning English

1. There is no control over you - and you can “skip” classes and not complete exercises. The thoughts “I’ll do it tomorrow”, “How many times can I repeat the same thing”, “I don’t need these exercises” and dozens of similar ones will be spinning around you.

2. It is difficult to find an interlocutor for speaking practice - and without it, it is not correct to consider training complete. Even if you have an ideal English language tutorial, you need to speak English with someone - the tutorial will be silent.

3. Questions during training and control of material mastery. In any case, the student has questions. And these questions, even the simplest ones, need answers. Often, when studying independently, a person cannot find answers to questions or spends a very large amount of time searching through textbooks, forums, communities, and social networks.

4. When self-education, you simply cannot avoid mistakes and their consolidation at the level of automatism. It’s a shame and annoyance to realize after six months or a year that you have learned incorrectly, for example. When studying with a teacher, mistakes are immediately noticed and attention is drawn to it.

5. No one will stop you from quitting your English lessons. At a minimum, you would be held accountable for the fact of pre-payment for the course.

6. Document confirming completion of English language courses. On relative disadvantages self-study of English This may include the inability to obtain a document, certificate or diploma of graduation from an educational institution.