Five Tips to Stay Motivated when Learning English as a Foreign Language
Learning English- or any foreign language - may be a long and hard process which could cause frustration and demotivation. However, there are a few little steps that any language learner can take in order to revert this possible situation and stay motivated when learning the target language. So here are my tips to stay continuously stimulated.
Identify the reason(s) for learning a foreign language
First of all, not everyone pays the attention it deserves, yet it is of considerable importance to identify the reason(s) that made you want to learn the target language in the first place. Thus, grab a pencil and a notebook and answer the following questions; be as clear as you can.
Why do I want to learn English? Is it an external motivation? (work, study, tourism, immigration issues) or is it rather an internal motivation? (personal growth, love towards the language)
Being fully aware of the reason for learning a language is the first step to stay on track and motivated while doing so.
IMPORTANT: Do not forget to communicate it to your language teacher since he/ she is professionally trained and has the tools to help you succeed in your learning process while continuously bearing in mind your reason(s) for studying the language.
Set realistic goals
Another significant aspect is to set achievable goals that fit one’s reality according to the level of the language and exposure to it, learning dedication, among others. Setting realistic objectives that can be gotten faster will increase one’s self-confidence and keep you focused and fully motivated. This can be seen as a result of the satisfaction and joy caused by being able to achieve the learning goals. Once you achieve your first realistic goals, you are ready to set new challenging ones. To put it differently, take baby steps in order to get bigger results.
Grab your pencil and notepad once more and answer the following questions: What do I aim to accomplish? (e.g read a novel in English, be able to fully communicate in the target language, write emails in English, and so on)
Which baby steps can I take to get closer to my main goals? (e.g If you aim to read a novel in English, but you do not feel ready yet, then you can start reading a short story or a picture book which will be a more achievable goal).
Build a learning habit
Building a learning habit will also be beneficial to raise motivation while learning English. A good way to do so is to allocate a certain amount of weekly study time and divide it into learning periods along the week. It is important that you schedule the learning periods in a calendar so that it will be much easier to commit yourself to building your habit.
REMEMBER: you need to shape your habits so that they suit your own goals and needs. |
In your notepad, answer: How many hours a week will I be able to commit myself to learning the language? Which days of the week will I be more likely to study / to practise the language? What time of the day will I feel more eager to learn the language?
Now schedule your learning periods in your calendar and stick to it on a weekly basis.
Make mistakes
Being wrong might make us feel frustrated and unmotivated when learning a foreign language. However, mistakes are part of everyone’s learning process, and with the right feedback they become great learning opportunities. Thus, stop being afraid of making mistakes; instead, learn from them and use them to improve your language accuracy and enjoy your individual learning path.
Reflect about previous mistakes you have made: Can you think of a mistake that has become a learning opportunity? How did you feel when you identified that mistake? Did you have the right feedback? Do you now feel ready to use the language more accurately?
Seek opportunities to use the English language
Last but not least, it is essential to seek opportunities to put your English knowledge and skills into practice. Find your English buddy; a friend, classmate or someone who also desires to improve his/ her target language skills, set common goals and meet periodically either to engage in conversation, watch a movie fully in English, or read and discuss an interesting book. Besides, you could join a language club or attend a play in English for instance. These are just a few fun and motivating ideas that will leave you wanting more English immersion. For further recommendations, download our freebie: Tips to Improve your English Language Skills.
