LEARNING ENGLISH

Learning English



Learning English from the Learner's Experience

Introduction

The English language has become the star of the times, due to several factors. The characteristics of English has enabled it to become the global language. Learning English becomes an increasing need of time for the changes, perhaps the millennium's most revolutionary occurring in all fields for professionals. This essay seeks to identify and discuss the learning experiences of a girl named Monika from Bulgaria. In order to get the required information, interview is conducted and some open questions are asked so that suggestions can be given to timely improve her performance in English learning (Belcher, 2006, pp. 133-156).

Monika's Experience of Learning English

At the initial level, the interviewer asked about her background, her home country. When she was asked about this, she explained that she is from Bulgaria, South-eastern Europe near the Red Sea. Her previous learning experiences as she told the interviewer in her home country was not so good. Because, the practice of learning English in her country was pretty different from that she is learning in host country. In her home country, she used to learn English just through words and not much attention was given to grammar.

As from the interview, we can see that she has been learning English for the past eight years in her home country and the pattern of teaching and learning English is quite different in the rest of the world. The new learning pattern has caused her great difficulty because first, she is already weak in English and second in her previous classes, she used to learn just words, not the grammar. But, now here, she has a new and critical approach of learning. She has to learn words as well as grammar. This way has affected her learning style as now she has to put more efforts in her learning.

From the interview, the learner's language skills and needs are identified. The interviewer identified that there is considerable grammatical mistakes in her speaking and writing English. As she has not practiced to learn English grammatically, therefore, considerable efforts will be required to make her understand and change the way she had learned in the past. The teacher has to give extra care and time on her grammar. The new trend in teaching English for learning suggests communication. Practices should be seen as utilitarian and useful. A point is to encourage and confront ...