Naiman et al. (1995) carried out research to discover what makes people good language learners.  They identified the following strategies:

  • Find a learning style that suits you
  • Involve yourself in the language learning process
  • Develop an awareness of language both as system and communication
  • Pay constant attention to expanding your language knowledge
  • Develop the second language as a separate system
  • Take into account the demands that L2 learning imposes

Rubin (1975) suggested that good L2 learners are

  • willing and accurate guessers
  • have a strong drive to communicate
  • are often uninhibited
  • are willing to make mistakes
  • focus on form by looking for patterns and analyzing
  • take advantage of all practice opportunities
  • monitor their speech as well as that of others
  • pay attention to meaning.

If you would like to find out more about language learning, why not try this quiz designed by Rebecca Oxford for English language learners.
http://ell.phil.tu-chemnitz.de/cing/frontend/questionnaires/oxford_quest.php

 

  • Take things step by step
  • Revisit often.
  • Practice makes perfect
  • Adopt a positive, ‘can do’ approach
  • Its fine to make mistakes
  • Communicate and participate
  • Find and talk to native speakers in your college
  • Visit the country if you can

 

 

Have also a look at the OVFL website: One Voice for Languages has many up-to-date links www.onevoiceforlanguages.com Download for brochure for OVFL