Name: Anony Mous                                                                                                                                   

 Year: 1996  

 

     When I started studying English in junior high school, I was not very good at it. I did not know how to study it and did not understand how to communicate using a language other than familiar Japanese. At that time I did not feel the need of learning a different language,  and I was not interested in it either. I felt it was enough for me to be able to spell words correctly. Therefore handing in my notebook with beautifully spelled words to my teacher was my job. However, I studied in order to do well on the English examination. I forgot the real importance and the fun of learning a foreign language. I was satisfied with the capability of filling the blanks on the papers. I thought that meant that "I can use English."

     That terrible state continued through my high school days,  too. I studied it only for the entrance examination of a university. The common negative point through junior high school and high school is that I did not care about pronunciation. It is that I was not studying it for communication. I did not expect that university classes would stress oral communication over comprehension of written English.

     I was quite shocked by the teaching methods used by university professors. The classes are basically centered around oral communication. Now I feel it is important to learn to be able to speak English seriously.

     I felt insecure about my English among those who can speak English well because they spent a considerable amount of time in English-speaking countries. Moreover, a lot of classmates started studying English for oral communication by going to extra classes outside high school. Even though they are still Japanese citizens, they used English! I felt that I was behind and needed to catch up.

     I think understanding this situation was a positive experience for me. As a result,  my method of learning English changed from mainly grammatical learning to mainly hearing exercises. Learning language with your ears is not only fun, but also very helpful. From LL class I am getting to be able to understand spoken English much better. Now I really want to become a good English speaker.

     I have learned shadowing from my teacher. I think that technique will help me learn to speak English a lot better.

     Above all, the English learning system helped me find some of the important points of learning a different language. In addition, it made me decide to go abroad to study English. I really think that there are many chances to learn English, and these experiences made me want to learn English faster. By studying abroad, I feel I will be able to develop special skills.

            Finally, as my advice to next year's students I will tell them not to compare their English skills with people who have studied abroad. It is important to believe in yourself and in what you learn. Everyone should find their own way to study.