introduction to language learning 6

 Dear Erik,

        How have you been? Last week, our teacher invited an amazing speaker who can speak more than 25 languages. Honestly, I did not believe there is anyone who can speak so many languages. But after the speech, I really think he is a great language learner and his method is really useful. When I first got into English department, I have no idea what I can do in the future, but I think this speech has given me some direction. I love learning languages, and I really want to travel around the world and see different things just like him. This has always been my dream and now I know that my dream is possible. The speaker mentioned a kind of learning method which is immersive learning, and I think it’s very interesting and useful. I think Taiwan education lacks this kind of teaching and learning way. In Taiwan, spoon-feeding education (the process of 'telling' students what they need to know) has always been the dominant educational paradigm. I think this teaching method is not bad; it just needs to give students more virtual dialogue instead of textual knowledge. On the other hand, immersive learning allows us to practice the language in real life, but I think it still requires some fundamental knowledge of the language. Moreover, I think a lot of people have some misunderstanding about immersive learning. Lots of people think that we only have to immerse ourselves in a world full of English. However, I think learning a language needs interaction. Through interaction, we can learn the usage of the language and pick up the accent or culture. Therefore, I think just listening to lots of podcasts or TV shows may not be so useful. We need to practice how to speak and combine what we learn to our daily life. It’s very important for a language learner to know or to have the courage to speak the language. Many Taiwanese people are too afraid to speak even though their English is already excellent. They may have perfect grammar or writing skills but still afraid to open their mouth because they’re worried about making mistakes or not having a perfect accent. Therefore, I think Taiwan language education should encourage students to have more confidence and practice how to speak. Fortunately, I think we are moving in the right direction. Anyway, I just want to say I really learn a lot from the speech, and the speaker helps me rethink my future; he really gives me some direction. But I have a little question. How can he have so much money to travel around the world? (I am just curious)