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Preparation for language learning

1. What do you expect from your course?

a) Do you think you are good at learning languages? Why or why not?
b) What do you think is the best way to learn a new language? Why?
c) What kinds of activities do you think should be included in your course?
Why?

2. What sort of language learner are you?

Try the following quiz. Tick ( ) your answer to the questions.

usually sometimes (almost) never Don´t know

1. Did/do you
get good results
in grammar
tests?
2. Do you have
a good memory
for new words?
3. Do you hate
making
mistakes?
4. In class, do
you get irritated
if mistakes are
not corrected?
5. Is your
pronunciation
better when you
read aloud than
when you have
a conversation?
6. Do you wish
you had more
time to think
before
speaking?
7. Did/do you
enjoy being in a
class?
8. Do you find it
difficult to pick
up more than
two or three
words of a new
language when
you are on
holiday abroad?
9. Do you like
to learn new

1
Adapted from the book of Gail Ellis & Barbara Sinclair - Learning to Learn English, 1989.
grammar rules,
words, etc. By
heart?

How to calculate your score:

Score: 3 points for each Usually

2 points for each Sometimes
1 point for each Almost never or never
0 points for each Don´t know

Total score:

Professor comments and suggestions:

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3. Why do you need or want to lear English?

How much do you know / can you do already?

Use an assessment scale from 1 to 5:

1= this is the standard you would like to reach – your goal.
5= you can do very little. You are a long way from your goal.

Extending Dealing with Listening Speaking Reading Writing

vocabulary grammar
1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 5 5

What are your priorities?

Give each skill a priority rating from 1 to 6:
1= highest priority
6= lowest priority
Skill Priority
rating
Extending
vocabulary
Dealing with
grammar
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing

4. How do you organise your learning

a) Have you got a dictionary?

b) Have you got a grammar book?
c) What other resources have you got?
d) How much time have you got to learn English?
e) How do you organise your time?

5. How motivated are you?

f) How motivated do you feel now? Why?

g) How did you feel yesterday? Why?
h) What things might affect your motivation during your course?