Hello, Tom from SSE Katsura here to talk about two things that cross our path every time we try to learn something new. Making mistakes and forgetting. They can’t be avoided. It is important not to let them demotivate us and rather accept them as a great learning tool. In this blog I’d like to explain why during my English conversation classes students aren’t expected to be always correct and why they don’t feel bad about forgetting.
Nobody is perfect. Encountering errors and trying to remember something is the actual process of learning. Overcoming these challenges enhances our sense of achievement and satisfaction. We need this motivation to be able to continue learning.
Let’s look at me as an example.
I’m not good at memorizing. Actually, I have a terrible memory. When I study Japanese I forget things and sometimes repeat the same mistakes. In the past it bothered me so much that I almost quit. Luckily after a short break I started again. And I noticed progress in my Japanese abilities. Yes, it is a slow process, but that’s not the point. Speed is not the reason for me to study Japanese, communicating in a foreign language is. The progress itself is important and I don’t let the speed bother me anymore. I continue learning Japanese on my own pace and enjoy my little personal victories when I can easily remember some old vocabulary or express my thoughts in full.
This personal experience helps me with coaching English conversation lessons. I’m always ready to assure my students that forgetting something or making errors is not a failure. On the contrary. Mistakes are important part of learning and therefore they will always be part of our English conversation lessons. No need to feel bad about them. Embrace them and try it the right way next time. If not the next, then the third or fourth time. It will be correct, eventually. Everyone on their own pace and without unnecessary stress or frustration.
It might sound perfect to be able to avoid any mistakes and always remember everything. But in my opinion, we would lose a lot of fun and excitement from exploring and achieving new things. It gives me joy watching my students’ happy faces when they overcome their difficulties. It’s a real pleasure.
Tom, SSE Katsura.
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